THE DEEPDALE DIARY – 19th October 2005

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Wednesday 19th October
After the 2-2 draw with Cardiff City the following eveing PNE boss Billy Davies questions the two-free kick decisions which led to the goals for the Bluebirds. PNE came from behind twice to grab a point at Ninian Park

Leeds United are lining up former England keeper David Seaman to be the goalkeeping coach at Elland Road.

Thursday 20th October
After scoring his first goal of the season Tyrone Mears tells Whites World that he is happy to play anywhere in the team so long as he is playing. The youngster is currently enjoying a spell on the right of midfield in front of Graham Alexander.

The Daily Mirror reports that Crewe are ready to sell their Northern Ireland international striker Steve Jones to either PNE or Plymouth.

Friday 21st October
Preston North End are hit with the news that Andy Lonergan will be out for the rest of the season after injuring his right knee once again. The England Under-21 keeper had been performing well during a loan spell at Wycombe Wanderers.

Portsmouth switch their attention to Chelsea’s out of favour striker Carlton Cole after being linked with David Nugent.

Saturday 22nd October
North End grab a deserved point at Wolverhampton Wanderers following a 1-1 draw though it comes at a cost with a host of injury problems. Chris Lucketti and Adam Nowland limp off and it is Dickson Etuhu who returns to action with PNE’s goal.

In The Guardian Dennis Wise plays down speculation that he is being lined up to replace Kevin Blackwell at Leeds United.

Sunday 23rd October
Billy Davies tells the press that David Nugent is the latest victim of a virus which is sweeping throughout the club. Nugent had only returned to action against Cardiff five days earlier after recovering from a bought of impetigo.

Cardiff’s Cameron Jerome is the latest in a string of Championship strikers to be linked with a move to Portsmouth’s Fratton Park.

Monday 24th October
Glenn Hoddle accuses North End midfielder Paul McKenna of being a ‘bottler’ after watching his player, Vio Ganea, sent-off for a wreckless challenge. “McKenna bottled it because he actually jumped up and out of the way as Vio came in,” said the former England boss.

The Daily Mail reports that Sheffield Wednesday are set to open talks with Nathan Tyson after agreeing a £700,000 few with Wycombe.

Tuesday 25th October
Billy Davies tells the shareholders at the AGM that he needs fans to get behind the team for the entire 90 minutes and not to get on the players’ backs as it only gives the opposition a lift. Davies also confirms that his side won’t be partaking in a group huddle before the game.

Wayne Rooney celebrates his 20th birthday by telling Sir Alex Ferguson that he wants to become Man Utd captain according to the Daily Mirror.

Wednesday 26th October
Portsmouth are being linked with a £1.5m swoop for David Nugent according to The Sun newspaper. The south coast club are linked with a move for a Championship striker in the January transfer window with David Healy previously linked.

Wigan boss Paul Jewell is keen to raid the lower divisions for talent once again with Huddersfield’s Nathan Clarke his latest target.

Dates For Your Diary – A busy week of PNE birthdays!
Happy birthday to Graham Alexander who celebrated his 34th birthday last Monday. Danny Dichio celebrates his 31st birthday next Wednesday, Andy Lonergan will also be blowing out candles on Wednesday but he won’t have so many to blow out as he is only 22. Paul McKenna celebrates his 28th one day later whilst Chris Neal is the baby of the birthday boys, he’ll be 20 years young next Sunday.

November 1, 2017Leave a comment

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QPR’s last three league visits to Deepdale

19th October 2004
PNE 2-1 QPR
David Healy scores a goal but misses a penalty on his last ever Deepdale performance, Richard Cresswell saves the day with his own penalty strike.

10th February 2001
PNE 5-0 QPR
A second half demolition job sees Macken score twice with Healy, McBride and Anderson also contributing in Gerry Francis’ last game in charge of the R’s.

22nd November 1980
A brace from Willie Naughton and another from Mick Baxter help Nobby Stiles’ side to a 3-2 victory but they still end up relegated.

THE DEEPDALE DIARY – 5th October 2005

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Wednesday 5th October
Billy Davies denies that he is set to offer Dutch striker Iwan Redan a contract with the club. The Willem II man is reported to be on his way to Deepdale for a three day trial and the PNE boss admits that he is prepared to have a look at the 25-year-old next week.

Former PNE star David Healy is the latest target for Premiership strugglers Portsmouth, even with a £2m pricetag!

Thursday 6th October
Andrew Lonergan completes a surprise one-month loan deal with League Two side, Wycombe Wanderers. The England Under-21 striker has been denied first team action upon returning from long term injury due to the fine form of Carlo Nash who came in in Lonergan’s absence.

