Who is the main reason for Preston recent success?

Preston North End is best known as the first English champions, first champions of the oldest football league in the world. Lillywhites dominance at the time, that 1888 was of such magnitude that they hadn’t had a single defeat among other 11 league founders. They were champions for two years after that also, but since then – nothing. They have been awaiting a trophy since 1938 when they won FA Cup.

Last couple of seasons have made them a respectable outfit. Their managers, among others were David Moyes today Everton boss, and current Nott. Forest manager Billy Davies. They were three times Coca Cola Championship play-off participants in the last seven years, and had two unsuccessful finals in the process. Their current manager is Alan Irvine, former David Moyes’ assistant in Everton.

Alan Irvine has inherited a somewhat weak team from unsuccessful Paul Simpson who had been leading the team for a bit more than one season. The team was no longer with the top-scorer, David Nugent, former Liverpool’s child, Neil Mellor had often been injured, while the rest of the team looked like a smashed army fighting for survival. Still, at the end of the last season they managed to stay in.

Irvine’s thorough work has put the same squad in the narrowest play-off competition. The man pays a great deal of attention to details and Irvine is genuinely a peaceful, calm man. He keeps everything spick-and-span. Every time I read a statement of his, I think of his famous sentence: “ if we cannot match other clubs in the financial aspect, then, at least, we can make everything else perfect…”. It certainly remind so much of his young colleague, Everton’s boss, David Moyes, who, despite the minimal financial means, has managed to keep his team in the top of Premier League for a long time.

It has become a sort of an anecdote that Irvine traveled more than 800 km this autumn so he could see his team’s rivals live in action, Swansea-Cardiff Cup clash. Nothing of this would be weird if it hadn’t been for the live TV coverage in the evening prime-time. Still, he took no regard on the press provocations claiming that television shows only what is pleasing to the viewers and that he went there to look at some other things – formations, off-ball play and possible gaps that his team might use against their rivals.

The results are visible, same as it was the case last season in the spring. That is when Preston had nine wins in the run of 14 games avoiding the relegation. Preston are now fifth at the standings with 4 points inside play-off zone and with only one defeat in last seven games. One of the last outings saw them put out a impressive performance beating the leading Wolves 3-1, proving their real quality in the game.

Lilywhites can thank thoroughness, hard work, calmness and expertise of their manager Alan Irvine who is the main reason for the achievements and the best guide towards another play-off for this Lancashire team…

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