'Not 11 puppets' - Mads Frokjaer wants Preston North End improvement after Stoke City setback

'Weird' was one word used by Mads Frokjaer, to describe his first season as a Preston North End player. But using only that would be an unfair reflection; the Dane has settled into a new country, enjoyed himself and contributed on the pitch for Ryan Lowe's team. And as for the Deepdale faithful, it didn't take long for Frokjaer to endear himself. He is fun to watch and firmly a favourite on the terraces.

The 24-year-old wants to play the game in its purest form, so adapting to the hustle and bustle of the Championship has certainly been a challenge. And Frokjaer's season has almost been split into two, from the positive start to recent run of nine consecutive starts - with that period of limbo sandwiched in between. At stages there may have been question marks as to the midfielder's suitability for Preston, but Frokjaer has never really had any doubt himself.

"I don't think so," he told the Lancashire Post. "I had so much trust in myself. That is why it has been weird, because I have never really doubted myself in any situation. Of course, some days you go home and you think 'pfft, tough'. But, at the end of the day football is football. I trusted my own ability and now I'm back in the squad anyway. Life is going to be up and down anyway, so I just try to take it easy and find enjoyment outside of football."

Taking it easy is certainly the aura you get from Frokjaer - someone who has settled into a new club and country, living in Manchester. That was quite the culture change from his home in Denmark, where he used to cycle around and to work. As for finding enjoyment away from the game, reading takes up a lot of that time - just don't ask him which books, as it's a 'bit of everything' and the translation is too tough. As for Frokjaer the player, he is a keen student of the game and takes a keen interest in tactics and data. He saw last Saturday's defeat to Stoke as an obvious learning curve for the team.

"I think we just need to be a bit more opportunistic in the way we play with the ball," said PNE's number ten. "For me, it is just all about the confidence we show in each other. I know the defenders are there, more or less, to defend. But, I still have confidence in them to bring the ball forward and pass it into the small pockets - to me or the two sixes. And I trust, when I go forward, that I have two strikers who run for me and two wing-backs.

"If I play it to Liam Millar on the left, I trust him to do something. It's just about trusting each other and trying to find options. And you have to risk the ball, to create chances. So, if the other team doesn't want to risk it, we don't have to risk it in front of our own goal. But, we have to try and make the ball go with a bit of risk sometimes, to create something. Of course, we have a structure, but everything inside the structure - you have to move around.

"We are not 11 puppets on the pitch. Every player brings something different and if a game goes differently, then what do we expect? You have to try something new, even on the pitch, on your own or take it in at half time and talk to the rest of the guys. I think everybody just tries to talk to each other and bring some ideas to the table, because we all have one common goal - that is to win some games and hopefully play some good football along the way."

North End took zero points away from the Potters encounter last weekend. Frokjaer did add one to his tally of assists though - curling in a precise cross for fellow summer signing, Milutin Osmajic, to head home. The Montenegrin has found himself on the bench of late, with Emil Riis having returned to the fold. As a supplier on the pitch though, Frokjaer believes it's clear how to get the best out of Osmajic when he's involved.

"I think he will say it himself, he is a big striker with a bit of pace," said Frokjaer. "He likes the ball in front of him, to run towards the goal. I think, if you saw all of his goals from last season in Portugal - almost every one was on the counter, when the ball came in front of him and he could run in front of the defender. So, that is probably his biggest strength and now we just need to have him on a small leash, so he doesn't run offside all the time!"