Stoke City look set to sign West Ham’s Luke Chadwick on a permanent deal when the transfer window reopens in January.

Friday 7th October
Lonergan keeps a clean sheet on his debut in a top of the table clash at Grimsby Town. Wanderers go top of the table and Lonergan tells pne.com that the opportunity at Adams Park will give him the perfect opportunity to put himself in the shop window: “This move gives me a chance to get first team football and if I have to go out on loan again at another club it also gives me a good chance to put myself in the shop window,” said the stopper.

Birmingham boss Steve Bruce is linked with a £750,000 move for Wycombe Wanderers’ 11-goal striker Nathan Tyson.

Saturday 8th October
A book written by 1960s North End striker Willie Irvine alleges that Preston North End players may have been bribed to ‘throw’ a game. In the soon to be published book Irvine writes: “I have no idea if they took the money or not. But what I will say is that I saw things happening in that game that you would normally only see in a Sunday morning parks game.”

Portsmouth’s Director of Football Velimir Zejic is set to quit Fratton Park citing personal reasons after a turbulent 12 months on the south coast.

Sunday 9th October
Claude Davis’ Jamaica lose 5-0 to Australia completing a miserable weekend for PNE’s international elite. Graham Alexander plays as Belarus shock Scotland with a 1-0 win at Hampden to end the Tartan Army’s World Cup dreams, Callum Davidson then withdraws from the squad to be with his expectant wife and finally Andy Smith watches from the bench as Northern Ireland are beaten 3-2 at home to Wales.

The problems at Norwich mount as the Sunday newspapers report rumours that West Ham are set to make a tempting offer for Dean Ashton in January.

Monday 10th October
Preston youngster Mark Jackson joins Shrewsbury Town on a three-month loan deal with a view to a permanent deal in January. Jackson was signed by former PNE boss Gary Peters who already has ex-Northenders Ciaran Lyng and Kelvin Langmead.

Reports suggest that former Newcastle, Spurs and England midfielder Paul Gascoigne is set to be unveiled as the new player coach of Kettering Town.

Tuesday 11th October
After completing his first day of training following his bout of impetigo, David Nugent tells pne.com that he doesn’t expect to be back in action until Saturday 22nd October when PNE tackle Wolves. Nugent said: “I don’t think I will be ready for Saturday (against QPR) or Tuesday (against Cardiff). I’m looking for a week on Saturday where I won’t be fully fit but I will be on the mend and hopefully I will be able to scrape a place on the bench and come on and make an impact.”

Former Preston North End target Kris Commons could now be heading to Everton according to The Independent. David Moyes is rumoured to be tracking the £5m rated midfielder.

Wednesday 12th October
Portsmouth are being linked with a £1.5m swoop for David Nugent according to The Sun newspaper. The south coast club are linked with a move for a Championship striker in the January transfer window with David Healy previously linked.

Footballers Drives – Youl Mawene October 5th 2005

October 31, 2017October 31, 2017Leave a comment

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Youl Mawene’s biggest concern when it comes to cars is staying on the right (or should that be the left) side of the road. He still drives a left-hand drive though although it is not the atypical Renault or Citroen which you would expect from a Frenchman but a practical Toyota, which drives ‘like a tractor’ according to the PNE defender

Who taught you how to drive?
I can’t remember it is so long ago. I just learnt in an auto ecole in France which is a school to drive, I passed it when I turned 17 and I drove with my parents’ car for a year before I got a proper license.

What was your parents car?
It was a Renault, a decent car, a normal car, nothing special about it. It was quite hard to drive actually, you had to push the steering wheel, it was a bit of a boat.

Is it easier to pass your test in France?
It’s crazy, it’s expensive for a start. I think it is probably easier in France, at the time it looked easy for me.

What was the first car that you had?
My first car was a Vauxhall Corsa. It was a tiny engine, a 1.2, it was pretty bad, my friends used to take the mick all the time because it was purple. The car is still running actually, we have had it a while and my mum still uses it a lot, it’s still alive and going.

Do you still take it for a drive for sentimental reasons?
Yes, I still take it for a drive but it is a bit temperamental now. You never know what you are going to get from it, whether it is going to start. I just leave it in the garage for now and my mum uses it from time to time.

How many different cars have you owned since?
I had two cars after the Corsa. I went crazy on one car, I was playing for Lens and I had the chance to play a few European games so I had a massive bonus for one month and at the end of the season I needed to change car and I was wondering what to buy and I ended up buying a Jeep Wrangler. It was a lovely car, a fantastic car to drive but it was a bit of a nightmare because at first I was pulling a petrol station behind me and it wasn’t a practical car at all. I sold it, it took me a lot of time to sell it because I was quite attached to it, it was a chunky 4×4.

