As far as statements from club owners and alike go, chairman Craig Hemmings was pretty damning in his assessment of Preston North End’s season. Recognition of the Lilywhites’ 10th placed finish was there for balance, but those five consecutive defeats without scoring are still a great source of frustration for him.
The finish to the campaign was branded as ‘totally unacceptable’ – and PNE’s chairman went further, outlining his belief that North End ‘should have mounted a better challenge for a Play-Off place’ and ‘absolutely should have ended the season with more points’. The statement was long and refereeing decisions were mentioned – which some supporters found unnecessary.
However, the remark has added to the summer’s intrigue and given rise to the new season. It goes without saying that manager Ryan Lowe needs to win back a lot of the supporters because he is under pressure from them. Moreover, he had minimal defense in this situation. The statement just once used the phrase “manager,” and Lowe’s name was omitted.
It appears that the Liverpudlian will receive further support during the next transfer window, and this may be a make-or-break situation. “In reality this doesn’t happen in one window and it may take Ryan and his team two or three windows before he is settled on his ideal squad,” Hemmings stated in another post from September 2022. Since then, this summer will mark the fourth.
When asked, after the final day of the season, how important a positive start to 2024/25 now was, Lowe told the Lancashire Post: “You have to start well, because otherwise the fingers are out and people are pointing. I understand that. What I can’t get away from is that the lads have had a good season, but we wanted to have a very good season. If you ask anyone, mid table for Preston North End over the years is where it’s been. But, I am trying to take it to the next level.”
After 2.5 years on the job, Lowe and PNE are now at a point where more progress is required; fortunately, all parties concerned appear to be in agreement on that. It is necessary to elevate North End’s ceiling under Lowe following finishes of 13th, 12th, and 10th. The majority of Deepdale devotees would undoubtedly require persuasion once more, but it seems that the most significant guy of all can now be included in that group as well.
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