Africa-Press – Ghana. Neil Critchley (right) was under-23 boss at Liverpool while Steven Gerrard was a youth coach at the club Blackpool boss Neil Critchley has left the club to join Premier League side Aston Villa as assistant head coach.
He replaces Michael Beale, who was named as QPR head coach on Wednesday. Critchley, 43, who previously worked alongside Villa boss Steven Gerrard in the Liverpool academy, was appointed Blackpool boss in March 2020.
He guided the Seasiders to promotion to the Championship via the play-offs in 2020-21 and they finished 16th in the second tier this season. “Neil has been a consummate professional ever since arriving at Blackpool and really bought into what this club and town are all about,” owner Simon Sadler told the Blackpool website.
“He has built up strong relationships with the staff, players and supporters and made some special memories for us all.
“Naturally, we are disappointed to lose him, but thank him for all that he has achieved during his time at Bloomfield Road and wish him well.” Critchley twice took charge of Liverpool’s first team prior to leaving for Blackpool.
He oversaw a 5-0 Carabao Cup quarter-final defeat by his new employers Villa, when the majority of the senior squad were away at the Club World Cup in Qatar in December 2019, and then led the team’s youngest-ever starting XI to a 1-0 FA Cup fourth-round replay win over Shrewsbury in February 2020 when the first team were on the Premier League’s winter break.
Aston Villa finished 14th in the Premier League in 2021-22 after Gerrard left Rangers to take over from Dean Smith in November. Gerrard’s former assistant Beale had worked under him with the Scottish Premiership giants before following him to Villa, alongside fellow first-team coach Gary McAllister.
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