What are you driving at the minute?
At the moment I am driving a Toyota Landcruiser. It is a good car, I am happy about it, it’s not too luxurious but it is comfortable, it’s not too quick but it’s not too slow. It’s a good car, it is reliable. It is still left-hand drive so I have got to be careful not to hit anybody on my right side because I can’t see anything on my right side. I don’t mind driving left-hand drive, it’s just getting used to it, for me it is easier, when I drive English cars and I go to change gear I hit the door all the time.

What would your dream car be?
Probably a Ferrari or something like that. It is a nice car, when I was at Derby there was a lad who had a Ferrari and others had Porsche, I don’t think it is me, I don’t think it would suit me, I’ll just leave it to others.

What CDs do you have in your car?
A bit of everything really. I’ve got a bit of reggae from Claude, rap, R&B, everything from 50 Cent to Red Hot Chili Peppers. African music as well, I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for African music.

What’s in your glove box?
Probably a map of Lancashire.

So do you get lost a lot?
Yes I do. I haven’t got this GPS system and I always have to try and drive and have a look at the signs at the same time which is always a bit of a nightmare. I have got to find my way around here, I’m still pretty new in the area.

Have you ever crashed your car?
Not this one, I have been really careful with this one. But when I was at Derby we borrowed a Celica and for the first six months I completely wrecked the car, I couldn’t drive properly and I kept banging the left side against the pavement. It was horrendous but now I am pretty careful. I don’t really drive quick, I am really careful when I am driving.

Who has got the best car at the club?
It is probably Dickson or Tyrone with their big Porsche Cayenne. It’s a really nice car, an expensive car.

If we were to have a rally with every player driving their own car who would win the race?
It would probably be Claude, he is a bit crazy with his car. It definitely wouldn’t be Brian, he’d have no chance with a Nissan Almera.

Are you a fan of private numberplates?
No I am not. I think people who do have one have something to compensate, so I am sorry for Pat and the rest but I am not a big fan at all.

Has your car ever broken down on you before?
I have had to change wheels before, it is pretty simple, nothing too hard, it is just a bit of DIY really. But when it comes to engine or anything I don’t have a clue.

Do you consider yourself a boy-racer or are you somebody who likes to drive really slow?
With my car it is like driving a big tractor anyway so you can’t really push it. I don’t really like speed, I like to be comfortable in a car first so I am definitely not a boy-racer.

Spec
Model: Toyota Landcruiser
Engine Size: 3.0
Top Speed: 109 mph
Acceleration (0-62 mph) 9.5 seconds
Price: £37,900

The Deepdale Diary – 21st September 2005

October 31, 2017November 13, 2024Leave a comment

Wednesday 21st September
North End boss Billy Davies is struck with a double injury blow after Adam Nowland and Youl Mawene both pick up injuries in a behind closed doors friendly with Crewe. Nowland (groin) and Mawene (calf) are both rated doubts for Palace following the 2-0 win over Dario Gradi’s men at Deepdale.

Liverpool’s European Cup winning boss Rafa Benitez is a target for Spanish giants Real Madrid according to reports.

Thursday 22nd September
Claude Davis tells the press that he may pull out of the Jamaica squad for their forthcoming friendly with Australia at Craven Cottage in order to rest after 12 months of continuous football. “I don’t mind in the least – I could do with the rest,” Davis tells the LEP.

Steve McLaren signs a new deal with Middlesbrough which puts his credentials as potential future England boss in doubt.

Friday 23rd September
Billy Davies tells pne.com that Matt Hill and Lewis Neal are both available for selection for the game at Crystal Palace. Davies said: “We are delighted to have Matty and Lewis back. The balance has not been right and we don’t need to be rocket scientists to understand the situation.”

West Ham boss Alan Pardew compares Chelsea to snooker legend Steve Davis saying that they are so good that they are boring.

Saturday 24th September
The Lilywhites grab a point at Palace but it should have been all three as they concede an equaliser in the fifth minute of injury-time. Danny Dichio and Claude Davis are both given their marching orders reducing the Lilywhites to nine men after Chris Lucketti had put North End into a first half lead.

Arsene Wenger puts Chelsea’s start down to ‘good luck’ and claims that the reall test will comes when Jose Mourinho’s side suffer their first defeat.

