"No one wants to be sacked, but you have to accept it. You have to feel the pain and wherever I end up next, they’ll get a better version of Ryan Lowe," the manager said.

It is remarkable that Ryan Lowe’s first dismissal only arrived at his fourth senior appointment, a rarity in today’s fast‑moving game. His résumé already includes guiding Bury and Plymouth Argyle to promotion from League Two, followed by a spell at Preston where he convinced many observers that his side were punching well above their weight in the Championship. Lowe opened up on the Sky Sports Essential EFL podcast about his brief tenure at Wigan. "The first season, 2024‑25, the objective was simple – stay up.

We scraped together 13 points from the opening dozen games and ultimately secured our place in the division without drama," he recalled. "The second season we wanted to build on that, but the budget we were given was based on figures from two years prior. It left us chasing players we simply couldn’t afford, while other clubs with deeper pockets could outbid us for the talent we needed." He continued, "We started the campaign well, but then we lost Ryan Trevitt – a creative lynchpin around whom we had built the system. Injuries piled up and a few key performance indicators slipped against us.

I’m not making excuses; there were many things I could have handled better, and the same goes for the staff around me." When the club decided to part ways, Lowe admitted it was his first sacking and, hopefully, his last. "The results weren’t terrible, the performances were decent and the data looked acceptable, but we lacked the cutting edge in front of goal.

That ultimately cost us," he said. Before arriving at Wigan, Lowe had overseen Preston’s impressive Championship runs, delivering two top‑half finishes in his full seasons. He believes the club’s subsequent difficulties underline how well he performed there. His successor, Paul Heckingbottom, was dismissed last month after a season that saw the team finish 14th.

"Hecky kept us up in his first year and then slipped to 14th, which is respectable, but he still lost his job," Lowe noted. "People will always debate style of play, but what I learned in the Championship – from managers we faced – was the importance of adaptability." Lowe is confident that he over‑achieved given the financial constraints he operated under.

"I can’t just walk into any club and claim I can match the resources of a side like Norwich. One year we went into their stadium with a 5‑4‑1 set‑up, almost won, and managed a 0‑0 draw away – that was a point well earned," he explained.

However, he expressed regret about the timing of his departure from Preston. "I left after the first game of the 2024‑25 season, and I wish I had stayed longer.

It was a personal decision to protect my family and myself," he admitted. "During pre‑season I discussed the situation with chairman Peter Ridsdale. A statement was released after the previous season saying the club hadn’t met its own standards, and that weighed heavily on me." The opening day loss to Sheffield United – a 2‑0 defeat with two sloppy goals – kept him awake that night. "I kept asking whether I could still give the fans what they deserved, whether I was delivering value for the money the club was paying me," Lowe recalled.

"We reached a gentleman’s agreement: the board didn’t really want me to leave, but I felt I wasn’t being advised properly. My gut told me to walk away, and I acted on it.

In hindsight I should have given it a few more games. If I’d been sacked, it would have been the same outcome, but at least I would have left on the club’s terms." He added, "I felt I had taken the project as far as possible with the limited budget and squad depth.

The club’s subsequent finishes have proven my concerns right, and the only thing I truly regret is the timing of my exit." Looking ahead, Lowe says he is eager to return to football, but he wants a genuine project rather than a short‑term firefighting role – something he has turned down in the past. Even at Wigan he signed a three‑and‑a‑half‑year contract, only to be dismissed less than a year later. "Whatever club hires me next will get the best version of Ryan Lowe because I’m determined to bounce back from this setback," he asserted. "I don’t want to be a fire‑fighter forever, but sometimes you have to step in to keep a side afloat.

What I don’t want is a brief stint of ten or fifteen games where I’m only judged on a handful of wins before my contract is renewed. My résumé speaks for itself – 380 games managed, many in the Championship." He concluded, "I’m looking for a club with a solid ownership group and a sporting director who shares my vision.

When everyone is aligned, I believe we can build something lasting and successful." The interview wrapped up with a reminder to use a Chrome browser for the best video experience, and a promotional note about a Super 6 competition offering a chance to win £1 million.