| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Neil Critchley[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1978-10-18)18 October 1978 (age 47) | ||
| Place of birth | Crewe,Cheshire, England | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1989– | Crewe Alexandra | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1999–2000 | Crewe Alexandra | 1 | (0) |
| 2000–2001 | Leigh RMI | 3 | (0) |
| Total | 4 | (0) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2019 | Liverpool (stand-in) | ||
| 2020 | Liverpool (stand-in) | ||
| 2020–2022 | Blackpool | ||
| 2022–2023 | Queens Park Rangers | ||
| 2023–2024 | Blackpool | ||
| 2024–2025 | Heart of Midlothian | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Neil Critchley (born 18 October 1978) is an English football coach. A formerfootballer, he played one match in the Football League forCrewe Alexandra, then of theFirst Division.
He has previously managedLiverpool under-18s (standing in forJürgen Klopp for two of Liverpool's cup fixtures in the 2019–20 season), and guidedBlackpool to promotion, via the playoffs, fromLeague One to theChampionship in 2020–21, his first full season in charge of the club. After a short stint as assistant head coach toSteven Gerrard atAston Villa in 2022, he was appointed head coach ofQueens Park Rangers. After signing a three-year contract, he was sacked after two months, having won one game from his first twelve. He returned to Blackpool in May 2023, but was sacked the following August.
As of 2020[update], he was one of sixteen coaches worldwide to have obtainedUEFA's elite badge.[2]
Critchley, aged 10, joinedCrewe Alexandra in 1989. The club was then managed byDario Gradi who had recently started a player development scheme that became theCrewe 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.[3]
Critchley's only playing appearance for Crewe came in a 3–0 defeat away atFulham during the1999–2000 season. He signed forLeigh RMI in 2000, and made three league appearances as substitute for the club.
Critchley retired as a player aged 24 and became a coach at Crewe, working under Gradi andSteve Holland,[4] and being appointed joint Academy director in 2007, before joiningLiverpool as under-18s coach in 2013.[5]
Due tofixture congestion ofLiverpool's first team during the2019–20 season, Critchley served as their stand-in manager for theirEFL Cup away match againstAston Villa on 17 December 2019.[6] The congestion was caused by Liverpool's participation in the2019 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar, which overlapped with theEFL 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 theFA Cup fourth round replay againstShrewsbury 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]
On 2 March 2020, Critchley was appointed as head coach ofBlackpool on a three-and-a-half-year contract.[14] He choseMike Garrity to be his assistant, the two having worked together at Liverpool. After a curtailed regular season due to theCOVID-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 theEFL 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, beatingManchester City'sPep Guardiola, Blackpool's former captain and nowBolton Wanderers managerIan Evatt, andMorecambe managerDerek Adams.[18]
On 2 June 2022, Critchley departed Blackpool after accepting the role of assistant head coach toSteven Gerrard atAston Villa.[19] He had told Blackpool's ownerSimon Sadler that he was keen to work again with Gerrard and "pit himself against some of the best coaches in the world".[20] On 21 October 2022, Critchley departed Aston Villa, following the sacking of Gerrard the day prior.[21]
On 11 December 2022, Critchley was appointed head coach of Championship clubQueens Park Rangers on a three-and-a-half-year deal.[22] His first match in charge was a single-goal victory overPreston 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.[23]
On 23 May 2023, Critchley returned to his former club Blackpool, on a four-year deal, following their relegation to League One.[24] Mike Garrity also returned as assistant manager, alongsideIain Brunskill for the2023–24 campaign.[25] Critchley was sacked on 21 August 2024.[26]
On 15 October 2024, two months after departing Blackpool, Critchley was appointed head coach ofScottish Premiership clubHeart of Midlothian.[27] Hearts were bottom of the early league table when Critchley was appointed.[28] An improvement in results meant they pulled away from that position, and Critchley won the Premiership manager of the month award for January 2025.[29] He was criticised for failing to win "big" games, highlighted by the team losing successivederbies againstHibs.[30] A draw withMotherwell meant that Hearts finished in the bottom half of the league.[30][28]
Critchley was sacked by Hearts following a home defeat byDundee on 26 April 2025, after six months in charge.[28]
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||||||
| Liverpool (stand-in)[31] |  | 17 December 2019 | 4 February 2020 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 050.00 | |||
| Blackpool[32] | | 2 March 2020 | 2 June 2022 | 109 | 45 | 30 | 34 | 041.28 | |||
| Queens Park Rangers[33] | | 11 December 2022 | 19 February 2023 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 008.33 | |||
| Blackpool | | 23 May 2023 | 21 August 2024 | 62 | 30 | 12 | 20 | 048.39 | |||
| Heart of Midlothian[27] |  | 15 October 2024 | 26 April 2025 | 35 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 040.00 | |||
| Total | 220 | 91 | 54 | 75 | 041.36 | ||||||
Blackpool
Hearts
Critchley is married to Janine.[35]