Graham Alexander explains decision to change Preston North End coaching staff

Graham Alexander has explained why he's made the decision to part ways with two members of his coaching staff three weeks after taking charge at Preston North End, saying he needed to make a ‘significant change into the formula of the team.’

Alexander was appointed as the replacement for Paul Heckingbottom on September 28 but did not immediately move to bring in his own backroom staff.

Long-term assistant manager Chris Lucketti followed him from Bradford City, but otherwise the coaches who served under Heckingbottom remained in place.

Alexander wanted to give everyone at the club a 'fresh start' and that extended to the coaches as well as his new players.

However, Preston announced on Monday evening that first team coach Peter Murphy and first-team fitness coach Andy Liddell had left their roles, with Jadon Euell and goalkeeper coach Mike Pollitt remaining in place.

Explaining why he has started making changes to his staff, Alexander told BBC Radio Lancashire in his pre-West Brom press conference: "I just feel we need to to change the course of the season so far.

“We have to make changes in to how we work, how we approach things. The first three games in the space of a week have given me a real clear indication of what the players need.

“And ultimately, that's our only target, what the players need. But also understand how competitive we have to be to win games of football at any level.

“How fit we have to be, how organised, how directional we have to be with our messaging, but you can't expect to change the course of everything without other things changing along the way.

“I wanted to give myself a little bit of time and people all the time but I just think it's a natural course of action if you want significant change, 'cause we have to make significant change into the formula of the team if we want to be a successful club. “

Who will replace Murphy and Liddell at PNE?

Preston have not yet announced who will be replacing Murphy and Liddell in their roles, but Alexander went on to explain that only one of the positions would be getting filled.

“No, it won't be more [appointments than two],” he explained.

“I'm not big on having big squads, first and foremost, where you you've got players who are demotivated because they're not close to to playing, so it's important to have squads that are competitive.

“But it's the same on the on the staffing side of it. I don't believe in excess. I think everyone should have the designated roles, designated responsibilities and [be] accountable for the results of those responsibilities.

“Also, a value when you're coming into work. You've got enough work to do and I just felt that in one case they wouldn't have enough work to do and the other I felt that there had to be a significant change in the output of the players as individuals and and obviously the team.”

When asked to clarify if it would just be one new coach coming in, Alexander said: “Yeah, potentially, yeah, yeah.

“For for the two that you're talking about in particularly, yeah I don't think we need to replace one of them. I think we obviously do with the other.

“We've got ideas about potential people that we could bring in. But. without sort of organising what I need to do first and foremost, and I felt it was it was better to change sooner rather than later.

“They're the decisions I've been entrusted to make. Hopefully, we'll get them right.”