Tom Sandells’ Preston North End Press View: Time to judge the manager is when he has strongest side

There have been increasing shouts for the departure of Alex Neil in recent weeks but there is always a caveat to these sorts of situations.

If you were to say that a manager is sacked without ever getting to name the core of his team in a game, would that not be harsh?

Calls for him to go had come before the Bournemouth game which was the first to feature all of Ben Davies, Ben Pearson, Alan Browne and Daniel Johnson from the off.

They’re all quality players at this level and would go into most, if not all, other Championship sides.

Neil has spoken in recent weeks that sometimes there’s little he can do with results, for example when a player is sent off.

That’s fair, but they have still gone down as losses, not ‘losses*’. That’s just how things work.

Pearson has been a key player in the PNE side since he first settled into the XI, and he’s never looked back.

Even when his disciplinary record was problematic to say the least, Neil was steadfast – ‘If Ben Pearson is fit, he’s on the pitch.’

Davies’ stock only continues to rise and his calming influence on the backline is noticeable, with increasing importance now due to Patrick Bauer’s long-term injury.

Browne is as dependable as they come and almost as versatile, whilst Johnson has been a star turn for the last two seasons.

On their own they may not win you a game but combined, it’s a formidable foursome. They would all arguably make North End’s best team as things stand. Neil will still not be able to name his best team for at least the next few months – and potentially the season – due to Bauer’s injury.

And more to the point, name it on multiple occasions to acquire some momentum and start racking up points to climb the table.

This campaign, as with many clubs, has been littered with injuries, and naming the same XI more than once is proving difficult.

That doesn’t mean PNE are free from criticism now until their best XI is fit again but it is worth thinking about.

If the ‘big four’ are the answer to PNE’s problems, then the question certainly doesn’t come too far from home.

It’s almost like a broken record around Preston that the home form needs to be corrected.

When North End were soundly beaten by Blackburn Rovers last time out at Deepdale, it was hoped that it could have been the start of rebuilding our form on home soil, following on from a win against Sheffield Wednesday.

That certainly wasn’t the case against Rovers and they limped to the end of the game in a poor display reduced to 10 men.

Neil admitted he might be making a rod for his own back by saying he’s confident home form will now improve with all of his key players back, so is now the time to start judging this team this season?

That doesn’t explain their lousy home form but maybe leeway should be given if their key men have not been available.

If anythin,g though, that would mean that the scrutiny will only get fiercer, as a more immediate response is expected.

If the points total had been spread more equally between home and away, perhaps the mood would be more of trying to find consistency, rather than despair and calls for a change in the hotseat.

Wycombe will likely arrive with a plan to frustrate Neil’s men and make them break the visitors down, not the ideal scenario for a team that benefits from a high press.

But if we’re to say the big four being absent so far has been the issue, then they should be capable of doing so, shouldn’t they?

Like with anything, it isn’t that simple.

It is a lot to bank on four players, none of whom are regular goalscorers of late, whilst at the same time also banking on their team-mates to do their part.

Tom Barkhuizen’s three goals in four games helps, at a time when the four returned.

Could the quartet all being involved be a catalyst to an upturn in form at home, coupled with their away form, meaning they begin to shoot up the table?

Absolutely, but also they could have no impact at all and things may just continue as they have.

The interesting thing is that Neil sees weight in their return, and therefore the players likely do too.

Neil is not blind to the frustration from the fans and has addressed it, but now he feels is a fairer time to judge him and his side.

A confident bunch, the PNE squad will likely welcome more attention when they are back nearer to their full complement.

But assuming the ‘big four’ do stay fit for a period of weeks, North End will likely be under the microscope even more than normal – and that’s without discussing their contract situations.