Today is the birthday of Alex Neil - a man who was successful at Sunderland before, of course, joining Stoke...
In January 2015, Norwich City were the club to take a risk on the 33-year-old Alex Neil who had impressed whilst managing in Scotland. It would make him the second-youngest manager in the EFL after Mansfield’s Adam Murray. He won in his first game against league leaders Bournemouth and then went on a run that saw Norwich win 17 from 25 games, securing 3rd place and a space in the play-offs. In the semi’s, they beat Ipswich Town in the fearsome
East Anglia derby, winning 4–2 on aggregate over two legs.
Neil’s first taste of Wembley victory followed in the next game against Middlesbrough. Norwich won 2–0 in the 2015 play-off Final, with goals from Cameron Jerome and Nathan Redmond ensuring Premier League football for the Canaries.