Sunday 25th September
Billy Davies tells pne.com that he will definitely appeal the two red cards handed out at Selhurst Park. Dichio was sent off for allegedly raising his arms in a scrum of players, whilst Davis is accused of serious foul play following an acrobatic clearance. The PNE boss also has a go at comments from referee Steve Tanner in the Crystal Palace programme.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger wants Premiership clubs to be awarded extra points for scoring goals as a way of making football more exciting.

Monday 26th September
Preston North End Chairman Derek Shaw is fuming after the club are slapped with a £1,000 fine and a suspended ban on making transfers after making a payment to Michael Brown’s lawyer during contract negotiations. Shaw said: “What are we expected to do, work with a registered agent who would probably have charged thousands rather than hundreds of pounds to negotiate a deal?”

Tottenham boss Martin Jol promises to stick with the attacking brand of football which has made the club famous over the years.

Tuesday 27th September
Preston North End suffer a 3-0 defeat to Luton Town at Kenilworth Road. Matt Hill deputises for the suspended Claude Davis in the centre of defence whilst Dickson Etuhu comes in for Adam Nowland. David Hibbert makes his debut as a second half substitute but by this time goals from Feeney, Brkovic and Howard have done the damage.

Portsmouth Chairman Milan Mandaric is set to jet back from the United States to discuss his club’s poor start to the Premiership season.

Wednesday 28th September
PNE boss Billy Davies can’t hide his disappointment following the defeat to Luton. He said: “That’s the worst I’ve seen us play in the first half. Our first 20 minutes of the game were apalling, we didn’t win the battles or the 50/50 balls and I thought they out-muscled us all over the pitch.”

Sam Allaradyce tells The Independent newspaper that modern day football management is a constant battle against the sack.
Dates For Your Diary…
Happy 22nd birthday to Thomas Harrison, happy 18th birthday on Monday 3rd October to Ben Adams, happy 21st birthday to Joe Anyinsah next Saturday. Thursday 13th October – Chris Sedgwick to visit Pius and Sherwood schools as part of sponsorship deal with MCK Partnership, David Nugent to St Gregory’s Primary as part of deal with Forbes Solicitors, Andy Lonergan to visit Walton Le Dale High as part of his deal with Travelwise.

The Deepdale Diary – 14th September 2005

January 14, 2016November 13, 2024Leave a comment

What was going on in the world of Preston North End this week?

Wednesday 7^th September
North End are told that they must pay £85k for former Port Vale striker David Hibbert by a Football League tribunal. Chairman Derek Shaw admits that he is very happy with what he describes as a ‘very fair and well handled’ tribunal process.

England are humiliated by world football minnows Northern Ireland in Belfast. Former PNE reject David Healy grabs the winning goal.

Thursday 8^th September
PNE boss Billy Davies looks forward to working with David Hibbert following the Football League tribunal. “We are delighted it has now been resolved and we can look forward to working hard with Dave,” said Davies.

“We want to help him progress with his career at Preston and get him involved in the first team here.”

Sven Goran Eriksson goes missing following England’s poor showing against Northern Ireland. The Swede was due at the Fifth Test at the Oval but failed to show.

Friday 9^th September
North End’s experienced trio of Chris Lucketti, Graham Alexander and Brian O’Neil could all be handed extended deals at the end of the season Billy Davies tells the press. But Davies also warns that the three could be forced to accept reduced one year deals as they reach their mid thirties.

The FA hold crisis talks at 30,000 feet with under-fire boss Sven as the knives come out for the England boss, Steve Bruce wins a national poll to replace the Swede.

Saturday 10^th September
Preston North End record their second consecutive win on the road as they win a bruising encounter with Millwall at The New Den. David Jones opens the scoring and Patrick Agyemang comes on to grab the winner following Hutchison’s equaliser.

Liverpool supremo Rick Parry tells his Newcastle counterpart Freddy Sheperd that he paid over the odds for England’s Michael Owen.

Sunday 11^th September
Ned Kelly describes PNE’s 2-1 win over Millwall as ‘horrible’. “It was probably one of the ugliest games you’ll ever see, but it was a great win for us today and three more points,” the North End assistant boss tells the press. Meanwhile David Jones and Patrick Agyemang both grab plenty of column inches following the win.

Sir Bobby Robson reckons that Sven Goran Eriksson should ditch the suit and adopt a more active role in training of his England players.

Monday 12^th September
North End midfielder David Jones tells the press that he is wanted by both Wales and England at international level. The Manchester United loanee has already represented England at Under 21 level but he is also available for the principality in scenario very similar to that of Ryan Giggs at the start of his career.

According to the Daily Mail the FA will not sack England boss Sven Goran Eriksson as it would be too much of a risk due to doubts over the completion date of the New Wembley.

