Paul Heckingbottom pre-Leicester City press conference

Lancashire Post

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00:00Do you see the more pretty level Southampton, Ipswich, Leicester coming down or a similar level of strength?

00:05Yeah, but different dynamics of the team.

00:08Different make-up and what's going off at the clubs.

00:13You're always looking from the outside and seeing that, but it looked to me very much like Ipswich.

00:19Recruited well to go up when they came out of League One.

00:22Recruited championship-ready players in League One.

00:25Recruited only one or two more and then went up.

00:30Didn't go away from their ethos when they recruited again in the Premier League.

00:34And there were moments where we thought they were going to stay up.

00:36And so there's not too much difference there.

00:39And I think that'll hold them in good stead.

00:43Southampton, different.

00:45Change of managers in-season, out-season.

00:47New one again.

00:48Leicester, exactly the same.

00:50And you don't know how that affects.

00:51In terms of looking at talent and the calibre of the squad on paper,

00:58they're always going to be in amongst the strongest teams of three that come down.

01:03Why do you think Marty Sifuente has caught Leicester's eye?

01:05He's done a pretty steady job on paper at QPR.

01:07Yeah, well, I don't know.

01:09Listen, some of the things I'm not saying,

01:11the first time I spoke to Marty was last season.

01:13I was looking from a distance at the job he'd done at QPR.

01:15But I've got no idea what Leicester were looking for or what drove their recruitment.

01:23I really haven't.

01:25So, yeah, a great opportunity for him.

01:29Like I said, to work with our players, a good squad at his disposal.

01:33But as we've just been speaking, it takes more than just that.

01:37Have you ever welcomed these two home games, Leicester and Ipswich?

01:39You can't look at them and be daunted, can you?

01:40Just attack them.

01:41Good games, yeah.

01:42Listen, you know I like playing at home.

01:43Any home game.

01:44I like any game home or away and back on the sideline as well.

01:47So, that's good.

01:49Yeah, big games.

01:52Hopefully, we have big atmospheres.

01:55And usually, when we get that, we get big performances.

01:57So, that's my expectation for the weekend.

02:00You said a few times last season when the game got a bit basketball,

02:03you were comfy with it, you liked it and aggressive.

02:05So, are you thinking it might be that type of game?

02:07Yeah.

02:09I think when it gets that way, when you're playing Premier League opposition,

02:12so whether that was in the cup games, Fulham, Arsenal, Villa,

02:16and then the teams that just come down, basically.

02:23You'd welcome the intensity of those moments of being an end-to-end game.

02:28I enjoy watching it.

02:30I like to watch my players play that way.

02:32I think the fans like it.

02:33I like it gets the fans up.

02:34I get that.

02:35But also, those top players are very comfortable cheating, if you like,

02:42and staying out of the way a little bit so they can get those 1v1 moments

02:45and take a game away from you.

02:47So, I think when you play those top, top teams with big individuals,

02:51like I think Leicester have,

02:53you've also got to be really, really concentrated.

02:56And depending on the state of the game, not really overexposing yourself.

03:01How long for Mads, do you think?

03:03I'm hoping next game, yeah.

03:04Like I said, hope so.

03:05Hope so, yeah.

03:07Listen, I wouldn't take any risk for him in the cup game if that's not the case,

03:11but I'm hoping next week.

03:12I mean, that's good, because if he was out for a bit,

03:14you would have been looking, thinking creativity would really lie to you, aren't he?

03:18Yeah.

03:19That's why I want more players as well, so who knows, you know?

03:22Yeah.

03:22Hopefully, could be players in before the next game, that being ideal.

03:26Before Leicester?

03:28No.

03:28I think you had about 20 shots on Tuesday,

03:32were you looking for a bit more quality, maybe from the edge of the box?

03:35Yeah.

03:36Do you think there is that in there, that you can do better?

03:38Well, yeah, because I'm looking at some of the situations where we've got ourselves,

03:41and ultimately, that'll define where we end up.

03:45If you're having 20-odd shots, some of the chances were very, very good.

03:50Some, like you say, I would have liked to have been worked a little bit closer.

03:52But ultimately, you mentioned about when you said, back to my first question,

03:59your question when you said about creating chances or scoring, scoring goals.

04:03Scoring goals.

04:04And everyone needs to score goals.

04:05Centre-backs from corners, like that's not down to what your class as creative players.

04:10Go and attack the ball and score.

04:12But then you need good delivery.

04:14Centre-midfielders arriving in the box, dropping on seconds,

04:19centre-falls on the end of crosses, balls in behind, scoring goals.

04:23And everyone needs to improve on that.

04:25And every player who's come in, we've challenged on that as well.

04:27Because as a team, we wanted to be better at that last season.

04:33And as individual players who've come in, let's get it right.

04:38I don't think they'd come if they'd have been scoring 10 goals from centre-midfield

04:41or 20 goals or 9, they wouldn't be here.

04:44So all those individual players want to improve that as well.

04:48I don't think the Jebbison thing needs to get dragged out.

04:50But he's obviously replied, the coach, and put a video up.

04:52Did you watch that?

04:53Did you have anything to say?

04:54Just be happy with what you said?

04:56I spoke to him.

04:57I'll run him straight away.

04:58He's somebody's happy.

04:59Yeah, he ain't mine.

05:00No issue with him.

05:01But the organisation, it's the industry they're working.

05:03I mean, you can't have all the plaudits and none of the consequence.

05:10You know what I mean?

05:11Or I, we, Jeb, all the fans, Preston North End are suffering because some random guy's

05:17injured one of our players.

05:18Do you know what I mean?

05:19If he's on our payroll, he gets a consequence of us.

05:21He's, he's, that's it.

05:24And it happens.

05:25It's not, the problem is I had it, well, I said I had it once a few years ago, Barnsley,

05:30same, same thing.

05:31We had it with Freddie last year.

05:33Big thing for us.

05:33We never won a league game with Freddie then after.

05:36You know?

05:36Our number one out.

05:37Accident.

05:38And I get, I get it.

05:39So, we're not, that happens again.

05:46Well, what have we done about it to stop it?

05:47We're his own biggest enemy, aren't we?

05:49So, I get, and I said before, it's happening over and over.

05:52Everyone's working and it's, on Jeb, he's looking to get that advantage and work hard

05:56and he's being diligent.

05:57It's not just sitting at home on an evening and playing the Xbox or whatever.

06:00So, it's the right thing.

06:05But there's a way to go about it, which is totally in the club's control.

06:08So, yeah.

06:09Did you know it was happening?

06:10No, it's happening.

06:11I think the change of session within, that's the difference.

06:13It was a day off, so.

06:15Right.

06:15And that's my thing.

06:16If anyone wants to work like that, it needs to be under the control.

06:19Every detail of our people.

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