Neil Critchley (born 18 October 1978) is an English football manager and former player who is assistant coach of Premier League club Ipswich Town.
He played one match in the Football League for Crewe Alexandra, then of the First Division.
Critchley has previously managed Liverpool under-18s, standing in for Jürgen Klopp for two of Liverpool's cup fixtures in the 2019–20 season. He 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. After a short stint as assistant head coach to Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa in 2022, Critchley was appointed head coach of Queens Park Rangers. He was sacked after two months, having won one game from his first twelve. Critchley returned to Blackpool in May 2023, but was sacked the following August.
, he is one of sixteen coaches worldwide to have obtained UEFA's elite badge."Liverpool lose Neil Critchley as U23s boss joins League One club" - Liverpool Echo, 2 March 2020
Playing career Critchley, aged 10, joined Crewe Alexandra in 1989. The club was then managed by Dario Gradi who had recently started a player development scheme that became the Crewe Alexandra F.C. Academy. Gradi noticed Critchley's ability, even at the age of 17, to coach younger players and encouraged him to become more fully involved.
Critchley's only playing appearance for Crewe came in a 3–0 defeat away at Fulham during the 1999–2000 season. 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 Gradi and Steve Holland, and being appointed joint Academy director in 2007, before joining Liverpool as under-18s coach in 2013.
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. 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. Liverpool, fielding a team made up exclusively of under-23s, were beaten 5–0. 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. The youthful Liverpool team won 1–0 via an own goal.
Blackpool
On 2 March 2020, Critchley was appointed as head coach of Blackpool on a three-and-a-half-year contract."Neil Critchley Appointed New Head Coach" - Blackpool F.C., 2 March 2020 He chose Mike Garrity to be his assistant, the two having worked together at Liverpool. 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."League One & League Two clubs vote to end seasons early" - BBC Sport, 9 May 2020
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.Blackpool 1–0 Bristol Rovers – BBC Sport, 9 May 2021
On 19 November 2021, Critchley signed a four-year extension to his contract, keeping him at Bloomfield Road until 2026."Neil Critchley Signs New Long-Term Contract" – Blackpool F.C., 19 November 2021 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 Bolton Wanderers manager Ian Evatt, and Morecambe manager Derek Adams."Blackpool boss Neil Critchley beats Man City's Pep Guardiola to manager of the season award" – Blackpool Gazette, 23 November 2021
Aston Villa (assistant) On 2 June 2022, Critchley departed Blackpool after accepting the role of assistant head coach to Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa. He had told Blackpool's owner Simon Sadler that he was keen to work again with Gerrard and "pit himself against some of the best coaches in the world". On 21 October 2022, Critchley departed Aston Villa, following the sacking of Gerrard the day prior.
Queens Park Rangers On 11 December 2022, Critchley was appointed head coach of Championship club Queens Park Rangers on a three-and-a-half-year deal. His first match in charge was a single-goal victory over Preston North End. On 19 February 2023, Critchley was relieved of his duties as head coach of Queens Park Rangers, with the victory over Preston North End being the team's sole victory during his time in charge.
Return to Blackpool On 23 May 2023, Critchley returned to his former club Blackpool, on a four-year deal, following their relegation to League One. Mike Garrity also returned as assistant manager, alongside Iain Brunskill for the 2023–24 campaign. Critchley was sacked on 21 August 2024.
Heart of Midlothian On 15 October 2024, two months after departing Blackpool, Critchley was appointed head coach of Scottish Premiership club Heart of Midlothian. Hearts were bottom of the early league table when Critchley was appointed. An improvement in results meant they pulled away from that position, and Critchley won the Premiership manager of the month award for January 2025. He was criticised for failing to win "big" games, highlighted by the team losing successive derbies against Hibs. A draw with Motherwell meant that Hearts finished in the bottom half of the league.
Critchley was sacked by Hearts following a home defeat by Dundee on 26 April 2025, after six months in charge.
Career statistics
Club +Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueFA CupEFL CupOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsCrewe Alexandra1999–2000Football League First Division1000000010Leigh RMI2000–01Football Conference3010—0040Career total4010000050
Managerial statistics
+ Managerial record by team and tenure Team Nat From ToRecordLiverpool (stand-in)17 December 20194 February 2020Blackpool2 March 20202 June 2022Queens Park Rangers11 December 202219 February 2023Blackpool23 May 202321 August 2024Heart of Midlothian15 October 202426 April 2025Total
Honours Blackpool
EFL League One play-offs: 2021Blackpool 2–1 Lincoln City 1 – BBC Sport, 30 May 2021 Hearts
Scottish Premiership Manager of the Month: January 2025
Personal life Critchley is married to Janine."Neil Critchley: The Blackpool manager giving fans their club back" – The Daily Telegraph, 16 April 2021
References
External links