Norwich City manager Alex Neil is relishing the prospect of pitting his wits against the best of the Premier League after his remarkable rise reached a new high with promotion at Wembley.
Just nine months ago, Neil was a virtual unknown outside the close-knit Scottish community of South Lanarkshire where he was starting his second full season in charge of minnows Hamilton.
The first match of Neil’s 2014/15 campaign, a Scottish League Cup victory for Hamilton against Arbroath in August, was watched by just 730 people.
But fast forward to May and Neil suddenly found himself the toast of an 85,000 capacity crowd at Wembley as jubilant Norwich fans hailed the 33-year-old Scot, who had just underlined his growing reputation as one of the brightest young managers in Britain by masterminding his club’s 2-0 victory over Middlesbrough in the Championship play-off final.
After leading Hamilton’s promotion to the Scottish Premiership via the play-offs last season, Norwich persuaded Neil to come south of the border to England’s second tier following the sacking of Neil Adams in January.
At that point Norwich were languishing outside the top six in the aftermath of last season’s relegation, but Neil, whose unremarkable playing career including stops at Airdrie, Barnsley, Mansfield and Hamilton, presided over an incredible run of 17 victories from 25 games which culminated in promotion thanks to first-half goals from Cameron Jerome and Nathan Redmond at Wembley.
Neil’s progress from the backwaters of Scottish football to the bright lights of the Premier League, combined with a fiery temper and determination to win at all costs, has already drawn comparisons with legendary former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.
And, with a single-minded focus that Ferguson would surely approve of, Neil made it clear he wouldn’t feel inferior when he locks horns with the likes of Jose Mourinho, Arsene Wenger and Louis van Gaal next season.
“People have made a lot of the last year, telling me I was at Arbroath in front of 700 fans at the start of the season, but it is not a huge concern to me,” Neil said.
“I set goals and am really determined to achieve them, whether it is Hamilton or Norwich. I don’t get overawed by anyone or any place.
“I am not silly, I know how big the task is. But we have our goals once we get there about what to do.”
Neil’s success has prompted Norwich fans to nickname him “Sir Alex” in reference to Ferguson, while the club’s majority shareholder, the television chef Delia Smith, jokes he should be knighted.
But Neil is adamant the plaudits won’t soften the fiercely competitive personality that has driven him to such great heights.
“The thing that drives me is letting people down. The fact that Norwich showed faith in me giving me the job, being so young, a lot was made of that,” he said.
“So I am pleased I have made everybody happy, that means more than anything else and we have sent those fans home happy.
“You see Delia on the pitch at the end and it’s special. It was about making sure my family is there enjoying the day because the last thing I would want to do is lose and go home with my kids crying.”
For Middlesbrough’s Spanish manager Aitor Karanka there was frustration at missing out on promotion but also pride that his team had enjoyed a strong season.
“I want to congratulate Norwich for getting promotion, but I am so proud of my players,” he said.
“When I arrived 18 months ago the team was two points above relegation.
“When you make mistakes it is difficult to win games, but I prefer not to speak about the mistakes because we achieved a lot to play here at Wembley.
“We win as a team and we lose as a team.”
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CHELSEA SQUAD
Arrizabalaga, Bettinelli, Rudiger, Christensen, Silva, Chalobah, Sarr, Azpilicueta, James, Kenedy, Alonso, Jorginho, Kante, Kovacic, Saul, Barkley, Ziyech, Pulisic, Mount, Hudson-Odoi, Werner, Havertz, Lukaku.
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
MORE ON THE US DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES
Scoreline
Liverpool 3
Mane (7'), Salah (69'), Firmino (90')
Bournemouth 0
TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
