The start of a brand new era or another disasterous appointment. Saturday will start to give us answers. A home game against a useful Orient side is Mr Westley's first test as North End manager. The only certainty on Saturday is that Stuckmann will be in goal. It sounds like the players have been working 9am to 5.30pm shifts which in a way is no bad thing and training has been described as enjoyable and new. Interesting tomes indeed and at the moment evryone is in the dark as to the outcome.
Graham Westley's first match in charge of Preston ended as so many had this season with a chorus of boos from the home support in a crowd of 11316. An abject performance with only one shot on target in the entire 90 minutes. A dreadful first half of little football although to be fair to Leyton Orient they played majority of it. North End played all three new signings and uinderstandibly looked disjointed. The O's had the better chances the nippy Cox blasting over when well placed and having a shot only just saved by Stuckmann. North End created nothing. The first fifteen minutes of the second half were dreadful until Coutts for the home side went on a mazy run which caused panic in the O's defence. However it didn't last as Orient playing the ball on the floor started to push for the win and after 67 minutes they were on the way to it. A coupleof quick passes took the home defence apart and from the inside left position Laird curled home a fine goal. (0-1) North End almost equalised immediately when Parry went close after a forceful run on the right wing. A second Orient goal killed the contest as a cross from the left wing found Smith at the back post and he scored with ease. (0-2) With the 2nd goal people started to vote with their feet. North End never looked like scoring and Orient maybe should have added further goals. The Orient fans were shouting for Westley to be sacked, in time it might be a familiar shout at Deepdale. Preston North End 0 Leyton Orient 2 Att 11316
Good report and very fair. Orient fans dislike Westley intensely due to a spat with the home support when Stevenage played at our ground, and his rather mouthy and opinionated manner. Also, add to that the appalling football that Stevenage play, which makes Wimbledon of old look like Brazil, and you get the picture. Our favourite person, he is not. TT
Apalling football that gained Westley & Stevenage back to back promotions. I think many don't like him because of his style of play but if it gains Preston promotion then he must be doing something right that other managers are not. Some Preston fans don't like his way of football I don't see the problem if it gains Preston success or any other team.
The word that you use there that is most relevant is 'if'. I tend to agree with you. Fans can be all-forgiving of appalling football if the results and promotion follow. However, they tend not to be if they don't. In the latter circumstance, where there is no real progress on the pitch, then usually the calls for the head of the manager follow shortly thereafter. I would expect that a club like PNE would be challenging for promotion sometime in the not too distant future, although whether that is with Westley remains to be seen. Interestingly, I see that today you have signed Aaron Brown from Aldershot - released by Leyton Orient about a year ago. Now having seen Aaron play a few times, the lad tries hard, but he is not what you would call a classy defender. However, you may put him into the 'troll' category, much appreciated at Stevenage i.e. 6ft and several inches tall, and not too much footballing ability. Let's see where Westley gets you, but my guess is that his brand of football will not go down as well in Lancashire at a club with some tradition and that is used to playing football the right way, as it did in Stevenage, where there is no tradition, and merely getting as far as the football league was a real success. I do agree, he did remarkably well to get as far as the third tier with limited resources at Stevenage. The challenge at PNE is somewhat different though. TT
Being a shrimps fan we have come up against Westley a number of times. A few Morecambe fans feel the same way as you with regard him & the way he plays football. But give the man credit he has done it on a shoe string like Coleman did at Accrington. To get back to back promotions from the conference deserves some credit. I hope Westley can do what he did at Stevenage but I don't think it will happen overnight & it could take another season in league one to get the reward of playing championship football. He will be under added pressure to get results which is a different factor to Stevenage. The Stevenage chairman stated he could not take any of his players. Will be interesting who joins up with him at Preston in the summer as IMO I can see a few signing for him if Stevenage don't go up for a third succesive year. Nothing the chairman can do I am afraid if Preston offer them more money to come & play for them. I think Westley has got a job on his hands though by clearing the deadwood other managers have brought in. He may have to off load most of the squad apart from his signings to start a fresh. Also interesting Leyton Orient's home shirt is the same design as Morecambe's home shirt apart from the sponsors. Puma must keep all the same coloured shirts the same. Good Look to Orient & PNE.
