Not for them spoof tales of flying penguins or the failure of the spaghetti harvest.

Instead the tales were of Francesco Totti signing from Roma and Microsoft founder Bill Gates becoming the club's latest investor.

And it showed the dreamworld that is Loftus Road this season that many supporters were happy to believe them.

There is, it seems, no end to the ambition – and money – of the people now running Rangers.

Little wonder that Patrick Agyemang, one-time PNE striker, decided to climb aboard the gravy train that manager Luigi De Canio is steering
towards what he hopes will be a place in Europe inside four years.

A four-and-a-half year contract at what is rumoured to be three times his wages at Deepdale helped sway the "Ghanaian Gazelle" into dashing back down the M1 to his hometown.

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Joining what is now seen as the richest club in the world as it readies itself for blast-off towards the Premier League and beyond is not a gift-horse many players could look in the mouth.

And first impressions – nine goals in 16 appearances, eight in his first seven – suggest Agyemang is not just happy with the size of his pay packet.

Things have steadied off since with only one goal in the last nine. But he still poses a major threat to defences whether he is getting on the end of chances or creating them for others.

Agyemang is looking forward to showing his old employers what he can do from the off when North End visit Loftus Road tomorrow.

And in a big interview in the matchday programme he pays a fulsome tribute to the manager who sold him.

Irvine admitted at the time he desperately wanted to keep the player, but would not stand in his way if he had a chance of earning such good money.

Rut

In return Agyemang describes Irvine as a "great man-manager" and a boss who had the respect of the Preston dressing room.

"Alan Irvine really impressed me in the time I played under him," he says.

"There was a lot happening there at the start of the season and, after we had made a poor start, it took a long, long time for us to get out of the rut.

"But Alan came in and he played the game the way it should be played.

"I didn't necessarily think that other managers played to my strengths like he tried to.

"He's a great man-manager and he's got the respect of the dressing room.

"I said to him when I left that I think he'd do a very good job with the squad he had at his disposal and that has proved to be the case so far."