Alex Neil: Preston sack manager after one win in nine Championship games
- Published
Alex Neil had seen Preston lose four of their past five Championship matches
Preston North End have sacked manager Alex Neil after just one win in their past nine Championship matches.
Former Norwich City boss Neil, 39, took charge in July 2017, replacing Simon Grayson who had left for Sunderland.
Saturday's home defeat by Luton, their third in a row, was his last game in charge at the Championship club.
Preston said it is "the intention" for coach Frankie McAvoy to take over as interim head coach for the remaining eight games of the season.
Last season they finished ninth and Neil leaves North End in 16th place, nine points clear of the Championship relegation zone.
In a club statement,, external Preston said they want McAvoy - Neil's former assistant at both Hamilton and Norwich - to take over for the rest of the campaign with Steve Thompson, Mike Pollitt and Paul Gallagher as his assistants.
Preston are not in action again until Friday, 2 April when they host leaders Norwich City.
The Lilywhites are nine points above third-from-bottom Rotherham, but the Millers have four games in hand.
Speaking after the defeat by Luton, Neil told BBC Radio Lancashire he "wasn't surprised luck went against us".
"The basics at the moment, we're finding really difficult to do and that makes it really difficult to win football matches," he said.
"People talk about knowing your best team, but if I'm being honest, I haven't got a Scooby-Doo what that is at the moment.
"Your best team generally has reliability and you're getting your best out of it week in, week out. At the moment, we're nowhere near that."
Neil's managerial career includes promotions with both Hamilton and Norwich to the Scottish and English top flights respectively.
He guided the Canaries to the Premier League after they beat Middlesbrough in the 2015 Championship play-off final just five months after taking charge at Carrow Road.