Peter Ridsdale delivers strong backing to Preston North End head coach Frankie McAvoy

McAvoy has come in for some fierce stick from fans in the aftermath of recent defeats to Blackpool and Nottingham Forest.

But he’s got the trust of Ridsdale who wants stability in the head coach/manager role.

Ridsdale said: “Frankie I think is misunderstood by a number of supporters.

“He has done a better job than people give him credit for. The reality is managers at all clubs go through cycles.

“Sometimes they arrive, hit the ground running and are fresh. Some continue with that and others their energy levels dip.

“I think Alex Neil would be the first to say that in the last six months here his drive and enthusiasm for the challenge had changed.

“We had to ultimately change manager.

“Here we change less often than some teams and some people get frustrated by that.

“When you look at the list of people who are successful there aren’t as many who are available as people think.”

McAvoy got the job on an interim basis in March and landed it full-time in May.

“So far Frankie has got 10 more points in his first 25 games than we had for the last 25 games under Alex,” said Ridsdale.

“That is not a bad start. We have drawn too many games this year and from last season we have probably turned our form upside down.

“Last season we found it difficult to win at home, this year we are finding it difficult to win away.”

Turning to how McAvoy is viewed by some of the PNE faithful, Ridsdale said: “Perhaps he is seen as part of Alex Neil’s regime?

“Some people totally unfairly say he is a cheap option.

“Had we brought someone in from the outside and they had Frankie’s current track record, I don’t think we would see the same clamour for change.

“Had we replaced Alex from outside the club who then got 17 points from 24 and then we let him go, we would have been castigated.

“Any manager’s life span is a very short space of time.

“We believe that at this club stability is crucial.

“What we need now is some consistency with our results.”