PNE defender speaks to the Lancashire Post on the back of Paul Heckingbottom's appointment as manager
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00:00Yeah, no, it's been a bit, it's been hectic, it's not ideal, losing the manager after two games, but it's done now, there's no point in speaking in the past and we just need to look forward to the new gaffer coming in and see what he's got ideas wise and going forward.
00:18What are the last two or three training sessions been like? Has he kind of got his ideas across very quickly?
00:24Yeah, no, it's, you always get a bounce, don't you, when your manager comes in, everyone ups it, but no, he's got his ideas across as much as he can, considering it's been two days.
00:37I've obviously worked with him before, so I know what he's about really, but no, he's done a good job in getting what he wants quickly across and obviously it's a work in progress.
00:49Do you think it is a solid appointment for the club? Just as a person, he seems very sort of suited to Preston really?
00:56Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:58I think he's, like you said, as a man himself, the top guy and yeah, I loved working with him at Barnsley when I was there, that was a while ago now.
01:11So, I think when you looked at the list, he was kind of the one head and shoulders above everyone that you'd think would get it.
01:18So, no, I'm happy he's here and looking forward to it.
01:22He was quite an up-and-coming manager then, wasn't he? Did you always expect him to go on and succeed?
01:27Yeah, no, he was, yeah. I was only with him, it must have been seven, eight months he brought me down from Scotland.
01:33So, and then he left that February to go to Leeds.
01:38But no, like I said, I enjoyed every minute working with him.
01:42He's probably been one of the best managers I've worked with and enjoyed it the most.
01:49Yeah, and his assistant seems quite a big character, doesn't he?
01:52Has he made that impression already?
01:53But I can imagine he's pretty hard on the training ground as well.
01:56Yeah, no, yeah, I didn't work with Mark back then, but yeah, no, he's a big personality.
02:03And I think you need them types in the changing room just to lift people and obviously tell people if they need it.
02:10Yeah, there's a fresh face and fresh voices.
02:14Just give everyone a little bit of a lift, not that you needed it to suggest, but I imagine that's kind of refreshing.
02:20Yeah, of course. When a manager's been here for, what, three years almost, it's different.
02:28Everyone's a bit on edge, so you lift it.
02:31And no, I'm just looking forward to it and I think he'll get the most out of the boys.
02:37So, yeah.
02:38I know you said no point harping on about the past and I agree, but had it gone stale at all, Liam,
02:44or were you all kind of determined to improve after the end of last season and go again under way?
02:49As players, you go on a pitch to win every game.
02:53It's not really about anything else.
02:56That's the bottom line.
02:59And yeah, I don't know what happened in the end, but he's left now, so there's no point looking back.
03:07Yeah. Is there anything, I'm sure he's said a lot in the last few days, but anything Paul's said or done
03:12that's really kind of perked everyone up and thought, oh, that's a bit different, that's going to be good for us?
03:18No, just he's a great organiser.
03:20It ends up becoming second nature.
03:22Obviously, it's a bit early now, so you probably won't see that for a few games until he drills it into us.
03:29But no, great organiser, great manager.
03:32And yeah, I think the minimum he expects is hard work and also to enjoy your work, enjoy working.
03:41So, no, good things to come.
03:45So, I guess to the fans, you'd say just give us a little bit of patience.
03:48It might take four or five games to really see his kind of team.
03:51Yeah, of course.
03:52I think that's what you expect when a manager comes in.
03:58It doesn't just happen overnight.
04:00So, yeah, just give us a little bit of time and I'm sure we'll repay that.
04:04What do you think the expectation of the fans is, Liam?
04:07Because your finishes under Ryan were perfectly fine, really, weren't they?
04:10You were in and around it.
04:11Do you think it's more style of the team and performances that they want to see?
04:16Yeah, like you said, I think the finishes were…
04:19I mean, obviously, you could look back in the season and say you could pick up points there and here,
04:25but 10th is a good season, I think, for Preston.
04:29And yeah, maybe it comes down to the style of football,
04:34but I think every fan now and every team wants that pass, but it's not going to happen.
04:41So I think we need to be a wee bit realistic in what we're doing.
04:45But, of course, we need to be scoring goals and exciting the fans.
04:49I think you can take losing a game if we're having shots on target, goals,
04:55and maybe, obviously, they get goals from mistakes or whatever,
05:00but you can take that instead of…
05:03Yeah, we've not scored in a while, so it's not good.
05:07Do you think Paul will strike that right balance between defence and attack?
05:11That's the impression I got on Tuesday.
05:13I think so, yeah.
05:15I think we'll get as aggressive high up the pitch and we'll nick a lot of balls up the pitch,
05:25and when you nick it up there, you've got a high chance of scoring more goals.
05:28Yeah, I'll just ask you about Swansea. Were you adamant that ball had gone out?
05:32Yeah, I think it was just more of an automatic thing.
05:37I've just went like that.
05:38I genuinely did think it was out and I've just went like that.
05:41When your luck's like that, your luck's like that.
05:43But overall, it wasn't a good day, so that's two defeats.
05:49So we need to get some points on the board.
05:52I don't think they knew, did the assistant or ref, whether the ball had gone out?
05:56So that must be a bit frustrating.
05:58Yeah, exactly.
05:59Especially when they take 30 seconds to decide and you just look at how many points to this penalty spot.
06:04It's not great.
06:06But anyway, what can you do? It's in the past.
06:09Back at home, Saturday, Luton.
06:11He said he wanted a home game as his first one, if he could choose.
06:14I guess you were either just determined to give everything for him, really?
06:18Yeah, exactly. It's a good game.
06:20It's a great game to come into, really.
06:22Luton have obviously had a good season in the Premier League.
06:26They'll be itching to go back up, I'm guessing.
06:29So it'll be a tough test for us.
06:31I think we need to make Deepdale hard to come to and make teams fear coming to Deepdale.
06:39I think that's what we need to do this season.
06:41He's spoken about mentality quite a lot already.
06:44Do you think that took a blow in recent months?
06:47Maybe confidence more than that, but do you think he'll get that really back out?
06:51I think he will, yeah.
06:53He's already told us about it.
06:55There's no point playing with fear.
06:57He wants to bring joy back to playing.
06:59That's what we play football for.
07:01He said we're in the best job in the world, which we are.
07:05So just be joyful every day and play with less fear and more joy.
07:12Just lastly, I know you tend to leave this to your agent and stuff,
07:15but have there been any talks started about a new deal you've entered your final year?
07:19Yes. No, I've not heard nothing yet.
07:22That's all I can say really.