How Alex Neil went from mystery man of Hamilton to the King of Norwich

Alex Neil guided Norwich to 2-0 victory over Middlesbrough at Wembley
The 33-year-old could be only Scottish manager in England’s top flight
Started the season at Hamilton and first match was in front of 700 fans

John Greechan For The Scottish Daily Mail

Published:
00:05 GMT, 26 May 2015

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Updated:
00:05 GMT, 26 May 2015

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So, do you think the guy who arrived amid such low expectations — and, let’s face it, almost zero name recognition — has proven his point? Frankly, Alex Neil has more to worry about than how he might have changed perceptions of him.

The Norwich City boss, now the toast of East Anglia following Monday’s Wembley triumph, insisted: ‘That sort of thing does not bother me. People will always question someone they don’t know who came from Hamilton Accies.

‘In football, everybody is open to criticism. The higher level you get to, the more you need to take it on the chin. People have wondered who I am and that might continue.

Alex Neil lifts the Championship play-off final trophy after his Norwich side defeated Middlesbrough 2-0

‘If people like Messi and Ronaldo can get criticised, then anybody is open to it. I will just do as well as I can to make sure we are ready.

‘I don’t look back. People have made a lot of the last year, telling me I was managing against Arbroath in front of 700 fans at the start of the season. But it’s not a huge concern.

‘I set goals, like getting promotion. I’m really determined to achieve those goals. Whether it is Hamilton or Norwich. I don’t get overawed by anyone or any place.’

The 33-year-old celebrates with his coaching staff after the final whistle was blown at Wembley Stadium

Aware that being the only Scottish manager in England’s top flight will bring its own pressures, Neil — who only arrived at Carrow Road in January — said: ‘The fact I am so young will bring a lot of focus, but I don’t read a lot into it. I’m just here to do as well as I can and I am really determined to make us as good as we can be in the Premier League

‘The goal was to gain promotion. We aimed for automatic. It was difficult but we got close. Then it was important that we remained focused and really pushed on to do it via the play-offs.

‘We felt the squad we had was as strong as any other club. Especially in one-off games like this, I thought the big players rose to the occasion and made the difference for us.

Norwich beat Middlesbrough 2-0 at Wembley on Monday to clinch place in the Premier League

‘I’m not silly. I know how big the task is. It’s going to be a huge challenge. We’ll be one of the smallest clubs going into the Premier League. But clubs of similar size do OK for themselves. There is no reason why we can’t do the same.

‘I know it is different levels. But I did it with Hamilton. Our job is to compete. We’ll need to add quality to the squad but I’ll stick with the core group of the squad.

‘We have to try to make sure we are not one of those teams scrapping around. My players are capable of staying there. Nobody will leave the club who we think can help us stay in the league.’

Neil is heading off to Mallorca with his family later this week, before getting down to a very busy summer. One which won’t include completing his UEFA Pro Licence — something that shouldn’t cause too many problems, with the Premier League happy as long as a manager is working towards his qualification.

Nathan Redmond roars with delight as he holds the play-off trophy and takes a walk around the Wembley pitch

‘It won’t be this summer,’ he said of the licence. ‘I still have a about a-year-and-a-half to go. It is an on-going process.

‘You always evolve as a person, coach and manager. I am certainly better than I was two years ago. I will have to learn fast, but I am prepared to put the hours in to make us as equipped as we can be to compete.

‘I was registered as a player but there’s better players than me here. One of the hardest things was to give up playing. But it’s probably the best decision I’ve made. If I had to give it up, then it was worth it for this job.

‘The next couple of days will be busy, we have two plans set in place in terms of recruitment, so we need to look at that.

‘It has been two long, hard seasons for me personally and the play-offs have been good to me, but they extend your season by another three weeks. I am looking forward to a holiday with my family.’