Premier League to kick off without a Scot in charge for the first time in its history

The Premier League celebrates its 25th anniversary next month and for the first time it will kick off without a single Scottish manager.

Until Alex Neil was appointed by Preston on Tuesday, a country that produced European Cup-winning bosses Sir Matt Busby, Sir Alex Ferguson and Jock Stein, as well as Liv- erpool’s most celebrated chief, Bill Shankly, had no managers in the top two divisions.

The statistic is made all the more remarkable by the fact that just six seasons ago 30 per cent of Premier League managers were Scottish and another, Owen Coyle, was born in the country despite having played for the Republic of Ireland.

When the league began with 22 clubs in 1992, five teams – Arsenal, Blackburn, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United – were led by Scots.

There would be three or more in permanent positions for all but two of the first 22 seasons as Ferguson, Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness, George Graham, Gordon Strachan and David Moyes among others held posts.

Even when 2013-14 began without the retired Ferguson, Paul Lambert, Malky Mackay, Steve Clarke and Ferguson’s successor, Moyes – were employed by top-flight outfits.