Gary Neville rant sparks passionate verdict from Preston North End and ex-Leeds United manager

Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom is in agreement with Gary Neville regarding the entertainment on offer in English football.

Following last weekend’s goalless Manchester derby at Old Trafford, the Man United legend ranted about the ‘robotic’ nature of top flight football matches. His comments gained lots of traction and generated debate about how the game has changed over the years.

“It was really disappointing,” said Neville. “I apologise for my co-commentary actually, I think I let it get to me. I was boring on there as well. That was drab as well. They’re micromanaged to an inch of their lives, so robotic, and it’s symptomatic of a lot of games that we’re watching nowadays.”

Heckingbottom, who had a taste of managing in the Premier League with Sheffield United, has a similar outlook. His belief, though, is that the impact of officiating has been astronomical on the spectacle as a whole. It’s something he has predicted publicly, before.

"100%, I said it two or three years ago," said Heckingbottom. "The game will go that way and it's the referees and the officiators taking it that way. It's not their fault but because they don't understand the game, they don't know where they're taking it.

“You watch now, they give fouls to defenders where there will be a centre forward grappling with a centre back in the attacking half of the pitch. In the other half of the pitch, a centre forward will go near a defender and the defender will just feel a slight bit of contact, or none, and just dive.

“But they give a foul, because it's not going to lead to a goal. All that does is mean it's ineffective and pointless pressing, so every team plays the same way... every team. In a derby, well, what's the point in going and trying to make a tackle and risking a red card, because they slow it down that much?

“Anything that's not perfect, it's a red card. What's the point in going and risking it? So, obviously the atmosphere's gone, everyone has to play the same way and it's just totally mundane. That's what they are promoting... a totally mundane way of playing football, and it's only going to get worse."

“VAR makes it a different league...”

After Southampton’s relegation to the second-tier was confirmed following defeat at Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, the Premier League looks set to dispense of its three promoted sides for the second year running. Prior to last season, this had only happened once - at the end of the 1997/98 campaign.

Given that 18th placed Ipswich Town are 12 points adrift with seven games remaining, and Leicester City even further behind, the relegation outcome is inevitable. North End’s boss expects a promoted club to put up more of a fight sooner rather than later, but believes the two leagues need to come in line with VAR.

"Yeah, someone will (stay up) at some point, but the majority of the time if one stays up, the other two will go down," said Heckingbottom. "If one stays up, they'll be fourth bottom. But there will be teams that do it, through momentum, through things going their way.

“You see how hard that second season is... Leeds United, Sheffield United, probably the last couple who have been up and stayed up. It's a tough challenge, that Premier League. And that's one of the reasons I don't like how it is different. It's a different product now.

“VAR makes it a different league, so we need to give ourselves the best chance. We need it in our league. They referee the game differently. Although we say they don't, they 100% do because of VAR and because of the rules. We need that the same because when you go up, it is totally different. The more things you've got go against you, the harder it is."

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