Makes pretty good reading boys and girls.
The following is from the Telegraph, courtesy of a friend. Thanks Pete.
Nash content as top-dogs Preston show their bite, by Nicholas Harling
So much for the supposed lack of ambition that persuaded Carlo Nash to
express discontent during the summer. Preston had just lost manager
Billy Davies to Derby and, with two defenders departing for the
Premiership, their disgruntled goalkeeper sounded off about a policy
that seemed destined to bring stagnation, at best.
But now they are joint top, with Nash, an ever-present between the
uprights, playing no small part in their success under Paul Simpson
which will, he trusts, not culminate in a third successive play-off
failure. "I'm hoping we can make it automatically this season," he said.
The chances of Preston going up rest heavily on Nash, who denied
Leicester top scorer Iain Hume twice on Saturday with saves that were
glorious and desperate. "I'm a perfectionist," he said. "I'm always
striving to be the best."
The moment, just before the interval, when Hume made space for himself
to curl in a shot that had Nash arching backwards to make a breathtaking
tip-over was by far the best of the game. And when Hume latched on to a
half-chance in the 87th minute, Nash dived to clutch the ball and
provoke a post-match debate as to whether it had actually crossed the
line. "There was no doubt in my mind that it didn't," he insisted. "It
wasn't even close," added his manager, with tongue very much in cheek.
Leicester created one more chance to save the game but the unmarked
Stephen Hughes produced a feeble shot from Danny Tiatto's corner. The
Scot needn't beat himself up over that since Nash would doubtless have
flung himself in the way of anything more powerful.
"He was tremendous," Simpson said. "There are some days when he can sit
on his back and have a cup of tea, but today was one of those days when
he had to do his job."
All of which might suggest that Preston were scarcely worthy of their
win. Far from it. Even though Simpson admitted that "it was a day when
we had to roll our sleeves up", Preston's pass-and-move football in the
first half was exemplary with David Nugent showing why he is in such
demand. He was a constant threat with his dashes down the left that
fully tested Gareth McAuley's mettle on his return to Leicester's
defence.
There was hardly a long ball in sight as Preston swept the ball around
on the ground. Their goal was typical of their approach, a slick move
that ended with Sean St Ledger firing against a post from a pass by
Patrick Agyemang, who then calmly slotted away the rebound.
Thereafter, the chasm in class between the sides became ever more
emphatic until Agyemang was forced off by sore calves and Nugent was
surprisingly removed. Only then did Preston stop stretching the home
defence, with the result that Leicester were allowed to make a game of
it, forcing Preston into some desperate clearances that were evidently
very much against their nature. Leicester might have come close to a
point but it would have been undeserved.
The following is from the Telegraph, courtesy of a friend. Thanks Pete.
Nash content as top-dogs Preston show their bite, by Nicholas Harling
So much for the supposed lack of ambition that persuaded Carlo Nash to
express discontent during the summer. Preston had just lost manager
Billy Davies to Derby and, with two defenders departing for the
Premiership, their disgruntled goalkeeper sounded off about a policy
that seemed destined to bring stagnation, at best.
But now they are joint top, with Nash, an ever-present between the
uprights, playing no small part in their success under Paul Simpson
which will, he trusts, not culminate in a third successive play-off
failure. "I'm hoping we can make it automatically this season," he said.
The chances of Preston going up rest heavily on Nash, who denied
Leicester top scorer Iain Hume twice on Saturday with saves that were
glorious and desperate. "I'm a perfectionist," he said. "I'm always
striving to be the best."
The moment, just before the interval, when Hume made space for himself
to curl in a shot that had Nash arching backwards to make a breathtaking
tip-over was by far the best of the game. And when Hume latched on to a
half-chance in the 87th minute, Nash dived to clutch the ball and
provoke a post-match debate as to whether it had actually crossed the
line. "There was no doubt in my mind that it didn't," he insisted. "It
wasn't even close," added his manager, with tongue very much in cheek.
Leicester created one more chance to save the game but the unmarked
Stephen Hughes produced a feeble shot from Danny Tiatto's corner. The
Scot needn't beat himself up over that since Nash would doubtless have
flung himself in the way of anything more powerful.
"He was tremendous," Simpson said. "There are some days when he can sit
on his back and have a cup of tea, but today was one of those days when
he had to do his job."
All of which might suggest that Preston were scarcely worthy of their
win. Far from it. Even though Simpson admitted that "it was a day when
we had to roll our sleeves up", Preston's pass-and-move football in the
first half was exemplary with David Nugent showing why he is in such
demand. He was a constant threat with his dashes down the left that
fully tested Gareth McAuley's mettle on his return to Leicester's
defence.
There was hardly a long ball in sight as Preston swept the ball around
on the ground. Their goal was typical of their approach, a slick move
that ended with Sean St Ledger firing against a post from a pass by
Patrick Agyemang, who then calmly slotted away the rebound.
Thereafter, the chasm in class between the sides became ever more
emphatic until Agyemang was forced off by sore calves and Nugent was
surprisingly removed. Only then did Preston stop stretching the home
defence, with the result that Leicester were allowed to make a game of
it, forcing Preston into some desperate clearances that were evidently
very much against their nature. Leicester might have come close to a
point but it would have been undeserved.
