Stade de Reims boss William Still has reflected on his ‘fantastic’ time coaching with Preston North End, long before becoming a Ligue 1 manager.
There are many managers in the game who have connections to PNE.
The likes of Gareth Ainsworth, Michael Appleton and even David Healy spring to mind, all turning to management long after their PNE days.
A more unexpected link is over in France, with William Still in charge of Reims.
Still was born in Belgium but actually started his incredible coaching journey with North End.
The 30-year-old came over to England to study at Myerscough College and coached PNE’s Under-14’s as part of an internship.
That was way back during the 2011-12 season, and Still has come a long, long way since then.
After stints as an assistant coach with Lierse, Beerschot, Reims and Standard Liege, Still returned to Still earlier this year and has now been appointed as their manager until the end of the season.
The departure of Oscar Garcia has opened the door for Still to become a manager for the first time.
With two wins and three draws in his five games in charge, Still has enjoyed an unbeaten start and would love for that to continue.
Still has now spoken to The Coaches’ Voice about his quite remarkable rise, going from Myerscough to managing against Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
Still highlighted that experience with PNE, noting that even being involved with North End was ‘fantastic’.
The Belgian noted that he realised how impressive PNE’s young players were, and that’s when he decided he wanted to become a coach for the long-term.
“I’m English – both of my parents are English – but I’ve spent most of my life in Belgium,” said Still. “I took up the chance to go to college and spend some time in England at 18. That was when I realised there was so much more to football than just playing.
There was coaching, analysis, scouting, physiotherapy, physical preparation. Coaching seemed like the next best thing. That was the closest I was going to get to the adrenaline buzz of playing.”
“My first coaching experience was with the Preston North End academy. Being involved in that was fantastic. I’d done some coaching before, with my brother back in Belgium, but nothing at this level. “These kids are actually good!” I thought.
After that, I knew that coaching was what I wanted to do,” he added.
It’s amazing to see Still go on this incredible journey and PNE fans will be hoping to see him continue to thrive in the years to come.