There aren't many players to play just ten games for a club, score one goal and yet be as popular as Brian McBride. The One And Only caught up with the American forward to talk about his time at Deepdale, Alan Irvine, David Moyes and PNE's MLS links.
Brian McBride was a surprise signing by David Moyes in September 2000. No-one had really heard of him at that time. Brought in on loan from the MLS during their off season, some would ay opening the door for the likes of fellow former North Ender David Beckham to do the same.
At the time he was 28-years-old and a forward of stature and international experience and straight away he looked like Moyes had managed to acquire someone who would be an excellent and powerful frontman in our efforts to compete in our first season back in the second tier of English football.
This wasn't however McBride's first foray into Europe. In 1994 he left the United States to ply his trade in Germany, joining Wolfsburg. At the time they played in the German second division and provided several aspiring American players an opportunity to play football in Europe including Claudio Reyna and Mike Lapper, as well as McBride. He struggled to find playing time with the club, however, one of his two goals came in a cup upset, a 2-1 victory over Bayern Munich in the German Cup quarter-finals.
At the end of the season though he gained a release from Wolfsburg and when MLS was created, chose to return to play in the United States. In 1996 it was the inaugural season of Major League Soccer, and the former 'All American' soccer play, was the first overall pick of the MLS Inaugural Draft.
Despite setting records and gaining international recognition with his country, he sought a new challenge and the interest from David Moyes proved the catalyst to a significant time for the Illinois-born striker.
"It was definitely an important time in my career," he told The One And Only. "It was a move where it was a big change. One that I thought I was ready for and was anxious to get after and it was a good situation. It was a loan where I was able to get my feet wet and see if I could handle it.
"It was a strange thing that I got the blood clot and my time got cut short, that's for sure, but it was something that enabled me to meet my wife! I came back here [America[ and got some treatment and while I was on some down time I met my wife, so that would have never have happened if I hadn't gone on loan to Preston!"
His time at Deepdale was mostly spent in the company of physio 'Baz' Rathbone, someone Brian quickly became friends with and gained a lot of respect for: "Mick is a passionate, caring guy that really wants to look out for you.
"He definitely looks out for the team and wants to make sure that the team is as fit and as ready to go as possible. He has transferred that on to Everton, and Moyesie has put together that same attitude where he drives people. It is something I took away from both of my experiences.
"Mick was great when I came back. It was icy and cold and we went into the Fitness First right there connected to the stadium and he would be running guys through different pieces of equipment saying 'if I can do it, you can do it', so he was definitely a guy that would look after you."
When he did return to fitness, just ahead of the new year, Moyes had moved to bring in David Healy on a Club record transfer from Manchester United and whilst the first few games of McBride's return were a low period for the team, a change in formation to 4-3-3 at Portsmouth brought about a change in fortunes.
McBride led the line, with Macken and Healy able to play off and around him, something he thoroughly enjoyed. It saw an excellent run of results, including a thumping win over QPR, where he scored his only goal in North End colours with a diving header.
"We had a very good situation and I remember the QPR game," he continued. "We were pretty unique. We had a lot of interchange to us; we were comfortable working back for team and of course we loved getting forward.
"It was a lot of fun. It wasn't just the attacking side of things, the team throughout seemed to grasp on to what Moyesie was trying to do and I was just enjoying being a part of it, even if my time was short."
"I really enjoyed working with Moyesie. I already had a tremendous amount of respect for him. As much as he was doing great things for you guys at Preston he has done the same or better at Everton."
Brian McBride on David Moyes
"I could tell when I met him that he wasn't just interested in what you could do, he was interested in you as a person and trying to get that into the team. I was made to feel comfortable at Preston right away and the same when I went to Everton on loan."
His loan period at Everton was another short-lived move, but in January 2004 he was to come to England permanently for the first time. He made such an impression on the Londoners, that after his departure in the summer of 2008, they chose to rebrand a hospitality area in his honour.
On the Fulham website it describes the lounge as: 'Located on the picturesque Thames riverside, you will receive friendly and professional service in a vibrant atmosphere where you can talk football with fellow fans pre-match before taking your seat in the luxury of the Director's Area.'
It is clear that McBride made a great impression on the people at Fulham and they made an impression on him too: "It was a special time for me and my family. We finally made the move permanent and we were able to adapt slowly, from the standpoint of getting our feet underneath us.
"We just fell in love with the club. The chairman there is a very special and unique individual and we were there long enough to get some roots and it was a situation we will cherish forever.
"I think it helped that other Americans were at the club at that time. When I got there Carlos Boconegra had just signed, so we had that situation if you told a silly joke there might be someone there who would get them, where others from other countries might not!
"You could get away from soccer too. I had my family, my wife and kids, and I could get away when I needed to and that is often the problem. It can be spinning around in your head and you just can't get settled. It was a lot of fun and I was so glad I was able to do it."
Since his departure from Deepdale, Brian, whose current Chicago Fire side look like qualifying for the end of season MLS Play-Offs, currently sat just a point behind former team Columbus Crew, has checked closely on North End's progress, particularly when Eddie Lewis rampaged up and down the left flank and also when an interest was shown in Taylor Twellman.
"I saw a lot of Eddie's career at Preston and I was excited for him when he joined because I knew it was a great place to play. Seeing the way the stadium changed, it was probably a great situation for him. He is a great server of the ball, will get forward and back for his team-mates and it was great to follow him.
"I think Taylor Twellman would have been great at Preston too. The way English soccer is set up, Taylor is uncanny about getting involved in the box. He is good in the air, but he's a strong worker and a good guy too and I think he would have done really well. Talking to him I know he was pretty bummed it didn't happen."
Finally, we get back round to Preston and having worked with Alan Irvine at Everton, he likes to keep a close eye on the latest goings on at Deepdale and he thinks success could be just around the corner.
"I think his [Alan Irvine] drive was definitely the same as Moyesie. He goes about it a little bit differently. He is more soft spoken, but you can tell that he is a very driven person. He is always willing to stay out there extra for the guys and I am sure it has been a perfect scenario for you guys. He is definitely a passionate soccer man.
"I keep a close eye on Preston and my other former teams, for sure. You can get so many games over here on TV now. We get at least two of the three o'clock kick-offs and they replay almost every game from the Premier League. Sometimes they pick up some Championship games, which is great to see and I definitely follow what is going on.
"It has happened a few times when you guys have got into the Play-Offs and I have been like 'come on', and maybe this is the year."
