PNE Boss Graham Westley wore the look of a purposeful man as he prepared to take on Yeovil Town at their Huish Park ground this weekend.
The North End gaffer has suffered a very tough few days after a disappointing defeat last weekend, but spoke quite candidly to PNE.Com.
“Preston North End expects to win football matches in League One. And I fully understand why,” he told the official website. “You only need to stand on the pitch at Deepdale and look around to understand the potential of this Club. And you only need to look at attendances to see that the Club is amongst the biggest supported in the league.
“We have a top ten budget and, as a manager, I expect to be able to be better than my budget. I have a history of doing that.
“Right now, I will be accused of failure and excuses because I am pointing to our massive squad change and key injuries as being the reasons why we are struggling below our budget level and not overachieving.
“I have to take those accusations on the chin and prove myself by leading us through this phase. I am focused on solving the problems we have, on building for the long term and on creating a resurgence now, so that our season can still come to something.
“I know that I was in a worse position at Stevenage in 2010/11, but we went on to go up. We got a lot right then and we will have to get a lot right now, but it is amazing how close a good run can be when the masses least expect it.
“I see both Paul Connelly and Joe Garner as lads who can play strong parts in our resurgence. With Keano, Lairdy and Mous out, Paul provides a welcome addition of experience and leadership, as does Joe.
“It has taken time to bring those deals through, in part because we needed to create budget space and in part because the window was shut. With David Amoo, Akpo Sodje, Anthony Elding, Chris Holroyd and Todd Kane no longer here, we have been able to take things forwards.
“You need positive driving forces in a winning team; with those two on board, we can now focus our efforts on a return to better form like the results that saw us go seven unbeaten, including the Notts County game.”