Tuesday 13^th September
Preston North End scrap to a surprisingly drab and disappointing 0-0 draw with local rivals Burnley. Billy Davies made three changes to the side which beat Millwall, Alexander, Davidson and Etuhu coming in at the expense of Mears, Hill and O’Neil, the latter two of which have niggling injuries.

Frank Lampard believes that Chelsea’s recent success and riches has made the London side the most disliked side in the country – Manchester United set to sue for copyright?

Wednesday 14^th September
North End boss Billy Davies is adamant that the Lilywhites should have been given at least one penalty in Tuesday night’s 0-0 draw with Burnley. He said: “We could have had a penalty shout second half, there are one or two claims that we have to see on the video, certainly the Danny Dichio one looks like it was a push.”

Liverpool could be subject to a takeover from the American based Kraft family who already own the New England Patriots according to reports in The Daily Mail.

Dates For Your Diary…
PNE players out and about over the coming month include Chris Lucketti and Gavin Ward who are at the opening of the Preston Primary Care Trust, David Nugent, Tyrone Mears, Dickson Etuhu and Andy Lonergan are present at the opening ceremony of Eldon Street Primary School. Finally if you want to get autographs of some of your favourite players then visit pneshop.com on Thursday 29^th September when David Hibbert, Joe Anyinsah, Danny Dichio and David Jones will all be in attendance.

You’ve Got Mail: Brian O’Neill 1st September 2005

January 14, 2016Leave a comment

Ever wondered what Brian O’Neill might have done had he not been a footballer? You might be surprised!

The fans ask the questions in the latest edition of You’ve Got Mail.

What is your favourite cheese?
Christine Falconer
Cheddar, on toast.

How is you nipper after last season’s Play-Off hotel incident? Can you elaborate on what happened and did it affect your performance on the day?
Sam C
He’s a lot better now. It is one of them things, it wasn’t ideal timing but you get on with it.

Hi Brian , I was just wondering if you was going to be part of the managing squad for North End , as someone told me a few months ago?
Zoe . 15 . Preston
Well I want to know who told her that!

What’s a typical day in the life of an international footballer?
We didn’t get back till late last night because we trained late last night and then we went to a restaurant just to get away from the boredom of the hotel. This morning we got up and we had a signing thing which took 45 minutes, there was lots of stuff to sign it was unbelievable. Then we had lunch at one o’clock then we had a meeting at two o’clock which lasted about 45 to 50 minutes. It’s three o’clock now and we are travelling up to Hampden to train, it will take us about 45 minutes to get there and we will train for a good hour or so, it will be back to the hotel where we will have dinner at about eight o’clock.

If you were not a footballer, what would be your chosen career ?
Christine Falconer
A singer, I’ve always enjoyed singing and I would have loved to have done that. I would have sung all sorts, a wee bit of crooning, a wee bit of rock but none of the other stuff, none of that rap rubbish.

At this stage in your career, the recent call-ups to the Scottish National squad must have been pleasing. Had you ‘given up hope’ (not saying you’re past it or anything) of playing for Scotland?
Ben Collison (in France)
To be honest I hadn’t given it a great deal of thought and I’ve always been like that. I think you just concentrate on your club stuff and if that is going ok then it will come along if it is right and it did. If it happens it happens because you are doing well for your club team and that is all I concentrate on.

How much longer do you feel you can play both domestic and international football as some players have retired from internationals to prolong their club career.
I don’t think I think about it in that sense, I think you just get to a stage, I have got three kids and it is such a long time to be away. This time we are away for nearly two weeks and when it gets to that it is quite hard. Then it can be harder having done it and not playing games and it can be quite frustrating when you really want to play.

If you could play for any team in the world who would it be ?
Lisa , Blackburn
I think at this moment everyone gets excited about Barcelona and Real Madrid. I think you see the type of football that gets played in Spain and I think it would be nice to experience a few games like that in front of full houses.

What is it like to get called up for your national team time after time. and how do you feel when you put on that Scotland shirt ready to go out of the tunnel in front of thousands off Scotland fans?
It’s much the same as any other game, I’m not one to suffer from nerves. It is a game and that all comes about when you look back on it. I think when you are there and you are in the tunnel with the jersey on you are thinking and concentrating on the game and I don’t really think about all of the hullabaloo.

What car do you drive?
I’m changing every single week, I’m in between cars at the minute but the last car that I had was a pick-up truck.

What do you think of Preston’s night life?
I haven’t sampled a great deal of it. I just tend to go out in Lytham and stay there.

Who has influenced you the most in your football?
Debbie from Dublin
Probably my parents in my early days.

