Ryan Lowe's take on heavy Preston North End defeats and run without a clean sheet

Preston North End manager Ryan Lowe is not overly concerned about his side's recent defensive record - but knows the importance of getting a result on Friday night.

Below is what else the PNE boss had to say after Tuesday night's 4-0 loss to Middlesbrough.

How far away was that first half from the game plan?

"Well look, the lads know that and I am going to stick with my team and stick with my players," said Lowe. "I am not going to slander them or diss them in any sort of way, because it's my team, my squad and I love them to pieces. But today's performance in the first half was nowhere near the levels and they know that. I am not going to disclose that to anyone else. You only have to look at the goals, we are disappointed in them. They know what I'm upset with.

"The game plan wasn't that, so we have to all take responsibility. And the players who are out there, they know that they need to be doing better. When we've looked at the goals back, they are Middlesbrough goals; that's how they score. Our game plan was to stop that, but whether it's good rotations, good movement from them - which it was at times, but not good from us out of possession. So, there are things we know we could've done better but that'll stay in house."

Does the defence need to improve? It's 13 without a clean sheet...

"What was that? 13 without a clean sheet?" said Lowe. "I am not really bothered about clean sheets, as long as you win games of football. What I am bothered about is the performance; forget the clean sheets. We had loads of boss clean sheets last season but didn't do anything. We haven't had as many clean sheets this season, but we've won games of football so that doesn't really matter. That might be a personal issue for goalkeepers, but not for me. If I outscore teams then that's just as good."

Do the heavy defeats happen too often for your liking?

"Well when was the last heavy defeat?" said Lowe.

There was West Brom, but I think there is a stat that the team has conceded three or more (17) times. Do these days come around too often for you?

"Do they come often?" said Lowe. "They come often in the Championship. You have just seen the scores tonight, there's a couple of fours isn't there? Is that right or have you not checked? I think there are a couple of fours, so it can happen against good teams and good players. I don't think it comes around often, no. I think we've got a good win ratio. We probably give ourselves a mountain to climb sometimes, with the goals we concede early doors. But, I think the last bad performance was West Brom - which is well gone now - and the 45 minutes today. The fourth goal just sums it up, because it's ricocheted and bounced in hasn't it? But, I think you were only praising my defenders for how resolute and solid they were a few weeks ago. So, they can do it."

On to Deepdale on Friday night...

"Well, we've got to now turn these two negative results and a 45 minute, bad performance into a good one," said Lowe. "But, we are coming up against a good team who've just won 4-2 tonight and have a new manager who is going to have new ideas. I've said to the lads that they've got to bounce back quickly. Is Friday too soon? Well, I would play tomorrow if I could, so I'm quite champing at the bit that it's Friday - and I will make sure the players are. But, we've got to churn out a good performance and we've got to get a good result."

Do you deal with defeats better now than when you first came to the club?

"Yeah," said Lowe. "It still hurts me and it will hurt until tomorrow evening, when I am sitting down with a cup of tea and everything is just passing me by. But, I know I have got a group of staff and players who will give us everything. And they have done. Today's first half performance was nowhere near good enough, but I will stick by them, stand by them and I believe in them. I know they can turn it around and I know they can get a positive result on Friday. So, that is the belief that I go home with - knowing these lads will give us everything to go and get a result."