Critchley retired as a player aged 24 and became a coach at Crewe, working under Gradi and
Steve Holland, and being appointed joint Academy director in 2007, before joining
Liverpool as under-18s coach in 2013.
Liverpool Due to
fixture congestion of
Liverpool's first team during the
2019–20 season, Critchley served as their stand-in manager for their
EFL Cup away match against
Aston Villa on 17 December 2019. The congestion was caused by Liverpool's participation in the
2019 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar, which overlapped with the
EFL Cup quarter-finals. Liverpool, fielding a team made up exclusively of under-23s, were beaten 5–0. Critchley again served as Liverpool's stand-in manager for the
FA Cup fourth round replay against
Shrewsbury Town on 4 February 2020, as the first team were on a mid-season break. The youthful Liverpool team won 1–0 via an own goal.
Blackpool , Critchley's assistant at Blackpool for both of his stints On 2 March 2020, Critchley was appointed as head coach of
Blackpool on a three-and-a-half-year contract. He chose
Mike Garrity to be his assistant, the two having worked together at Liverpool. After a curtailed regular season due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, Blackpool finished in 13th position after standings were amended to reflect a points-per-game ratio. In Critchley's first full season in charge,
2020–21, Blackpool finished third at the conclusion of the regular season, going on to win promotion via the
EFL League One play-offs. On 19 November 2021, Critchley signed a four-year extension to his contract, keeping him at Bloomfield Road until 2026. The following week, Critchley was named Manager of the Season at the annual North West Football Awards, beating
Manchester City's
Pep Guardiola, Blackpool's former captain and
Bolton Wanderers manager
Ian Evatt, and
Morecambe manager
Derek Adams.
Aston Villa (assistant) On 2 June 2022, Critchley departed Blackpool after accepting the role of assistant head coach to
Steven Gerrard at
Aston Villa. He had told Blackpool's owner
Simon Sadler that he was keen to work again with Gerrard and "pit himself against some of the best coaches in the world". On 21 October 2022, Critchley departed Aston Villa, following the sacking of Gerrard the day prior.
Queens Park Rangers On 11 December 2022, Critchley was appointed head coach of Championship club
Queens Park Rangers on a three-and-a-half-year deal. His first match in charge was a single-goal victory over
Preston North End. On 19 February 2023, Critchley was relieved of his duties as head coach of Queens Park Rangers, with the victory over Preston North End being the team's sole victory during his time in charge.
Return to Blackpool On 23 May 2023, Critchley returned to his former club Blackpool, on a four-year deal, following their relegation to League One. Mike Garrity also returned as assistant manager, alongside
Iain Brunskill for the
2023–24 campaign. Critchley was sacked on 21 August 2024.
Heart of Midlothian On 15 October 2024, two months after departing Blackpool, Critchley was appointed head coach of
Scottish Premiership club
Heart of Midlothian. Hearts were bottom of the early league table when Critchley was appointed. He was criticised for failing to win "big" games, highlighted by the team losing successive
derbies against
Hibs. A draw with
Motherwell meant that Hearts finished in the bottom half of the league. ==Managerial statistics==