What has been your favourite club to play at and why?
I must admit I am really enjoying it at Preston. My family is really happy with where we are and we had a good year last year, it was really enjoyable. It is a great set of lads, we don’t have any ‘Big Time Charlies’ at all which is very unusual for a football club. It would be good if we could go from strength to strength which is hard for a club like us when we have lost a couple of players which wasn’t ideal for us. It would be nice to think that in the future we could replace them maybe.

How old was you when you was scouted by a professional team ?
Josh McCarthy
I was about 11 or 12, it was Celtic.

How long do you take doing your hair???
Tommy Barton, Coniston Road
Not very long because I just got it cut. I’m not very good with my hair I tend to get it cut short and it grows and grows and then I get it cut short again. When it is long it takes a bit of time because I have got a haystack on my head.

When you were little which footballer did you look up to?
Paul McStay.

Who was your inspiration to become a footballer?
Charlotte, 13
I didn’t have one.

What was it like in the San Siro with the Scotland squad?
Wako Wallace, The Ramsey
It would have been better if I was playing but it was nice to experience it. I expected it to be louder it wasn’t as intimidating as I expected it to be.

Who spends the most time in the shower after a match?
Chris Tybalt, Ronaldsway News
You get people like Chris Lucketti who is very good at hanging around the showers just so that they can use other people’s shower gel and shampoo. You would think that with him being the captain of the club that he would set an example and bring in his own stuff but he tends to abuse his position and use everybody else’s.

Do you think we miss Eddie Lewis on the left flank?
Matty Scott, Ramsey
I don’t think anybody would disagree with me when I say that last year there was only him and Etherington who were top class wide left players. It is always going to be a blow and I probably miss him more than most because he is a good friend of mine.

Have you ever played up front?
Liam Tyrer Preston
Yes, lots of times. I played ten games in a row for Celtic in the mid-nineties, 10 games, two goals under Lou Macari. It wasn’t long before I was moved back though.

Has the signing of Jones and the much improved Dickson Etuhu made you step your game up?
Not particularly, I just do what I do, I go about my job and I try to do my job properly, much the same as last year and the year before that. I think we have got a lot of players who bring a lot of different things to the team and I think you really need that in a team. We have got a lot of different characters and a lot of different styles and they are probably are a bit different to myself. Dickson has really got the bit between his teeth this year and David Jones is a very good player but we have got a lot of other ones in there, we have still got Paul McKenna and Chris Sedgwick so it gives us a lot of competition and that is what it is all about.

Do you prefer to play in the all white kit which so the team play like Real Madrid last season,or the blue shorts which is tradition?
Beth Gavaghan, aged 11, Fulwood
To be honest I don’t really care, as long as I have got a jersey.

What was the first ever car you bought?
Georgina, Penwortham
It was a Y reg, 1.1 Ford Fiesta, it was about five years old, I loved that car.

Who did you support when you was younger?
Josh George, Heywood
Celtic

You’ve Got Mail: Carlo Nash 22nd July 2005

November 19, 2015Leave a comment

There’s a lot of competition in the squad this year, do you ever find that hard being a goalkeeper, especially with Andy Lonergan back in training this season?
Sami Clegg, Longridge, Preston
I don’t really find it hard. Obviously with Andy coming back then there is going to be three of us vying for a first team place, that’s good for competition and it makes us work harder.

What’s your favourite country and why?
Billy Meredith, Manchester
My favourite country would be Bali because you can pretty much do anything you want there. The beaches are great, everything is great about the country, the people are nice, so I would have to say Bali.

Do you speak in foreign languages?
Duncan Adams, Preston
My main language is Italian as people might know from last week’s bit on the website. I also speak a little bit of French and a little bit of German, I did A’ Level German.

Having been a keeper for a number of years do you find that modern-day balls have made your job much tougher in terms of the dip/swerve players now seem to be able to get from them, and has this affected your style of play?
Simon Hornby
The new balls do move about a lot more, I just find that these days there is a lot more concentration involved, you have got to watch the ball right into your hands.

Carlo why did you choose to come to PNE?
Mark Pickles
The reason I came to PNE was because I was on the bench a lot at Middlesbrough and no matter where I have been I have always wanted to play. There was a chance to come down here and play games and that has continued to be my aim really.

How does Preston rate compared to your previous clubs?
Steve Jenkinson, Australia
Obviously the Premiership clubs that I have been involved with because of the money situation they have had more facilities but as far as the club goes as a whole, the players are magnificent, we all get on great and it is a nice club to play for. The fans are brilliant and the manager is very ambitious and hopefully he can take us where we belong, back in the Premiership.

