Preston boss Paul Heckingbottom says fans’ criticism of club will not alter his approach

The Lilywhites are 19th in the Championship table, two points off the relegation places, and have finished in mid-table – 13th, 12th and 10th – in the three seasons before 2024-25.

Indeed, they have finished between seventh and 14th in all nine campaigns since their return to the second tier in 2015, rarely in trouble yet also struggling to consistently mount a top-six challenge.

Former Barnsley and Sheffield United boss Heckingbottom took charge shortly after the start of this season, following the club’s decision to sack former boss Ryan Lowe just one game into the new campaign.

The fans’ open letter also referenced a number of the squad being out of contract at the end of this season and claimed the club’s transfer strategy “urgently needed an overhaul” but Heckingbottom said he is happy with the position he is in.

“For me, it’s an opportunity – I’d 100% rather have that coming in, having not affected the squad, than have everyone under contract, meaning you can’t alter anything,” he added.

“The money is not going to change in terms of what we’ve got so from my point of view it’s a big plus. It allows you to manage and manoeuvre things a lot more.”