beIN SPORTS

By Graham Ruthven (@grahamruthven)

Alex Neil started his season with a match against Arbroath, played in front of little over 100 spectators in Oban - a small town on the west coast of Scotland. He finished it by clinching promotion to the Premier League with Norwich City - beating Middlesbrough at Wembley Stadium.

The 33-year-old Scot indeed enjoyed a whirlwind 2014/15 campaign, first leading Hamilton Academical to top spot in the Scottish Premiership - following promotion the season before - before joining Norwich as manager in January. Neil’s ascent up to that point had been remarkable enough, but now - having led the Canaries to the Premier League though the play-offs - his upward arc has taken an even steeper incline.

His rapid rise from the second tier of Scottish soccer to the most lucrative league in the world makes Neil one of the most exciting, young coaches in the British game right now - alongside Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe. Norwich City will now ride on the back of his brilliance into next season’s Premier League.

Of course, with so much top-level experience Norwich were perhaps expected to bounce back from Premier League relegation, but it is the manner with which Neil has turned around the club’s season that is most impressive.

Norwich were as low as 11th in the Championship table before Christmas, with Neil Adams resigning as manager in January. The Canaries were grossly underachieving when Neil was appointed - which was a ballsy gamble for a club with so much riding on an immediate return to the Premier League.

Neil wasn’t the man Norwich fans wanted to replace Adams - and with good reason. Sure, the Scot had enjoyed astonishing success with unfancied Hamilton Accies in Scotland - establishing the tiny Lanarkshire side in the country’s top-flight - but he had no English soccer experience to speak of, and at just 33 was younger than some of the players at Carrow Road. 

“That sort of thing does not bother me,” said Neil, referring to the questions that have been asked of him since taking charge at Norwich. “People will always question someone they don’t know who came from Hamilton Accies. “The appointment paid off, but Norwich took a significant risk by opting for Neil - who hasn’t even completed his UEFA Pro License coaching course yet.

But it’s not just the sheer achievement of leading Norwich to the Premier League that distinguishes Neil’s still fledgling managerial career, but the style of play that he has implemented at both Hamilton and Norwich. In just a few short months, the Canaries have become one of the most dynamic sides in the English game - with Neil the catalyst.

At Wembley - against a Middlesbrough side that could also claim to be an accomplished ball-playing side - Norwich were in complete control, passing the ball with utmost self-assurance and holding the opposition at arm’s length. Neil’s team never looked bothered or flustered, with Middlesbrough restricted to just the odd effort at goal.

Norwich’s second goal demonstrated all that is good about Neil’s philosophy as a coach, with nearly 20 passes played - often in tight spaces - before Nathan Redmond took the ball in his stride and fired low across goal and into the net. It was a play that must’ve had the majority of the Premier League taking notes ahead of next season.

Ordinarily a manager’s lack of Premier League experience might be a concern for a club about to embark on a top-flight campaign, but not with Neil. The Scot has taken so much in his stride already that it would be irrational to assume that he cannot absorb another step up. 

"I'm not silly, I know it is going to be a huge task for us,” said Neil after the win at Wembley, looking ahead to next season. “But there are other clubs of a similar size who have done well. There is no reason why we cannot do that. I am hoping that we will be able to give a good account of ourselves.”

Neil will be the Premier League’s only Scottish manager when play kicks off again next season, continuing a strong tradition of Caledonian influence in England’s top-flight. Some are already making the Sir Alex Ferguson comparison, which of course might be somewhat premature, but it does at least underline the esteem in which he is held.