It’s been a whirlwind start to life in Preston for Glynn Snodin, but now the season has come to an end, he plans to start making his mark.
When the new management team arrived at Deepdale back in February, their remit was to secure the clubs future in League One and with that goal achieved, attention has quickly focused to putting the foundations in place for a successful 2013/14 season.
Speaking exclusively to PNE.Com, Snodin said: “Looking since we have been in and looking at the squad, you think they are capable of being in that top six, that don’t seem to be a problem, the physically and the mentality of the players has been different class.
“We just want to get that bit more creativity in the final third and I think we will be fine.
“We want to make Deepdale a fortress next season, teams who come here next season, we have got to make it difficult for them no matter if they are at the bottom of the table or the top of the table, hopefully we will be at the top with them as well, but wherever they are in the league we want to make sure that they are coming here and thinking that this is a difficult place to go Preston to get some points.
“Everything has gone well since we have been in, results wise, looking at all the players, the players have been fantastic in and around the building, on the field, off the field, getting to know all the staff as well up at the stadium and at the training ground, so yeah, it is a good family club to be fair.
“It is difficult when you first come in because you don’t want to change that much.
“You look at the results and then you look at if they are scoring goals or are they conceding goals and they probably didn’t concede that many, it was mainly down the other end.
“You just make sure that you pick the points up because when we did come in it was a difficult position, we had some tough games against top teams, so the first priority were to make sure we kept in this league and that was with hard work by everybody, not just the eleven out there but everybody had to contribute in the side who was in the squad.
“We have got to keep working, it is 24/7 when you are on the coaching side even though it is pre-season, you have got to make sure that you speak to agents, they will be on everyday because they have players that are going to be released from clubs if they can come to yours, so you are always available.
“There are a lot of things to be done, a lot of things to be done behind the scenes, making sure the training ground is sorted out, making sure each room is done and tidied up and getting new things in, so it is still non-stop over the summer and especially as a manager, he will be getting even more, so that’s why he needs people around him like myself, like John, who can take some of the stuff of him.
“We want to make sure that everything is neat and tidy so when we are bringing people down to the training ground that it is a nice environment, that it is clean, that you get every room right, the canteen is right with nicer tea's, because if you have people who are going to have to be around there waiting, then it is nice and if you are going to bring players there you want them to come and say that it is a nice place, the gym is good, that the canteen is lovely, that the changing rooms are right, the pictures around the place, so I think it is first impressions as to what a player sees.
“We are here for promotion, that’s what we are, we are winners, we want winners around us, we want hungry people who have got that desire to play at high levels and want to win every football game.
“That’s what we are going to hopefully breed into them and pick the right players and get the right players to do that for next season.”
John Dreyer is the only member of the coaching team who was brought in by Graham Westley who has stayed since his departure.
And Snodin is delighted to have John around, someone who he had not previously worked with, despite his long career in the game.
With the pair working alongside manager Simon Grayson on a daily basis, Glynn has taken up his usual perch in the director’s box on matchday, to give the trio a different perspective on the game.
“It has been fantastic getting to know John,” added Snods.
“My brother knew of him but it is the first time I have ever come across John, I knew him as a player don’t get me wrong, but to meet him and come across him.
“My brother knew more of him and said what a nice fella he is and to be fair, off the field he is a fantastic character to be around.
“He is lively, he is bubbly, you always hear his laugh and on the field he is tactically aware and knows his stuff, he knows his job and he is a decent coach.
“I have always sat in the directors box when working with Simon, I never did it when I worked at other clubs when I was with Alan Curbishley and George Burley, I didn’t do it then because they wanted me at the side of them, but I always think when there are three of you there, there is too many down there, so I think it is nice to have a good view from above.
“We take the phones or walkie-talkies and you have got to make sure you are ringing down with the right reasons, not just doing it every minute, so I think it’s great.
“They do it in the Rugby League, Rugby Union they have somebody up there and it is a great picture to have because there is something that you might just miss and it might be important.”
Looking ahead to the summer and pre-season, Snodin is fine to put his trust in the players to come back fit and raring to go, so that the coaching staff, including himself, can have them at their prime, ready for the first game of the season whoever it may be against.
He continued: “You have got to trust the players and I think the majority do do what they need to these days.
“You see them coming back into pre-season and there is very few, maybe one or two that might be a little bit overweight, whereas years ago everybody would be coming back the same.
“Don’t get me wrong, they are not all going to be 100 per cent fit, you want them peaking on that first game of the season and they do look after themselves.
“They deserve their break, for the first two or three weeks they need to just chill out, enjoy their drink, get a good bit of food down them and then when it gets to three or four weeks before they come back, they will start doing their training and really looking after themselves.
“We are a type of staff that wants to break them in; it is crazy going ‘full monty’ at it first day, that is how you get injuries.
“You have got to make sure you are monitoring them, that they have no muscle injuries.
“Come first game of the season, you want everybody fit that you can choose from and if you prepare your pre-season right, we will be making sure that they are peaked for that first game.”