Paul Heckingbottom press conference: Preston North End's attack, form and Oxford United warning

Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom discussed a range of topics in his pre-match press conference on Thursday.

Here’s a round-up of what the PNE boss had to say.

In terms of club culture and environment, do you think you've made progress with that? I know you've made noises about in and around the place. Would you still like it to be better?

“There's only certain things I'm responsible for,” said Heckingbottom. “I speak a lot to Ian and Peter about that. I think we have to strive to be bigger and better, definitely, without losing what our strengths are. There's lots of things that we do because of how we set things up, which are really strong.

“We're really frugal with our finances, for example, and we have to be really good at finding the best free transfers, or whatever that may be. That shouldn't end if you end up getting more. That should still be a strength of yours and the characters you want to bring into the building.

“But if we can become a little bit bigger and better, we might be able to add different elements to that. If you grow and strive to be bigger and better off the pitch, then hopefully you can pass that on to the pitch.”

Is there one example you could give, or a bit of detail? Recruitment, are you thinking with that?

“Everything,” said the PNE boss. “I know if I say anything you'll make a big deal of it!”

One free transfer you brought in was Michael Smith. I think people thought, ‘That's something different, we’ve not had a player like that, we can clip it up to him’. Would you liked to have got more out of him? Have you always played to his strengths?

“I thought he started the season great; he had moments that went against him,” said Heckingbottom. “QPR, Leicester, I think he had almost double figures for shots on target. Some with his head and one or two of those things go in, it's a different set-up for him. But, he's certainly appreciated, the work he does for the team and his team-mates.

“That cannot be underestimated, helping us get over the line. So when we spoke previously about having that first goal and then getting over the line, he's a huge, huge part of that... huge part of that. He would want more goals and things to drop for him, all strikers want that. But you can't, yeah, no way could I say single Smudge out without speaking about any of the other players.

“There's always 11 on the pitch. We always use up to 16 and it's us as a collective that have to turn these good performances of late into wins. We've got to do it. Where we've not been pleased with the performance, we've got to change them and it's not down to an individual player.”

Can it be tough when he comes into a game and Dobbin, Devine, Jebbison have been playing a certain way?

“We spoke a lot, because people think he's a big target man,” said Heckingbottom. “He was used that way at Rotherham and then apart from that, not as such. But it's the same as anyone, there's certain things we want from our centre forwards. You have to be able to get hold of the ball and be a threat in the box. They'd be the two dominant (things) and if anyone's doing that, they play every minute - barring us looking after them. So our nines, our centre forwards, have to get better at that.

“But while we're working on that, they still offer so many different things in terms of their strengths. Whether it's the running power, the threat of running behind, the defensive capabilities of Smudge when he's doing set plays - and he knows how to help us get over the line. Dobbo's elusiveness in his 1v1 moments, so that was one thing we really tried to do, make sure we signed players with strengths, and we've done that. But there's always teams that adapt or our form drops, and then those strengths aren't as apparent or not as effective as what they were.

Do you think the team could shoot more from distance?

“Yeah, I just think more... I wouldn't single it out as shooting from distance; there's only one or two I see shooting out there who I want to shoot from distance,” said Heckingbottom. “It's very similar to last year, so many good situations that don't end in efforts on goal. It has (improved from last year) but when we've done it well, we've scored and won games.

“I spoke about Millwall and the state of the game is always different as well. Did we get free bodies in their box on that? Yeah, a lot more than Millwall did in our box. So the final ball, that little bit of luck, because you certainly still need to have moments that drop your way and then you've got to be clinical enough.

“Now, you also have players who do make it happen, or players who are in good form, playing with good confidence and that chance is a half chance, but it's a goal. When you're not in form, or that confidence is not there, that half chance doesn't result in a shot on target, because you need another touch, or you want to set someone else up.

“These are all things during the season that happen all the time. I think we were certainly much more clinical early on in the season. And then the other part of it linked to what we spoke about before... when we've been winning, we've generally created better, more clear-cut chances as the games have gone on.”

If there was to be one next step for the team, would it be offensively in the final third, being more of a force consistently?

