Wednesday 12 March 2008

Is it too premature to think that Preston are now safe from the Championship relegation battle?

After Preston North End came from a goal down to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 at Deepdale on Tuesday evening, Lilywhites Manager, Alan Irvine stated that the club’s target is to reach the 54 point mark so that PNE can maintain their Championship status. But is this a rather pessimistic view from the man who has turned the clubs fortune around this season?

The Scotsman has turned the Lancashire club’s fortunes since his arrival in Preston, and the win against Mick McCarthy’s team has increased the club’s unbeaten run on a Tuesday night to 32 games, meant they have won three consecutive matches, and come from behind for the first time under his reign. With a renewed optimism circling the air, is it too soon to begin hopes of strong top half finish, before safety from relegation is reached?

Five points now separate Preston from the relegation zone, yet a win against arch rivals, Blackpool on Saturday could move them to as high as 12th, in close proximity of teams above them. Having said that, it would be over confidence and naïve to suggest the players should relax and not still fear the threat of dropping to League One.

A poor performance against Crystal Palace was overshadowed by good displays at Leicester and Charlton. The win against Wolves was also a decent display, however still not at the level Preston fans would ideally like to witness. This, along with the fact that anyone truly can beat anyone in the Championship, means that PNE cannot now rest on their laurels and expect immunity from the relegation dog-fight, but at the same time, there is a temptation to imagine them safely in the top half of the table, a thought inconceivable three games ago, which is the reason for the hallucinations.

History has proved that you have to take your chances in this decision, if you don’t it could cost you valuable points. Wolves were guilty on this occasion as they arguably had the better chances in the game, up until the penalty decision which turned proceedings around. If they had built on their one goal advantage before Chris Brown went down easily under a challenge in the Wolves box, they could have gone on to win the game by one or two goals. However, Preston showed the belief and determination to fight their way back into the game and despite the generous penalty decision, they thoroughly deserved their win.

But everyone connected to PNE should not get carried away. There is a lot of work still left to be done this season concentrating on increasing the gap on the pack below them. The moment they slip, it gives others a chance to gain ground on them. They will feed on any scraps which Preston give them, therefore they should still be looking over their shoulder at who’s behind them and look at who they can catch just ahead of them, before visualising where they could be at the end of the season.

On the new signings, Michael Hart will step up his recovery from a hip-flexa injury by featuring in the reserve fixture at Morcambe on Thursday evening. I hope that the full-back can pull through the game with no problems as with Liam Chilvers on the sidelines for nine months, Hart’s return from injury would a timely boost and add extra numbers at the back. We are not desperate as Neal Trotman was on the bench on Tuesday, but the experience which Hart would bring in is a considerable amount more than the former Oldham centre-back, Trotman. It’s sad that Craig Beattie is out of action before he really got going. Hopefully he won’t be out for too long and can show the fans at Deepdale some of the qualities that earned him a move to West Brom last summer. As for Tamas Priskin, he showed good touches on the ball on Tuesday and also impressed me with his intentions to get beyond the backline with his piercing runs. However, he needs to hold them back for half a second as repeatedly being caught offside could become increasingly annoying unless he gets right and scores some goals.

I would also like to express my delight that Preston will be ‘beaming back’ the Blackpool match to fans who can watch the game on a big-screen at Deepdale on Saturday. The game is a must see for all Preston fans and it is a great idea for the club to provide an opportunity for the fans to watch the team in action in such a crucial game.

Tuesday 4 March 2008

Preston North End v Leicester City: Quick Preview

In tonight's trip to The Walkers Stadium to take on Ian Holloway’s Leicester City, the Preston boys will be looking to improve on the dismal Palace performance. Alan Irvine has said that he wants his midfield to provide his frontline with more chances, as The Lilywhites look to go level on points with The Foxes. Neil Mellor may start up-front along side Chris Brown after coming on as a half-time substitute for Karl Hawley, and Darren Carter looks set to retain his place along side captain, Paul McKenna in the middle of the park as Richard Chaplow is unlikely to recover from a hamstring injury. Hopefully, PNE will produce a performance to be proud in a bid to boost their battle against relegation.

Monday 3 March 2008

Do Preston North End have the consistency to escape relegation?

The Stoke result was surprising for everyone. Nobody expected The Lilywhites to come away from the game with anything other than a loss, despite the amazing record of being unbeaten at Deepdale on a Tuesday evening since 2001. Alan Irvine’s men performed admirably and thoroughly deserved the 3 points against Tony Pulis’ side. After the match it was unfairly portrayed that Stoke had the upper-hand throughout the game. Preston more than matched the visitors in every part of the field and despite Pulis claiming his side had seven good chances, Preston had plenty of their own. However, it could also be said that Stoke fell victim of something which Preston have been struggling with – poor finishing. Richard Chaplow fortunately had his shooting boots on and should have been leaving the field with the match ball, but missed an early second half sitter which would have give him his hat-trick. The story for Stoke was that they didn’t test PNE goalkeeper, Andy Lonergan enough times.

But the intriguing thing for Preston is that they play superbly well against the top teams such as Watford, West Brom, Portsmouth and Stoke, but fail produce the same performance against teams lower in the league. They play well and get results sometimes, but the Crystal Palace performance was poor. Both teams were guilty of not playing with any flow, giving the ball away too easily in midfield and lacked the cutting edge upfront to create any real good chances. Crystal Palace did arguably look the more likely to score, but dispite this, a 1-0 loss, I feel, is harsh on PNE. Neither side deserved to win or lose a poor game.

Looking at two contrasting performances from North End and the team’s precarious position in the Championship table, do Preston have the consistency to drag themselves away from the relegation zone?

Overall under Alan Irvine the team has been performing well, playing decent football and just lack a finisher upfront. But in a league where anybody can beat anybody, the key is form and consistency. It’s all very well playing excellently against the top teams in the league picking up one or even three points, but the team really needs to produce the same performance against the teams around them, which are the games which are considered six-pointers at this stage in the season. The team needs to get back in form and perform well as the remaining games will all be difficult as teams are either chasing promotion or play-off spots are fighting it out at the bottom along with Preston. They still face a difficult trip to rivals Blackpool on the 15th and welcome Burnley to Deepdale a week later. Promotion chasers Bristol City lie in wait of Irvine and his men on the last day of the season, and the PNE manger will certainly be looking to have his side’s position in the Championship for next season nailed down by that stage. But before then, Preston could be in an even worse position than what they are in now. Sheffield Wednesday are just a single point behind them and have two games in hand. If they find their form, the task of fighting for safety gets a whole lot more difficult.

I am confident that PNE will be safe this season, but it cannot be taken for granted. Preston will have to play with spirit, commitment and quality if they are to get back to winning ways. But every knock back at this stage in the season is going to a massive blow. Every player is going to have to work for each other and fight for every victory as no game is more important than another. I am sure that the team will find its momentum again and pick up the five wins the manager has said his side needs to be safe. It’s going to be a close and exciting end to the Championship season, at least for the neutral, but a few Preston North End fans could be going gray if things don’t go right.