Season to forget
Preston spent one more season in the middle of relegation battle. Terrible form in the first half of the season was more then enough of reason for sacking Paul Simpson. Everon's David Moyes assistant, Alan Irvine took the charge of the team after that and he needed some time to consolidate the squad. The Lillywhites managed to find the right form, and even they had been close to relegation zone all the time, they manage to stay above the line with excellent finish. They ended at 15th, which is extremely good result after lot of problems they had during the year.
Team has quality and plays together for a long time
Alan Irvine had more then enough time during the summer to rearrange things and to build the game he wants to see at the start of the league. The biggest news is that team did not have lot of changes during the summer. Key players are still with them (St Ledger, McKenna, Mellor, Carter), while they got solid additions in ex-Sunderland Ross Wallace and former Aberdeen player Barry Nicholson. Also, we should not forget that the same players Irvine has in his team manage to be in top 10 and close to play-off for years before big flop last year.
In
Ross Wallace (Sunderland), Barry Nicholson (Aberdeen)
Out
The Lillywhites are pretty strong, don't underestimate them
It looks like Preston North End is probably the most underrated team in the league. All the odds are against them this year. But, this team has quality and results behind. Alan Irvine is an excellent coach who had enough time during the summer to build the game. They have added only 2 players, but both are excellent additions for this stage. It looks to us that betting on Preston to qualify for play-off could pay off. This team has enough quality for this achievement, especially if they continue with the string of results from the end of the last season. Do not forget on them when you think about play-off candidates.
Our tip: Preston u top 6
Odds 4.50
Bookmaker: Bet365
PROM
PL-OFF
RELEG