“Yeah, listen, you always strive for that, without a doubt,” said Heckingbottom. “And you're always, always searching for that. Not only searching, but then what does that look like against a team who comes and plays a back five, with four in front of it? A team who's going to be really aggressive and pressure, might leave more spaces?

“We're looking at that all the time and it's always an area you'd love to be the best team in the league at, without a doubt. Have the most firepower, the best quality and score the most goals in the league, 100% per cent; to do that is hard.

I think you mentioned in the summer, looking at maybe changing the way you play, but you realised you couldn't. Was it too expensive? Why was that not possible?

“Yeah, so you mentioned 4-3-3 the other day, didn't you?” said Heckingbottom. “So if we wanted to play 4-3-3 the same way as a Man City, or pick any team, wingers high and wide, top 1v1 moments, we've got to go and recruit them. That then changes the dynamic of the players in the middle of the pitch and the role of the nine as well. So, it would’ve been hugely expensive.”

Is it also that you wouldn't just need two wingers, you'd need (wingers) behind them and this squad's been built for three, four years to play a back three?

“Yeah,” said Heckingbottom. “We tried it last year. We only managed to get Josh (Bowler) in but we had Jeppe (Okkels) so we thought about going lopsided on one side and we did quite well, but I thought we were better defensively than offensively when we played that way. I felt we were trying to roll into a shape that players would naturally play in anyway.

“Now again, that's different if your wide players were producing goals and assists and you play that way to keep them in the team - and that's your most effective way of winning games. But we always seemed to, after one or two glimpses of, ‘Oh yeah, we'll go that way’, we always seemed to roll back into getting our best results and performances in a different shape.”

How important is the first goal in games, especially at this stage of the season when games are so close and hotly contested?

“Yeah, people look at stats all the time; it's the goals that determine it,” Heckingbottom told BBC Lancashire. “Of the 12 wins we've had this season, I think we've averaged around 44% possession. I think in the 10 games we've lost or whatever, we've probably averaged 55%. It's the goals that determine that.

“Obviously, then throw in the surface at our place and how we've had to try and adapt to that. The first goal means that you can set up and you don't have to be the one forcing the ball in there, trying to create. Since the results in January, I don't think a team with the most possession has won a game at our place.

“But that first goal, it just shows the importance of it. We know our characteristics as a team and where our strengths lie. Likewise, we know the areas we need to improve. It is big in most games, everywhere, but I think in a league where things are so tight, it is important. It affects the pattern of the game.”

You mentioned about teams not having possession, but doing well with it. So what challenge is that for you, as the home side, trying to be on the front foot, trying to dominate, trying to get on top?

Heckingbottom told BBC Lancashire: “I'm not trying to have all the ball but again, the pattern is set if you're the one conceding. We've played a selection of teams and Oxford are no different. Oxford won't want the ball against us.

“Their wins have come when they're not in possession of the ball. It's just a totally different challenge. If we want to be a team that can compete at the top, stay at the top and thrive, whatever challenge is in front of you, it's something that we have to improve.”

Do you feel at all, at this club, a backdrop of people who've watched this team for their lives and not had much to celebrate? Do you feel that at all, atmosphere-wise?

“I think we've been good this year,” said Heckingbottom. “I think we spoke about it a lot last year... it's natural when you become established. So, Preston was an established Championship team and then Portsmouth and Oxford came up last season for example. There's a different feel at their grounds to ours, because it's all brand new to them.

“If Portsmouth are where they are for the next 10 years, their games will be different until something sparks it and ignites it. And that's a difficult thing but you cannot, as a fan, anyone at the club, you cannot take it for granted. It can be (gone like that) and then it can be a struggle.

“So, you should be excited. Like I said to the players at the start of the season and you guys, be excited about out-competing everyone else. When people write you off, show them what we're about and it's the same as the fans.

“If we don't play with that attitude, if we don't support the team with that attitude, if we don't try and make the best of every situation on and off the pitch, you end up where finances dictate, or where the naysayers have you at the bottom of the league. So, you've got to enjoy what that battle is, what that challenge is and proving people wrong.”

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