First team coach Paul Gallagher believes Preston North End can “get going really quickly” next term, after a first pre-season with Ryan Lowe and Mike Marsh.
Gally, who made over 300 appearances for the club as a player, moved into a coaching role at the end of the 2020/21 season, and has just completed his first full campaign as part of the backroom staff.
While admitting everyone needs to enjoy some off-time during the summer break, he’s already looking forward to coming back into Euxton to prepare for a new season.
He told iFollow PNE: “You need a little break, but you get itchy feet after a week or two and you’re itching to get back in.
“I’m looking forward to coming back in the pre-season. It’s the gaffer and Marshy’s first pre-season with the players, and a chance to implement more stuff.
“You’ve got more time to get it into the players and get them going, so I’m really looking forward to it, it’s something I can’t wait for really.
“We’ll enjoy the break. It’s been a lot of learning this season, but I’m confident going into next season that we can hit the ground running and get going really quickly.”
Having first gained a taste of coaching while Alex Neil was in charge, Gally then became a permanent member of the backroom staff under Frankie McAvoy.
That means he’s been able to work with three different bosses already, and having played under several managers during his playing career, he always looks to take on the best parts of each of them.
Ryan Lowe arrived at Euxton in December 2021, keeping Gallagher on his staff to help him implement his own style and brand of football.
That’s not always an easy task mid-season, though, and Gally feels confident that North End are heading in the right direction and things will only improve with a full pre-season under their belt.
He said: “I’ve played the game long enough and sometimes a manager coming through the door halfway through a season is hard for him to get all the messages across.
“But I think what the gaffer has done is put his message across clearly that the players understand and I think you can see that in games and in training.
“The way he wants to play football, the players understand that and I think the fans have bought into that as well.
“Bringing the experience of Mike Marsh in who’s worked at some excellent clubs, he’s a great coach and to learn off people like that, for myself, has been excellent.
“I think you can see the players, the fans and everyone’s buying into it and that’s what you want, everyone pushing in the right direction and trying to be as successful as we can.”
For Paul himself, this has been the first time in almost 20 years that he hasn’t kicked a competitive ball, having hung up his boots at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.
Given that he’s been so busy with his coaching, he admitted he hasn’t really had the time to miss playing – instead, he is just relishing his current role as first team coach.
“I’ve really enjoyed it,” Gally said, speaking of the past 12 months. “It’s a lot different from playing.
“When you play you just turn up with your boots and your shinpads and you’re out there playing, but when you’re coaching, you’ve got to have a lot of organisation, get things right, and always learning.
“It’s been a good learning curve for myself and it’s something I’ve really enjoyed.
“It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. Even when I was playing from the age of 30 I was always really interested in coaching and the way I played the game was more organising players around me and little bits like that.
“So I knew that this was the transition that I wanted to make into coaching and the first year that I’ve done it I’ve really enjoyed it.”
You can watch the full interview for free on iFollow PNE above.