A Good Test For Us, Just An Awful Journey - Notes for Preston Friday, 3rd Jan 2014 12:30 by HarryFromBath HarryfromBath assesses the mood in the opposition camp ahead of Saturday's FA Cup tie by delving into their forums. "I'm happy we're under the radar. Long may it continue", "We are class at grinding out results, even when we don't play particularly well", "It's fantastic that our away form is good, but we are riding our luck. With the players we have, we should be beating teams by much easier margins." The Lilywhites are riding high in fourth place in League One. They won all three of their Christmas fixtures, 1-0 away at Carlisle on Boxing Day and at Shrewsbury on Sunday, and 3-2 on New Year's Day at home to Port Vale. They have lost just one game in their last 15 in all competitions. "The win at Carlisle was one of the worst games of football I have ever witnessed. It was mind numbing", "In all honesty it was a poor performance against Shrewsbury. Our passing was abysmal. We struggled to break them down and we seemed very slow." Outstanding Away Form"We are a team designed to keep a clean sheet and nick one at the other end." Preston also come into Saturday's cup tie having won seven and drawn one of their last eight games on the road. Of their last six away wins, five have been by a 1-0 score line and the other was a 2-0 victory. "We are extremely resilient away from home and play a bit direct", "Seven wins and a draw away from home — I've never seen anything like it", "Another away win and another clean sheet", "1-0. The Grayson master plan is working again. We just need to see it out now." "It's steady away from home under Grayson. A lot of the time you wish it was more entertaining, but the statistics and results show it's effective. It's not rocket science but you know his mind set", "We've got such resilience and patience about us." Simon Grayson"Grayson is a man who knows how to get out of this division and is good at working with limited resources." The former Leeds and Huddersfield boss took over the helm from now reviled Graham Westley in February. "He can be infuriating at times, but we're very, very effective as a unit." Preston have used a variety of formations, and are comfortable playing with three or four at the back. It is also not unusual to see formation changes during games. "Fans love his success, but the underlying niggle is that it just isn't very entertaining", "Grayson likes to squeeze teams rather than be outright expressive, even with our attacking resources." Pragmatic Football"Don't expect pulsating football. It's all about being hard to beat", "Are we starting to get a bit negative? Only time will tell", "I would describe it as pragmatic football. It's not particularly entertaining", "It's very uneasy on the eye. Other teams are better on the deck than us." "We hold what we have. Grayson is unlikely to change his ways", "Grayson makes us hard to score against. He sets out to make sure we don't lose and anything else is a bonus. He tries to break opposition play up and as a result the game becomes ugly and difficult to watch." "Our lot are safe Sallys", "We don't have the players to play an attractive passing style", "I will accept ground out results. It's not good to watch though", "While we are in the top six and still have a chance to challenge for a top two spot, I will take this all day." Defence"I really don't like the way we defend deeper and deeper once we have a lead." Preston nearly threw away a three-goal lead against Port Vale on New Year's Day, when they allowed the Valiants to score two goals in the last half hour. "Defend from the front, and not from 20 yards out." "With a really dominant centre-half, some of the set-piece headed goals we have conceded would have been avoided", "We are often undone by our defenders being on the wrong side of attacking players at set-pieces. The only saving grace is the outstanding displays of Rudd this season." Declan Rudd has been highly praised for his goalkeeping performances. The 22-year-old is on loan from Norwich this season. "His presence alone has helped, with our defence knowing they have someone reliable behind them." "Bailey Wright has been solid as a rock all season. He's a nice lad who wears the shirt with pride. The kid is golden." The 21-year-old Australian centre-back "has got to be one of the first names on the team sheet. He has pure talent". "Wright got carried away against Port Vale and stayed forward for a corner, trying to take on a player. Their unmarked player scored on the counter with Wright trying to track back", "He lacks the natural pace to track back quickly. He can be too slow." "Paul Huntington is not good enough. We need someone who is better at passing out from centre-back, as opposed to a hopeful punt 90% of the time to Kevin Davies's head." The 26-year-old ex- Yeovil man "isn't the best technically but is a reliable defender." Tom Clarke"5th of August, 2013. Tom Clarke's 87th minute header versus Blackpool will stay with me for the rest of my life." The 26-year-old former Huddersfield centre-back and summer signing became a legend with his late match-winning goal in the first round of this year's Capital One Cup.
