[themaclad]

Millwall have appointed former Preston North End, Sunderland and Stoke City boss Alex Neil as head coach on a "long-term" contract.

The 43-year-old Scot most recently managed the Potters, having taken over in August 2022, but was sacked just over 12 months ago.

Neil, who won promotion from the Championship as manager of Norwich City in 2015, takes over from Neil Harris whose second stint with the Lions ended this month.

Neil was in the stands in the CBS Arena on Sunday, watching his new side battle to a goalless draw with Frank Lampard's Coventry City.

The result kept them 13th in the table.

Millwall's director of football Steve Gallen said Neil was a head coach with "proven methods" and "exciting ideas".

"Ultimately, Alex has an excellent track record in the Championship for results and development of young talent, as well as many other attributes that we feel confident will drive us forward as a club," Gallen told the club website, external.

Neil's first match in charge of Millwall will be their home game against Oxford United on 1 January.

The Lions were 11th in the Championship and had not won in their previous four games when Harris, who returned in February for a second stint in charge of the club, announced he would leave earlier in December.

Since then they impressively ended play-off chasing Blackburn Rovers' six-game winning run before being defeated 2-1 by Norwich on Boxing Day.

Neil takes over a mid-table club that has won just once in their past nine Championship games.

Having overseen promotion to the Premier League through the play-offs with Norwich almost 10 years ago, he left the Canaries in March 2017 after they returned to the second tier.

Later that year he took over at Preston, where he spent four years, before being sacked with the club 16th in the Championship at the time.

He joined the Black Cats on a short-term contract in 2022 and won promotion from League One through the play-offs shortly after, but left to join Stoke early the following season.

He has been out of management for over a year since his 16-month stay at Stoke came to an end in early December 2023, with the Potters 20th in the table.

Martin Canning, who worked alongside Neil at Stoke and Sunderland, has also moved to south-east London as assistant head coach.

Neil has likened the challenge he has at Millwall to the job he first took on at Deepdale in the summer of 2017.

"The opportunity was a great one for me," Neil said on his arrival at Millwall.

"I think it's very much similar to when I went in at Preston, going into a good environment.

"It's not as if there are huge problems. The team wasn't struggling and I had to go in and develop a style of play, maybe bring some of the younger players through, so I see this as a very similar project to what I did there."

[themaclad]

Millwall head coach Alex Neil has signed a new contract that will keep him at The Den for the "foreseeable future".

The 43-year-old replaced Neil Harris in the dugout in December and steered the Lions to an eighth-place finish, just two points outside the play-offs.

"I'm delighted and incredibly proud to sign this new contract," Neil told the club's website.

"Since my first day, the commitment and togetherness I've seen from everyone at the club - players, staff, and fans - has been really special.

"That unity has helped us build strong foundations for the seasons ahead, and to be a part of that journey is incredibly exciting."


Neil won promotion to the Premier League with Norwich City in 2014-15 and led Sunderland to victory over Wycombe Wanderers in the League One play-off final in 2021-22.

His first match in charge at The Den was a 1-0 defeat to Oxford United, with his first victory coming 12 days later against Dagenham & Redbridge in the FA Cup.

A total of 12 wins from 21 Championship matches in charge pushed the Lions up into contention for a spot in the play-offs, but they just missed out with a final day defeat at Burnley.

"I've said it many times - this club is special," Neil added.

"It's only when you truly experience the work going on behind the scenes, speak with the fans, and work alongside the players and staff day in and day out, that you realise just how unique it really is."

Millwall chairman James Berylson described it as an exciting time to be a supporter of the club.

"This new contract reflects our confidence in the direction we're heading under Alex," he said.

"The progress we've made in the short amount of time since his arrival has been really positive and bodes well for our long-term objectives.

"We have a clear vision of what we want to achieve with Alex as head coach, and he's demonstrated the abilities we knew he had when we hired him - strong leadership and installing a real sense of belief throughout the squad and staff to fulfil our ambitions of propelling this club to the next level."


Alex Neil arrived at Millwall with a lot on his plate.

He had to succeed club legend Neil Harris, who had decided to walk away.

He had to oversee the sale of Romain Esse to Crystal Palace, possibly the best player in the team at the time.

And he had to deal with the arrival of a host of new players in the winter transfer window.

The fact that he assembled an effective Championship team very quickly, increased Mihailo Ivanovic's goal output considerably, and got them to within a hair's breadth of the play-off spots is no small achievement.

He's now in a very strong position to make the case for Millwall going one better next season.

If further investment does arrive at The Den, that, coupled with the manager's experience at this level, means the club may finally be able to turn those regular top-half finishes in the Championship table into something even more impressive.