One reason surely makes Paul Heckingbottom to Preston North End the right decision

You can picture the two paths metaphorically in front of Preston North End. One a venture into the unknown; the other a familiar route. There were calls to go for the former here, to live a little bit and, for once in this football club’s life, take the risk. Modern day head coaches are shiny, exciting things and everyone wants the next one - of course they do. It would be wonderful to see PNE evolve into the next total-football team, ready to rise up at last.

And yet, surely, the timing cannot be ignored here - which makes Preston North End’s move for Paul Heckingbottom extremely predictable, but completely understandable. The Lilywhites are in a mess; this is someone who should sort it out. PNE have lost their way: zero points from the last seven league games and no goals scored. With just 11 days of the transfer window left, and four months of football to play before it reopens, North End cannot look too far into the future and forget about the present.

Cliche, but you get the sense that Heckingbottom will get it. His club is Barnsley; the 47-year-old was popular with Sheffield United supporters. The demands of the Deepdale faithful will not be lost on him. While there is clamour for Preston to move with the times, perhaps this club and team needs to just take a step back and earn the right to do that. After all, this squad is simply not built to pass teams to death. But, it can be as organised as anyone, run as hard as anyone and play with as much heart as anyone.

So, Heckingbottom’s first task will be to restore some of the values that appear to have been lost along the way. With the experience he has under his belt, that should not be too great of a challenge. PNE need results now and if those come, it will then be about growing the team and pushing for greater things in time. Looking for someone capable of doing both those things cannot have been easy. From a rather uninspiring list, though, Heckingbottom was always one name which stood out.

He will need to say all the right things, but the impression off past-interviews and references from Bramall Lane is that he will resonate. If so, that will go a long way. A sharp tactician, authentic leader and strong communicator were the three big boxes, in this newspaper’s opinion, for PNE to tick. You cannot imagine Heckingbottom coming up overly short in any of those departments. With some time left to wheel and deal, further additions - ideally in defence - would certainly aid his cause.

North End supporters have been disillusioned with the product on offer for some time, despite the mid-table finishes. They want to believe again and be entertained, but really just turn up on a Saturday with a good idea of what they will see. An identity and structure; everyone knowing their roles down to a tee. It doesn’t have to be gung-ho for the Deepdale faithful to believe their team can score goals and win games. If there is commitment, courage and creation, Heckingbottom won’t go far wrong.