Former Sheffield Wednesday man gives reason for abrupt Preston North End exit as he makes 'relief' admission
Former Sheffield Wednesday forward Ryan Lowe has explained why he left his role as manager of Preston North End just one game into the season.
Lowe oversaw Preston’s opening weekend defeat to Sheffield United and it proved to be his final game at the helm after two-and-half years.
The timing of the departure stunned supporters, while fans of other Championship clubs were left wondering what had prompted the departure.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Lowe has lifted the lid on his reasons for opting to leave Deepdale.
He said: “I wanted to leave on my own terms and don’t want to fall out with anyone. Wherever I go next I want them to say, ‘good guy, him. We can sit down and work it out’. I want to look them in the eye and them to do that to me.”
Lowe arranged a meeting with Preston director Peter Ridsdale following Preston’s first game of the season.
Lowe explained: “He wanted me to stay. The chairman [Craig Hemmings] came down and I just said ‘I think I’ve taken you as far as I can’.
“I had always said, and I stick by my word, that whatever club I am at, if I feel like that then I won’t hang around and pick my money up. I am never going to fall out with my owner, CEO, sporting director.
“When I left the training ground I felt relieved. I had had this weight on my shoulders that I couldn’t shake off. I always felt that if I’m not the one, if I don’t feel the vibe then I am very good with my gut instinct.
“It’s a big thing for me. I have been on the touchline many times and thought: ‘I need to get that player off quick; I need to change shape quick’, and I’ve done it and it’s worked.”
Lowe was succeeded by Paul Heckingbottom, who had been axed by Sheffield United during the previous campaign.
Lowe said: "It will be hard to beat what I did in my two-and-a-half years at the club. Hecky rang me and asked: ‘What was the problem?' and I said: 'There is no problem. Great club, great bunch of lads, they just need a new voice'. And they have got that."
A forward in his playing days, Lowe represented Sheffield Wednesday and was part of the Owls side that clinched promotion to the Championship in 2012.