Solid, if unspectacular — the story of Preston’s season so far
Saturday’s 1–1 draw against Fulham means that Preston now sit in 18th place in the Championship table, with 18 points from 18 games. A point away at Craven Cottage should be deemed as a good result, but frustration is evident amongst supporters.
With 17 shots on goal and just three on target, Preston could and probably should have beaten Fulham, but once again failed to kill off an opponent and were left to settle for a point; a recurring theme of the season so far.
In truth, it’s been a difficult campaign to judge anyway. Just three wins in 18 is far from a good record, and only bottom club Bolton have won fewer games than North End this season. Yet, with just six defeats, Preston have the fewest number of losses to their name in the bottom ten of the Championship.
Only four teams — the top four teams — have conceded fewer goals than Preston, but just one team (Bolton, again) have scored fewer than Simon Grayson’s men. For every negative, there is a clear positive, and maybe that’s what a first season back in the division is supposed to be.
Since winning promotion back to the Championship with a play-off final win over Swindon Town in may, a section of Preston fans have been keen to see their side reclaim their position amongst the contenders for a top six finish in the Championship, having enjoyed four play-off campaigns in 11 seasons — but ultimately being on the losing end each time.
The small minority of fans looking for a push towards the upper echelons of the division, just as Brentford and Wolves did last season having been promoted, are no doubt disappointed so far. Summer spending was a clear indication of where Preston were at, as Grayson was limited to loans and free transfers before splashing around £1m on striker Stevie May. It became apparent that achieving survival was the goal, only for owner Trevor Hemmings to muddy the waters somewhat.
Hemmings told the Lancashire Evening Post back in October that he thinks the club will finish ‘half way up the table’. That’s nice and ambitious, and gives supporters hope that there are major plans in place for growth. The problem is that the funding in the playing squad doesn’t suggest a mid-table finish, and the brand of football doesn’t either.
The squad lacks real Championship quality, and you can certainly question whether they have a Championship-level manager, too. Grayson is, after all, known as the master of League One. Having won promotion with Blackpool, Leeds, Huddersfield and Preston, Grayson is one of the most successful managers in the third tier, but making the step up to the Championship has often been his undoing.
That takes us back to the record this season. Just three wins this season still have Preston hovering precariously above the relegation zone, and the failure to beat Fulham on Saturday once again has fans wondering whether Grayson is truly the man to take Preston forward over the coming years.
The brand of football is uninspiring to say the very least, and Grayson plays a 5–3–2 system that sure makes the Lilywhites hard to break down, but is lacking in any attacking flair. It’s little surprise that Preston have managed to score more than once in a game on only one occasion this season.
Some fans believe Grayson’s job is done, and it’s time to take the next step. Huddersfield recently parted company with Chris Powell in order to completely change the outlook of the club, having appointed former Borussia Dortmund II boss David Wagner as their new coach. It may work, it may not, but The Terriers — who ironically sacked Grayson in 2013 following his struggles in the Championship — are committed to progressing as a football club, and have taken a huge risk to do so.
Preston aren’t in a position to take such a risk right now, and, truth be told, it was a major gamble from Huddersfield, given that they lie beneath Preston in the table. Currently just three points clear of safety, the solid if unspectacular approach seems to be just fine for many, though the divide between those content with survival and those wanting more has become apparent this season.
If the current brand of football remains a feature of Grayson’s reign, then Preston may end up hoping that there are three worse teams in the Championship and they manage to scrape survival. It’s a fine balancing act at the moment, and North End are in some form of purgatory now; not doing well enough to commit their long-term future to Grayson, and not really doing badly enough to justify sacking him.
With the January transfer window looming large, Preston are unlikely to sack Grayson, barring a disastrous run of results in December. In fact, if Preston continue to pick up points and keep clean sheets, it seems likely that Hemmings will keep Grayson in charge for the duration of the season, and maybe that’s what he deserves after guiding the club to promotion.
What happens from there is anybody’s guess, as the current trajectory of the club doesn’t lend itself towards long-term success in the Championship — and Hemmings may yet have a huge decision to make over the future of the club on and off the pitch.
