SIMON’S SIMPLY PROVING CRITICS WRONG
NEVER has the value of sticking by a manager been better illustrated than Preston’s rejuvenation under Simon Grayson.
By the middle of October, the Lilywhites had won just one game, away to lowly MK Dons.
Deepdale was restless. Pundits were writing them off. A maligned five-man defence was starving Joe Garner of chances.
Grayson, promoted four times from League One but twice sacked in the Championship, was widely perceived as a man with it all to prove at the higher level. And, as Preston’s struggles intensified, so did the doubts.
We’ll never know if owner Trevor Hemmings hovered over the trigger. Publicly, he backed his man to turn things round.
Either way, his patience is being rewarded in spectacular fashion. Seven wins from ten, 20 points from a possible 33. The team which finished third in League One last term are now pushing for the Championship top six.
And let’s give Grayson some credit, too. Yes, the Lilywhites were dour and defensive. They did smash it up the park.
Yet this was a side fresh out of League One with few summer recruits. By rights, they didn’t stand a chance.
But, by keeping it tight and planting a solid foundation, Grayson ensured his side didn’t take the kind of drubbings that can shatter confidence.
Now, like Brighton at the other end, the security offered by that defensive bedrock has freed up his forwards to run riot.
Lingering doubts about Grayson’s ability to manage in the Championship should now be banished.