Alex Neil

Alex Neil, Alexander Neill, or variant may refer to:

See also

Alex Neil (footballer)

Alexander Francis "Alex" Neil (born 9 June 1981) is a Scottish former professional footballer and current manager of Premier League club Norwich City.

Neil began his professional career at Airdrieonians in 2000, playing half a season in the Scottish Football League First Division before moving to Barnsley. He played 142 games across all competitions in his four-year spell at Barnsley, and then signed for Mansfield Town on a free transfer. After a season at Mansfield, he returned to Scotland's First Division with Hamilton Academical, featuring in 246 matches across a decade and winning promotion to the Scottish Premier League in 2008.

He became Hamilton's player-manager in 2013 and led them to promotion to the Scottish Premiership in 2014. In January 2015 he was appointed manager of Norwich City, as the second youngest manager in the Football League at the time. Neil guided Norwich to promotion to the Premier League, after winning the 2015 Football League Championship play-off Final.

Alex Neil (politician)

Alexander "Alex" Neil (born 22 August 1951) is a Scottish politician who has been Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Communities and Pensioners' Rights since 2014 and is the Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Airdrie and Shotts.

Early life and education

Neil was born in Ayrshire Central Hospital, Irvine, the son of Alexander Neil snr, a coalminer, and Margaret Neil (née Gunning). He was brought up in Patna, Ayrshire, and became involved in Labour politics, joining the Labour Party in 1967, aged sixteen. He was educated at Ayr Academy, before attending the University of Dundee, where he studied Economics. He served as chairman of both the Scottish Organisation of Labour Students and later the UK-wide National Organisation of Labour Students.

Political career

Early years

After graduating with an MA (Hons) degree in 1974, Neil was appointed as the first-ever research officer for the Scottish Executive Committee of the Labour Party. In 1976, Neil, along with Jim Sillars and John Robertson, left the Labour Party to form the breakaway group, the Scottish Labour Party (SLP). Neil served as General Secretary of the SLP from 1976 to 1979. By 1979 the SLP had collapsed and Neil fell out of active politics until 1985 when he joined the Scottish National Party (SNP).