Neil Critchley

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Neil Critchley
Personal information
Full name Neil Critchley[1]
Date of birth (1978-10-18) 18 October 1978 (age 43)
Place of birth Crewe, England
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Blackpool (head coach)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1999–2000 Crewe Alexandra 1 (0)
2000–2001 Leigh RMI 3 (0)
Teams managed
2013–2017 Liverpool U18
2017–2020 Liverpool U23
2019–2020 Liverpool (stand-in)
2020– Blackpool
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Neil Critchley (born 18 October 1978) is an English former footballer who played in the Football League First Division for Crewe Alexandra. He is now the head coach of Blackpool, having left his post as Liverpool's under-23s manager on 2 March 2020.[2] He has previously managed Liverpool under-18s and stood in for Jürgen Klopp for two of Liverpool's cup fixtures in the 2019–2020 season.

He is one of sixteen coaches worldwide to have obtained UEFA's elite badge.[3]

Critchley guided Blackpool to promotion, via the playoffs, from League One to the Championship in 2020–21, his first full season in charge of the club.

Playing career[]

Crewe Alexandra[]

Critchley's only playing appearance for Crewe came in a 3–0 defeat away at Fulham during the 1999–2000 season.

Leigh RMI[]

He signed for Leigh RMI in 2000, and made three league appearances as substitute for the club.

Coaching and managerial career[]

Critchley retired as a player aged 24 and became a coach at Crewe, working under Dario Gradi and Steve Holland,[4] and being appointed joint Academy director in 2007, before joining Liverpool as under-18s coach in 2013.[5]

Liverpool[]

Due to fixture congestion of Liverpool's first team during the 2019–20 season, Critchley served as their stand-in manager for their EFL Cup away match against Aston Villa on 17 December 2019.[6] The congestion was caused by Liverpool's participation in the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar, which overlapped with the EFL Cup quarter-finals.[7][8][9] Liverpool, fielding a team made up exclusively of under-23s, were beaten 5–0.[10][11] Critchley again served as Liverpool's stand-in manager for the FA Cup fourth round replay against Shrewsbury Town on 4 February 2020, as the first team were on a mid-season break.[12] The youthful Liverpool team won 1–0 via an own goal.[13]

Blackpool[]

On 2 March 2020, Critchley was appointed as head coach of Blackpool on a three-and-a-half-year contract.[14] After a curtailed regular season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, Blackpool finished in 13th position after standings were amended to reflect a points-per-game ratio.[15]

In Critchley's first full season in charge, 2020–21, Blackpool finished third at the conclusion of the regular season, going on to win promotion via the EFL League One play-offs.[16]

On 19 November 2021, Critchley signed a four-year extension to his contract, keeping him at Bloomfield Road until 2026.[17] The following week, Critchley was named Manager of the Season at the annual North West Football Awards, beating Manchester City's Pep Guardiola, Blackpool's former captain and now Bolton Wanderers manager Ian Evatt, and former Morecambe manager Derek Adams.[18]

Managerial statistics[]

As of match played 5 February 2022
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team Nat From To Record
G W D L Win %
Liverpool (stand-in) England 17 December 2019 4 February 2020 2 1 0 1 050.00
Blackpool England 2 March 2020 Present 92 40 25 27 043.48
Total 94 41 25 28 043.62

Honours[]

Blackpool

Personal life[]

Critchley is married to Janine.[20]

References[]

  1. ^ "Neil Critchley". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  2. ^ "Neil Critchley – U18s manager". LiverpoolFC.com. Liverpool Football Club. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  3. ^ "Liverpool lose Neil Critchley as U23s boss joins League One club" - Liverpool Echo, 2 March 2020
  4. ^ Morse, Peter (17 December 2019). "Liverpool have a 'top class coach' in charge against Aston Villa tonight, according to the man who knows him best". Cheshire Live. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  5. ^ Pearce, James (12 October 2013). "New Liverpool FC under-18s coach has brief to get home-grown talent ready for the first team". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Q&A: Neil Critchley's pre-Carabao Cup quarter-final press conference". Liverpool. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  7. ^ "Klopp explains Club World Cup and Carabao Cup squad selections". Liverpool. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  8. ^ "Aston Villa v Liverpool: Carabao Cup Quarter-Final tie confirmed". EFL.com. English Football League. 5 November 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  9. ^ "LFC statement on Carabao Cup tie with Aston Villa". Liverpool. 5 November 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  10. ^ "'A great opportunity' – Neil Critchley on Carabao Cup quarter-final". Liverpool. 12 December 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  11. ^ "Aston Villa 5–0 Liverpool: Dean Smith's side overwhelm young Liverpool side". BBC Sport. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  12. ^ "Jurgen Klopp: Liverpool's first team will miss FA Cup replay v Shrewsbury". BBC Sport. 26 January 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  13. ^ Johnston, Neil (4 February 2020). "Liverpool 1–0 Shrewsbury: Own goal by Ro-Shaun Williams sends young Reds through". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  14. ^ "Neil Critchley Appointed New Head Coach" - Blackpool F.C., 2 March 2020
  15. ^ "League One & League Two clubs vote to end seasons early" - BBC Sport, 9 May 2020
  16. ^ Blackpool 1–0 Bristol Rovers – BBC Sport, 9 May 2021
  17. ^ "Neil Critchley Signs New Long-Term Contract" – Blackpool F.C., 19 November 2021
  18. ^ "Blackpool boss Neil Critchley beats Man City's Pep Guardiola to manager of the season award" – Blackpool Gazette, 23 November 2021
  19. ^ Blackpool 2–1 Lincoln City 1 – BBC Sport, 30 May 2021
  20. ^ "Neil Critchley: The Blackpool manager giving fans their club back" – The Daily Telegraph, 16 April 2021

External links[]

Retrieved from ""