Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom has highlighted the money which Derby County have spent ahead of their meeting tomorrow afternoon.
The Lilywhites have become part of the furniture in the Championship over the last 10 years without really threatening the promotion or relegation places. Despite that, they have enjoyed a good start to the season and currently sit eighth, one point off the top six.
Heckingbottom has seen his side emerge triumphant against two of last season’s relegated Premier League clubs in Ipswich Town and Leicester City, whilst also earning a respectable draw against table toppers Middlesbrough last weekend. They travel to Derby tomorrow looking for a first away win of the campaign.
“Another Team That Have Spent Millions”
Preston brought in 12 new faces in the summer, although the majority of these were either free transfers or loans. Having already come up against the financial might of Ipswich and Leicester, they now face another team that spent big.
Derby brought in striker Patrick Agyemang from Major League Soccer side Charlotte FC for initial fee of £5.8 million in the recent transfer window, whilst also paying seven figures for right-back Max Johnston. Speaking to BBC Radio Lancashire, Heckingbottom aimed a subtle dig at the Rams, but insisted his team won’t roll over:
“If we want to have a chance, we have got to do it our way.
“We are playing another team at the weekend that have spent millions of pounds. So, if everyone is right with what they put on social media, then we should lose. We either accept that and roll over or do things our way, and for us to do that we need everyone on the same page.
“The fact that we have had good performances up to this point, people are understanding that it is not about the money, it is about what we do and the fans have been fantastic, the players have been fantastic and we need to make sure we stick together and continue it through the season.”
Writer’s View
Derby did splash the cash in the summer with the sole aim of achieving a more comfortable season. Having spent the majority of the last campaign battling against relegation, they now want to consolidate their place in the Championship. Meanwhile, Preston have done just that over the last decade, albeit without the financial backing that other clubs in the division have. It’s an incredibly tough division and they have arguably overachieved for years. If they continue their early season form, they have every chance of upsetting the big spenders by sneaking into the top six.
