- Joined
- Oct 26, 2012
- Messages
- 10,068
It is obviously very disappointing that the season seems to have petered out, particularly because of the manner of tonight's defeat in a match marred by inconsistent refereeing. Given that it is now 4 years since Mr Hemmings described a push for the Premier League and during those 4 seasons we haven't made the play-offs, what happens next?
It would not be a surprise if Alex Neil was no longer Preston manager in August. He has done a good job in often challenging circumstances but our home form has not been good enough and whilst I would not be at all unhappy if he stayed, it would not be a disaster if he moved on as long as we have lined up a suitable replacement. Additionally there are a number of players who may be of interest to other clubs and again the loss of 2 or perhaps 3 players would not be a disaster as long as quality replacements are brought in.
To take that next step the club needs to examine why we can produce results away from home and consistently fail to replicate this at Deepdale. What could be the reason? The home team is expected to dominate possession, to push players forward for the win and as a consequence leave space and time which can be exploited. This seems to suit our squad and the way our manager sets up his team. If we are to find a winning formula at home which might push the team into the play-offs next year then the club is going to have to find some more genuine pace in forward areas and physical strength allied with technical ability in the middle of the pitch. This will cost money and probably require us to move beyond our now traditional trip to the Irish summer sale!
So, will we alter our approach, invest a little more and push a little harder? Probably not!
See you next season!
It would not be a surprise if Alex Neil was no longer Preston manager in August. He has done a good job in often challenging circumstances but our home form has not been good enough and whilst I would not be at all unhappy if he stayed, it would not be a disaster if he moved on as long as we have lined up a suitable replacement. Additionally there are a number of players who may be of interest to other clubs and again the loss of 2 or perhaps 3 players would not be a disaster as long as quality replacements are brought in.
To take that next step the club needs to examine why we can produce results away from home and consistently fail to replicate this at Deepdale. What could be the reason? The home team is expected to dominate possession, to push players forward for the win and as a consequence leave space and time which can be exploited. This seems to suit our squad and the way our manager sets up his team. If we are to find a winning formula at home which might push the team into the play-offs next year then the club is going to have to find some more genuine pace in forward areas and physical strength allied with technical ability in the middle of the pitch. This will cost money and probably require us to move beyond our now traditional trip to the Irish summer sale!
So, will we alter our approach, invest a little more and push a little harder? Probably not!
See you next season!