"Grayson's best signing so far", "He makes lots of important tackles and won every single header at Shrewsbury", "The signing of the season. His aerial ability is the key. He loves defending and has been tremendous for us this season", "Solid though he is, his ball playing needs to improve." Centre Midfield"Josh Brownhill looks very confident and is always showing for the ball, even in tight areas. He's composed on the ball and knows how to finish. Unlike previous starlets, he looks like he actually wants it", "The emergence of Josh Brownhill has been important for us this year." "Brownhill is really starting to establish himself." The 18-year-old former Manchester United youth player "has the ability to supply moments of genuine quality, especially with his finishing". The one negative comment was that "he holds on to the ball too long". Twenty-nine-year-old former Tranmere player "John Welsh is a good footballer. He's now showing the form he had from last season, and is our first choice defensive midfielder", "I wish he's leave our set pieces alone. I have no confidence in him as a freekick taker at all." "Keith Keane puts himself about a lot." The 27-year-old played over 200 times for Luton, but is not highly rated. "Some fans just want to see a headless chicken winning a few tackles and are not bothered about the actual football being played", "Keane's a work horse, and not a footballer." "Paul Gallagher injects that bit of creativity. He's very effective playing behind the strikers." The 29-year-old Scottish international and former Blackburn player is on loan from Leicester. He scored a "30-yard wonder goal" against Port Vale. "He's more lethal from 25 yards than from five yards." "Gallagher's composure is something we lack", "He can provide some genuine quality in the final third", "When played out wide, he always comes in and plays behind the front two. He isn't a winger", "Playing him behind the front two requires the whole team to be reshaped." Neil Kilkenny Kilkenny for Bristol City v Hyam The 28-year-old Bristol City loan signing "looks the part in midfield and adds a bit of skill", "He's always showing for the ball and is a decent passer of the thing too", "He's very composed on the ball, always finding space and not panicking in possession." "I'm not saying that he'll rip it up in the Championship, but he's the type of footballer we would need." There was one criticism of the Australian international and former Leeds man: "Kilkenny slows the tempo and is always passing sideways." Wide Midfield"With three at the back, any team we put out is improvised. We don't really have any wing-backs. Humphrey on the right is a misfiring winger and both Laird and Buchanan on the left are full-backs." Preston lack a natural right-back, and their squad is short of experienced wide players. While playing a 3-5-2 system utilises their squad efficiently, most Lilywhites feel that the lack of numbers and quality on their flanks leaves them badly exposed when playing this system. "We need a right-sided midfielder that can play football", "We need extra pace and creativity in the wide midfield positions, especially on our right. A skilful wide player for our right flank, with both attacking and defensive capabilities, is our most pressing requirement." "Chris Humphrey is fast becoming a dead weight, which the rest of the team has to carry. He's a one-trick pony who is clueless when a defender stands in front of him", "He doesn't appear to be the bravest of players either", "He bottles out of challenges all the time."
