By Will Scott
ALEX Neil has been officially appointed as Millwall’s new head coach.
Neil, 43, has signed a long-term contract and will be joined by Martin Canning, who has been named assistant head coach.
Neil has extensive experience in the Championship, having previously managed Norwich City, Preston North End, Sunderland, and Stoke City.
The Scot has achieved two promotions during his career, guiding Norwich to the Premier League in 2015 and steering Sunderland to victory in the 2022 League One play-off final.
Neil’s first game in charge will be against former Lions boss Gary Rowett’s Oxford United at The Den on New Year’s Day.
In a statement on the club’s website this morning, Millwall chairman James Berylson said: “We’re excited to welcome Alex to the club. Having met with him over the last couple of weeks, I have really enjoyed his passion and energy for the role.
“We have a clear vision and strategy at the club that Alex is aligned with, and he has some really exciting ideas of how we can progress with those objectives and ambitions together across the entire club.
“All our support is there for Alex, and I can’t wait to see what he can do for us. I, alongside everybody at Millwall, wish him the very best as our new head coach.”
Millwall’s director of football, Steve Gallen, added: “This has been a thorough and efficient recruitment process, and we’re really pleased to welcome Alex Neil as head coach.
“A number of factors were analysed extensively during this process to ensure that we appoint that right person for the role.
“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.
“Alex’s hunger to take this football club to the next level was clear during the several conversations we had. He has proven methods that have worked successfully in a hugely competitive League and has exciting ideas of how he sees this team developing.
“We’re delighted to welcome to him to Millwall and I look forward to working closely with Alex.
“We’re grateful to David Livermore for taking charge of first-team affairs in the interim, alongside his support staff of Adam Barrett, Andy Marshall and Kevin Nugent.
“David will remain at the club as part of Alex’s backroom staff whilst Kevin Nugent has returned to his position as under-21s Elite Development Squad manager.”