What is it like coming out to thousands of fans every week and signing autographs?
PNE Babe 254eva
Coming out to all those people and signing autographs is a dream come true. If you would have asked me years ago what I wanted to be and it would be a professional footballer so it’s great.

Who did you support as a boy?
Mark Rees, Chorley
Everton was my team when I was younger basically because my next door neighbour was one of the players’ brothers and he used to take me to the games. It was Billy Wright so it was a long time ago, it was before Neville Southall, I think Jim Arnold was in goal.

If an outfield Preston player was forced to play in goal then who would be the best choice?
Tom Wilcock, Euxton, Chorley
It would probably be Danny Dichio based on his height.

What are you going to do when you retire from football?
John Kirkland
When I retire from football I hope to stay in the game if I can, either on the coaching side or maybe even assistant manager or something like that. I’ve not really decided yet, I do obviously want to do my coaching badges, I’m going to do my UEFA B this year.

On the play-off final game how did you feel when the final whistle went and you realised you were the best player in that game?
David Holland
Being the best player in that game doesn’t mean anything because we didn’t win the match. I was absolutely gutted for everyone in the team and at the club as well, the good thing is that we can learn from the experience and try and improve on that this year and hopefully try and get automatic promotion.

What kind of car do you drive?
Darren McDuff
At the moment I’m driving a BMW 120 diesel.

Do you think a fairer allocation of TV revenue would allow all professional players to earn a fair wage or do you think market forces will always mean the top players earn obscene amounts and the players in League Two struggle?
Tristan McCooey
To be honest as far as wages go there is a big gap between Premiership wages and even Championship wages, it is only the top sides that seem to yo-yo up and down that tend to pay the bigger wages. It isn’t just League Two, a lot of people have this idea that even Championship players are on a lot of money but in fact that is not actually true. A fairer spread of the TV money would balance that up but it is always difficult because that is regulated by what people want to watch, people want to watch the top players in the top division.

Big Interview: Alan Kelly Snr 10th May 2005

June 2, 2015November 13, 2024Leave a comment

Preston North End’s last ever game in the top flight of English football came against Bolton Wanderers at the old Burnden Park ground on April 29^th 1961. Watching from the stands that day was a young goalkeeper who was to spend his entire footballing career trying to get the Lilywhites back into the top flight but to no avail.

The matchday programme speaks to Deepdale Legend and the man who holds the record for PNE appearances, Alan Kelly Snr.

“I was really delighted when I saw that they were in the play-offs,” Kelly says from his home over in the United States.

“I was just watching the highlights of the game against Derby last Sunday and I wouldn’t pay any attention to that result. I am sure on the day the lads will have their sleeves rolled up and that they will do well.

“It would be great for the town, the people of Preston are great football-minded people and it is great that they have something to go at and I am sure the place will be packed solid and it will be the same when they play at Derby the following week.

“It would be nice for them to make a return to the top division, it will be terrific for the team after a lot of years of not being in there.”

Kelly didn’t become a regular in the North End line-up until the season after they had been relegated from the old Division One and even though many suggested that Tom Finney’s retirement played a huge role in PNE’s demise, the Irishman reckons that the Lilywhites still had some great players capable of keeping them in the division.

“I was just talking to somebody the other day and we were talking about the old days at Preston North End, the likes of Tommy Docherty, Frank O’Farrell, Tom Finney, Jimmy Baxter, Fred Else who was in goal, the time we were top of the First Division, what is the Premiership now. That was a really great side.

“Losing Tom Finney didn’t help and although there were some really good players in the team it was just Tom’s presence on the field, there used to be two or three players marking him and that created a little outlet for other players. There wasn’t many games when he didn’t do his stuff either!

“Tom was probably one of the best players in the world when he played and no side likes to be without a player of Tom Finney’s calibre.

“But when we went down the club had some really good players and we probably didn’t play particularly well. We had some good patches and some bad patches and we were a little bit inconsistent. It was a sad day for the club, for any club that gets relegated it is a sad day.”

The Lilywhites are once again within touching distance for what is probably only the third time since the club dropped out of the top flight, younger fans will only remember the play-off final of 2001 but Kelly remembers a season that the club almost made it back automatically.

“It was 1964 and it was Sunderland, Leeds and us all season and I think most years in those days if you got 56 points you were almost guaranteed promotion, of course there were only two teams went up in those days.

“That year I think we did get 56 points but Leeds and Sunderland had a few points more than us, that was the year we got to the Cup Final.

“The game has changed so much since then. They are talking about millions now when you go into the Premier League, I always think if only that could have happened to me. I was watching on the TV and I saw that Wigan Athletic just got promotion and who would have thought of that!? But good luck to them, they have done great, it is a great boost for a team like that which is basically a rugby town.”

