Preston North End are sticking to their early January timetable when it comes to appointing their new manager.
North End chairman Peter Ridsdale has reiterated that a final decision will only be made once Monday’s visit to Rochdale is out of the way.
That gives caretaker pair Graham Alexander and David Unsworth two more games to press their claims for the permanent job, starting with the New Year’s Eve clash against Sheffield Wednesday (1pm).
Billy Davies is understood to be the club’s favoured external candidate, his previous spell in charge at Deepdale seeing North End reach the Championship play-off final in 2005 and the semi-finals 12 months later.
The Scotsman would be extremely keen to return, although would want his trusted backroom staff with him as well as having a budget available to strengthen the squad.
Ridsdale won’t go down the route of publicly naming potential candidates, preferring to keep the club’s plans in-house.
But he believes PNE will come up with the right man having given themselves sufficient breathing space between Phil Brown’s dismissal 15 days ago and an appointment in the first few days of the New Year.
Ridsdale told the Evening Post: “We’ll get through the next two games and then things will become clearer.
“I have obviously seen a number of external candidates, while the two lads in charge have been showing what they can do.
“I’m happy with the response we have got from the players towards the management team we have in place at the moment.
“While we will be considering people from outside, they would have to be measured against what we have got already.
“We went down to MK Dons and won, and then there was the draw against Carlisle on Boxing Day.
“This is a useful period because it has given me the opportunity to meet with external candidates, some of them on more than one occasion.
“It’s always good to see what is available outside, knowing that you don’t have to rush things.”
Davies, 47, has been without a job since being sacked by Nottingham Forest in June after losing to Swansea in the play-offs.
He’s spent the last few months visiting clubs in Europe to study their training methods and is keen for a return to management.
Should North End go for an internal appointment, the job wouldn’t be done jointly as Alexander and Unsworth are doing in their current caretaker capacity.
One of them has been given seniority by Ridsdale during this temporary spell should the need arise.
On the playing front, the PNE squad will be bolstered by the return of Steven Smith, pictured, after suspension for the Sheffield Wednesday clash.
And it’s hoped that Jamie Proctor can be declared fit too, the teenage striker having been undergoing treatment after breaking down on his comeback from a double hernia operation.
Unsworth said: “Jamie has been given a week or so of intensive treatment.
“He was very close to being involved on Boxing Day, but Graham and myself took the decision that we won’t risk any player.
“Unfortunately, Jamie might have come back a bit too soon after his surgery, and we don’t want to risk anybody long term.
“This week we’ve got some good work into him and hopefully he’ll be available for the next game.”
http://www.lep.co.uk/sport/football/proctor_to_return_for_pne_1_4097733