Preston North End Championship Odds: Paul Heckingbottom appointed new Lilywhites manager

Jaquob Crooke Published: 20 Aug 24 10:47

Following the appointment of Paul Heckingbottom as their new manager, Preston North End are priced at 14/1 to achieve a top six finish in the 2024/25 Championship campaign.

Preston North End - 2024/25 Championship odds

(Odds will display when market is available)

To say it's been a tumrbuent start to the campaign for Preston may be putting it mildly. Very rarely do you see a manager depart after one game into the new season.

No more than 48 hours following Preston's 2-0 defeat to Sheffield United on the opening day, Ryan Lowe had tendered his resignation.

Despite leading North End to 13th, 12th and 10th in his three seasons at Deepdale, Lowe's tenure was blighted by inconsistency and unfashionable football.

What certainly didn't aid the Liverpudlian's cause heading into the new campaign was seeing club captain Alan Browne leave for Sunderland in the summer and Preston had struggled to bolster their squad.

An irked fanbase voiced their disdain at another meagre performance against the Blades, their anger stemming from a frustrating end to the previous campaign. It was at this point Lowe knew his position was untenable, although the timing of his departure was far from ideal.

Lowe's assistant Mikey Marsh threw his hat in the ring for the vacant managerial position before swiftly exiting the club following a 3-0 loss to Swansea. As a result, Preston are 9/4 for relegation and 13/2 to finish bottom of the Championship.

Essentially wasting their pre-season preparations, the Lilywhites have now turned to Heckingbottom to lead them up the league table.

The 47-year-old was most recently in charge of Sheffield United, whom he guided to automatic promotion from the Championship in 2022/23. That came a year after taking the Blades from 16th into the play-off places and Heckingbottom averaged 1.96 points per game in the second tier during his stint at Bramall Lane.

His spell in the Premier League was of a stark contrast to his success in the Championship, with Heckingbottom sacked after just one win from their opening 14 league matches.

With that said, the former Barnsley and Leeds boss was captain of a ship that was sinking through no fault of his own as the Blades suffered from the loss of key personnel including Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge.

Preston fans will be hoping Heckingbottom's appointment will provide greater consistency and a discernible style of play.

Though his methods are not the most eye-catching, his Sheffield United team abided by a rigid structure, pressed high and attacked quickly.

Ensuring a PNE backline that's conceded five goals in their first two league matches is watertight will be the first item on Heckingbottom's agenda, but one of his major tasks will be to reignite their attack and striker Emil Riis Jakobsen will be key.

The Dane scored 16 goals in his debut season at Deepdale but has since struggled, slumping to nine league goals across his previous two terms. If Heckingbottom is able to get Riis firing once more, Preston will have a great chance of surging up the league table and swerving a relegation scrap.