This week’s match-up with Derby County brings back fond memories of a former team-mate for Kelly Snr, a player who started his English career at Deepdale before moving on to greater things at the Baseball Ground.

“Archie Gemmill never stopped, he was one of those players who the minute he stepped on the field he never stopped running, whether it was was in attack or defence, he wouldn’t stop for 90 minutes, he was a little dynamo.

“Derby were always a good footballing side and when you played against them you knew that you were going to get a hard game. They always wanted to play some good football as well and I am sure that it is going to be a great sort of fixture on both legs.”

But it was Alan Kelly Snr who went on to become the Deepdale Legend, so much so that they named one of the stands after him at the ground and the legendary stopper is hoping that the fans that sit in that part of the ground can cheer his team on to glory.

“Preston always get great support, even when we were having bad times we were always great with the support, they are a very knowledgeable public.

“I hope that they give the lads a lift and I am sure that they will, I hope it all works the right way, I’ll have fingers crossed, legs crossed, everything crossed hoping that it will.”

Big Interview: David Nugent 9th May 2005

May 29, 2015November 13, 2024Leave a comment

For Preston North End’s young striker David Nugent it has been a whirlwind 2005. Few had even heard of the chirpy scouser when he arrived on Deepdale’s doorstep in a £100,000 move from Bury at the start of January. He’d scored 13 goals for the Shakers but that’s all we really knew, four months on, the people of Preston can’t stop talking about their latest hero.

The matchday programme caught up with Nugent earlier this week to talk about his rise to stardom.

“I came here looking to get in the starting eleven,” is Nugent’s honest appraisal of his targets upon first arriving at Deepdale.

“I have done that and now we are in the play-offs so I am delighted to be in the play-offs. We have got Derby today, it should be a tough game, as we saw last weekend they are a good side but hopefully we can come through it.”

Nugent only played a bit part role in last week’s trip to Pride Park as North End boss Billy Davies chose to rest some of his key players. The fact that Rams boss George Burley only caught a fleeting glimpse of the youngster could mean that the PNE No.35 could be a secret weapon this afternoon, Nugent agrees that Billy’s cautious approach last week could be a tactical masterstroke.

It will be weird, to playing the same team three times on the bounce will be strange but that will happen sometimes in the play-offs and you just have to cope with it.

He said: “The Gaffer rested a few players last week like Brian O’Neil, the skipper Chris Lucketti and myself but players came in and did well. The Gaffer is not interested if you play home or away, he is confident that we can play well at home and away and that is the way that he wants it.

“Derby are beatable, we controlled the game for the first 25 minutes, they got a free-kick which they have taken early and it has gone in. It is a sucker punch just before half-time and when the second goal goes in you know that it is lost really. We tried a few changes to try and get back into the game, we have done that and then we lost Graham Alexander through an injury and that put us down to 10 men, they got a third and then it was definitely over. But we have got a lot of players to come back and hopefully we can beat them this weekend.

“It is a good thing that we rested a few key players, they won’t know what to expect this week when we play them when the players come back in. They will be confident that they can do us again but with more players coming in it will be a totally different game.

“It will be weird, to playing the same team three times on the bounce will be strange but that will happen sometimes in the play-offs and you just have to cope with it.”

Nugent has already paid much of the small fee that the Lilywhites sent down to Gigg Lane earlier this year. His eight goals in North End colours have helped catapult PNE into the play-off zone. And it’s not as if the strikes have been tap-ins, some of them have been worth the admission fee alone and made the youngster a fans favourite. Nugent is a firm believer that the fans can play a huge part in North End’s destiny this season and that they are currently on form!

“The fans can play a massive part,” said the striker.

“They have a huge influence on us, when they get behind us we seem to play better, hopefully they will get behind us on Sunday and hopefully we can do it for them.

“They come away from home as well to cheer us on. It is great for the fans and us when we get the fans behind us away especially with the home crowd trying to get on top of us, our fans seem to be getting on top of their fans at the moment even if there are less of them. If we do that again next week then it will be great.”

Whatever happens over the next few days, for Nugent the 2004/05 season will be remembered as the one where the young lad from Merseyside really announced himself to a the footballing nation, he could be representing that nation in the Toulon Tournament come the start of June, however he would prefer it if he was playing in a tournament otherwise known as the Premiership.

“It has been a massive month for me, I’ve been scoring goals for Preston and then I got the call-up for the Under-20s and then getting into the play-offs.

“It has been a great season for me, I just want to get into the Premiership now with Preston, if not then there is always next year but we are in the frame of mind that we want to go up this year.”

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