The 26-year-old Jamaican international joined from Motherwell this summer, and is the only experienced right-sided player in the squad. "Humphrey is an expert at running the ball out for a goal kick or hitting the first defender with crosses", "He's a liability playing 3-5-2." "Humphrey keeps the team's shape because he quickly gets back into position. His work is probably better appreciated when we play away", "He puts in a shift and can track runners back, something our other wingers don't do", "He has pace and that is all. He cannot beat a man." Many fans would like to see 19-year-old youth product Will Hayhurst play instead: "Hayhurst may not be as fast, but he knows how to play football." On the left flank, 27-year-old former Tranmere left back David Buchanan "is an ultra-cautious choice as wing back", "He's terrible as a wing half, and offers absolutely nothing going forward." "Scott Laird is potentially the best left back in the division", "As a wing-back, he's neither bad nor outstanding", "I like his attitude and ability to deliver a cross or a set piece.", "The 25-year-old former Stevenage player "rarely has support and has a lot of work to do defensively". "Lee Holmes is just an athlete in a football kit." The 26-year-old former Southampton man has most featured from the bench. "Holmes has been really poor this season", "We really need to play four at the back to give a platform for a creative player like Holmes to play effectively." Strikers"Our manager recognises he does not have a goal scoring machine to work with, so is doing his best with what he has", "Our goals for are our weakness, especially away from home. We struggle to break teams down." "I would like Grayson to be a bit more flexible on occasion, even if it includes not playing an archetypal big man once in a blue moon when this isn't working", "I know full well that Grayson likes a big man. Alan Lee played this role for him at Huddersfield." "Port Vale were running scared of Hume", "It's hard not to like Iain Hume given his energetic style, but he's not the player he was and not our main goal threat", The 30-year-old former Barnsley striker "is a good impact substitute", "It is good to see him running and working so hard." "Talk of getting the ball to the feet of Stuart Beavon is misguided as he isn't a good enough player." The 29-year-old ex-Wycombe striker "is one of our most gifted natural footballers", "He is a goal machine who has scored just two goals. One bounced off his head as he ducked." Former Woking utility player Jack King played up front for the Lilywhites against Carlisle. "The ball kept coming back into our own half as it bounced off the big man and we conceded possession", "Our three best chances fell to King, but he looked like a fish out of water." Joe Garner"Joe Garner is as good a target man in this league as there is", "He can win headers but he's clueless with the ball at his feet." The 25-year-old former Forest and Watford striker is Preston's top scorer with ten goals, two of which he scored against Port Vale on Wednesday.
"Garner's a great little wind-up merchant. Defenders must hate playing against him. He wins freekicks in good positions and is in the oppositions face all game", "He needs to stop diving", "He's been doing that little trick for a while and he needs to cut it out." Kevin Davies"Davies's contribution goes a lot wider than just 90 minutes per week. I have no doubt that since joining us that we've got the camaraderie back in the dressing room", "He isn't the best player on the pitch, but his signing was a masterstroke."
The 36-year-old striker, who played over 300 times for Bolton "does a good job up front despite his poor goal return", "He is a perfect foil for a poacher like Garner, and this is why Joe has re-found his goal scoring touch." "The ball sticks up front when he plays. His touches, lay-offs and experience are key to how we are set up", "However much I admire Davies and his contribution to the game, he has missed some real sitters", "He would be a more regular starter, but is lacking confidence when finishing." Lilywhites' Views on ITFC and the Game"Can we borrow David Nugent for this one?" It's worth mentioning again their reaction when the draw was made. "What a horrible draw. Hardly an attractive away day and one which we don't have much chance of winning", "The road signs are in Dutch", "It's an utterly abysmal draw." "Ipswich are the worst possible draw. A boring Championship team that will beat us and too far away for people to bother going", "There's nothing quite as disappointing as getting drawn against an average Championship club at the other end of the bastard country." "I'm sure all those dedicated fans making the long trip to Portman Road would be delighted to see their loyalty rewarded by Grayson fielding the youth team, to say nothing of how a good thrashing is just what we need going into the top-of the-table Wolves match (next weekend)." "We should field a side which can progress to the next round. What's the point of 200 fans travelling eight hours on a bus to watch a makeshift side get bombed out of the FA Cup?" Most Lilywhites would like to see Grayson field a strong team to keep their momentum going. WebsitesThe busiest Preston message Board is PNE Online.
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Chris Humphrey
