'Absolutely loving it' - Stuart McCall reflects on his first six weeks at Preston North End

Preston North End assistant manager Stuart McCall took on pre-match press conference duty ahead of Saturday’s trip to Burnley.

Manager Paul Heckingbottom handed the media reins over to his number two for the first time this season, having spoken to the press on Monday afternoon and Wednesday night. McCall was on good form as he discussed a range of topics around his, and the boss’, time at Deepdale so far.

Here’s a round-up of what he had to say to the Lancashire Post...

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Are you enjoying being back in work, Stuart? You were so excited to get the call to come here...

“Yeah, I certainly am,” said McCall. “It’s natural, in any walk of life, that the more positive results, the better you feel about yourself and those sorts of things. Coming back from Millwall, I said to Paul that we had to look forward now and hopefully come Wednesday night, we can have a smile on our faces. That is football... the ups and downs of it. So, I am enjoying it, absolutely loving it. It’s a really good football club, we’ve got a good group of players and staff.

“The training facilities are excellent. It’s been positive - the support we’ve had has been very good, they’ve got behind the team. But, it does help when you start putting some wins on the board and that’s what we’ve got to do. We have had a reasonable start. Certain things, I’ve said about the two disappointing performances away from home. We got a good point at Boro; they’ve shown what they can do recently and I’m sure they will be in the top six.

“The Blackburn game, if we’d have kept 11 men on the park I think we’d have gone on to win it. Who knows? But, that is my thought because I thought we played well in that. We’ve had two good cup performances as well, so it’s all about putting building blocks in there. We are still getting to know the players and yeah, it’s got to be onwards and upwards. We look forward to every challenge.”

How much do you learn about what you’ve got, and what you maybe need, in six weeks?

”Even certain little things,” said McCall. “Are certain players better coming from a wider area? Are they better playing as a ten or eight? Are we better playing as a back three? All different things go through it when we are watching players, and then you get a couple of suspensions or injuries which changes it. But, the mindset has always got to be the same. We are coming here to learn; we learn every day. We are coming here to improve in training and then, ultimately, we’re coming here to succeed. That is what we want from everyone, so I think the values me and Paul have will never change.

“Hard work, you have got to have a real desire about you if you want to succeed. You can’t just turn up, do it one minute, put the tap on and then, when you go away from home for the next game, be flat. That won’t be accepted; we don’t want that. If we are going to lose, there’s a way to lose. You’ve got to go from the first whistle to the last whistle, regardless of the score line. It is enjoyable to be back in football and it is certainly enjoyable to be here, because it’s a good club and good environment to work in.”

Does being back working with Paul feel right? He said it was the right time to come back. Have you seen him back at his full self?

“Yeah, certainly so,” said McCall. “I think it was getting to the stage. There’s no doubt, straight after our departure at Sheffield United, we could’ve gone back in to a couple of clubs before Christmas. But, it probably wasn’t right. It then goes into the summer and when you are hoping to get back in, it doesn’t happen. Then, fortunately this job came up and it was one we were both desperate to get our teeth stuck into. Hopefully it can be a long-term project and we can look to succeed.”

When you first arrived you spoke a lot about environment. Do you feel like you are slowly but surely creating that?

“Yeah,” said McCall. “It’s like everything in life. You’re going away, going along steadily and then bang, Millwall happens. That was just, we have to make sure that is out of character for us. It wasn’t just the fact we lost some disappointing goals and didn’t perform particularly well, it was the manner of it. The high intensity running and how flat we seemed to be.

“The best teams have them, but we’ve got to make sure it’s only once or twice a season that you are off it. We will get beat, there’s no doubt about that because it is natural. But, there are ways to get beat as I say and we’ve got to make sure, if we are going down or losing a game, we go down fighting, scrapping and making sure it’s difficult for the opponents.”

I’m sure you do a bit of everything but are there any areas of this job you feel you really excel in?

“Refereeing five-asides, I don’t think the lads would say that, that’s for sure!” said McCall. “But no, just an enthusiasm. When we first came to the club, I said to the players that, regardless whether it’s wind, rain or whatever, the environment should be that you can’t wait to get in to train - come and learn, improve and succeed as I say. That is the case for me. I wake up every morning and think: ‘Brilliant. I’m in a job at a good club and I can’t wait to get in here and get to work’. When you have a defeat like the Millwall game, you carry that with you until the next game.

“Whereas, when you win a game, I went back to the hotel last night and I was looking at Burnley clips and highlights until about two o’clock in the morning. You park the victory and are on to the next game. But, when you have a loss, you seem to keep it with you. I just bring an energy, enthusiasm and desire really. That is not just in the games, it’s day-to-day. The lads come in and what do they train for? Two or three hours a day? It is the best time of their lives, being a professional footballer. So, come in and enjoy it, even if you’re going through difficult times on or off the park. This is your release valve. Come in and do everything you can to succeed.”