Lowe Reflects on His Time at Wigan, Exit from Preston and Future Plans

Ryan Lowe has never shied away from the harsh realities of football management, and his recent comments make that crystal clear. "No one wants to be sacked, but you have to take it. You have to feel the pain and wherever I go next, someone's going to get a better version of Ryan Lowe," he told Sky Sports Essential EFL. While many managers have been dismissed early in their careers, Lowe’s first termination only arrived at his fourth senior appointment – a fact that underscores how unusual his trajectory has been in the modern game.

Lowe’s résumé already includes two league‑two promotions, first with Bury and later with Plymouth Argyle. After those successes he took charge of Preston North End, where he guided the club to finish comfortably in the top half of the Championship on two consecutive full seasons.

In his own words, Preston were "punching above their weight" in a division dominated by clubs with far larger budgets. When asked about his brief spell at Wigan Athletic, Lowe explained the challenges he faced. He recalled the 2024‑25 campaign, a season that began with a modest points haul – 13 points from the first eleven or twelve games – but with the clear objective of simply staying up. "We achieved that comfortably," he said, noting that the club met its primary target.

The following season, however, presented a different set of obstacles. Budget allocations were based on figures from two years prior, leaving the club at a financial disadvantage. "We missed out on a lot of players because we couldn't compete with certain clubs.

They were bigger and had better players than we were able to get," Lowe explained. Injuries further compounded the problem.

The loss of Ryan Trevitt – a creative lynchpin around whom the team had been built – hit the side hard. "We had a good start to the season, really.

We were doing OK, and then we lost Ryan Trevitt, who was a big, influential player for us," Lowe said. He admitted that a combination of injuries, missed key performance indicators and perhaps some tactical missteps contributed to the eventual dismissal. "It was tough.

When you're being sacked, that was my first sacking and hopefully it's my last. But I understood it. The results weren't great. The performances were okay, the data was okay.

We were still creating and whatnot, but we weren't clinical enough in front of goal," he added. Lowe also reflected on his time at Preston, where his successor Paul Heckingbottom was dismissed after a season that saw the club finish 14th. "The year I left, Hecky survived the last day of the season to stay in the Championship. Last season he finished 14th," Lowe noted, praising Heckingbottom’s abilities while pointing out the harshness of the managerial carousel.

He defended his own approach, emphasizing adaptability learned from battling top‑flight sides. "Other people will question the style of play and what type of football you're playing. But what I chose and what I learned in the Championship, again from managers who we'd come up against, was how to adapt," he said. One regret that Lowe openly acknowledges is the timing of his departure from Preston.

After just one league match in the 2024‑25 season – a 2‑0 defeat to Sheffield United in which he felt the goals were "very sloppy" – he began to doubt his ability to deliver for the club and its supporters. "I couldn't sleep at all that night and I was thinking, can I take it any further? Can I do justice for the club?

They're paying me a lot of money to do this job and am I really giving the fans what they want? Am I really giving the footballers what they want?" he recalled. A "gentleman's agreement" was reached with chairman Peter Ridsdale, allowing Lowe to step away, even though the board would have preferred him to stay.

In hindsight, he admits, "My gut instinct was saying, just do it, do it, do it. I should have really waited. I should have given it the next few games. If I had been sacked, I would have been sacked.

It wouldn't have really mattered anyway." Lowe’s self‑assessment paints him as a manager who thrives on over‑achieving with limited resources. He stresses that he cannot simply promise to match the budgets of clubs like Norwich, but he can devise pragmatic game plans that maximise the talent at his disposal. "We went to Norwich one year and played five at the back, 5‑4‑1, and nearly won. We drew 0‑0, but it was a good point away from home," he recounted, illustrating his willingness to tailor tactics to the opposition.

Looking ahead, Lowe is eager to return to a project that offers stability rather than a short‑term firefighting role. He has already turned down several interim positions, preferring a club with a solid ownership structure and a sporting director who shares his long‑term vision. Even at Wigan, where he signed a three‑and‑a‑half‑year contract, he was dismissed after less than a year – a reminder that longevity remains elusive in the profession.

"Wherever I go next, they will be getting the best version of Ryan Lowe because I'm disappointed with what happened," he affirmed. "You don't want to be a firefighter, but I know you sometimes have to go in somewhere and keep a side in the division. What I don't want to do is go into a club for 10 or 15 games with no longevity, just to get a few wins and then earn your contract. My CV speaks for itself.

I'm 380 games in now as a manager, a lot of them in the Championship. I'm really keen to get back to a football club with a good ownership group and a good sporting director, and we're all on the same page." In sum, Ryan Lowe’s career narrative is one of resilience, tactical adaptability, and a clear desire for stability. While his recent sackings have been painful, they also provide an opportunity for reflection and growth. As he looks for his next challenge, clubs that value long‑term planning and are prepared to back a manager with a proven record of doing more with less will likely find a compelling candidate in Lowe.

His experience across the lower leagues and the Championship, coupled with his willingness to learn from setbacks, positions him as a strong contender for any team seeking a steady hand and a strategic mind.