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Gray's delighted that Irvine is staying
Former Preston North End chairman Bryan Gray has revealed his delight at the news that Alan Irvine is to remain at Deepdale.
Irvine was the favourite to be appointed as West Bromwich Albion's new boss.
But Gray said it was vital Irvine stayed in the PNE hot-seat rather than join their Championship rivals.
The club's vice-president said: "It's fantastic news for Preston North End because Alan has done such a good job at Deepdale.
"Alan is building a very solid foundation at Preston, so I think it was really important he remained for the long haul.
"It is increasingly difficult for Preston, simply because of the vast gulf between clubs in the top tier and the Championship, but it is not always the answer to move on when the first opportunity arises."
Gray, the PNE chairman from 1994 to 2001, added: "When I was chairman and David Moyes was the boss, I had approaches from other clubs with more resources, and who recognised David's talents.
"He could have gone elsewhere but didn't, and he stayed to finish the job by getting us promoted, and then nearly delivered the club into the Premier League.
"He recognised that he owed something to Preston – and that loyalty is really important.
"It can be risky and short-sighted going elsewhere when you are in the middle of building something, and a lot of the clubs at the top end of our division are yo-yo clubs, so there is definitely a risk factor in that.
"It is vitally important to a club like Preston to keep that continuity going in a bid to reach the Premier League.
"Wigan have shown it can be done – and there is no reason why Preston can't get to that position under Alan Irvine."
Irvine had topped WBA chairman Jeremy Peace's wanted list after a lengthy selection process since Tony Mowbray took charge at Celtic.
Milton Keynes boss Roberto Di Matteo has now emerged as the favourite for the Baggies' hot-seat.
Gray added: "We've now got a long-tern appointment at Preston and we can plan for the future. I'm sure Alan Irvine can take Preston to the Premier League."
Sources in the West Midlands claimed North End wanted a 1m sum up front for the former Everton No.2, who guided North End to the play-offs last month.
PNE's first-team squad report back for the start of pre-season training tomorrow and if Irvine had left, it would have seen Preston searching for their third manager in 18 months.
Irvine led Preston to survival in his first six months in charge, North End finishing in mid-table despite fighting relegation for much of the 2007-08 campaign.
And last season he totally transformed Preston's fortunes as they claimed a top-six finish before losing out 2-1 on aggregate to Sheffield United in the play-off semi-finals.
Full story in Tuesday's Lancashire Evening Post
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Weather for Preston
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: East
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Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
