Preston North End and Ryan Lowe face a rather daunting Boxing Day after watching Leeds United smash Ipswich Town 4-0 on Saturday afternoon.
We would say Merry Christmas at this point, but there isn’t all that much for PNE fans to feel merry about right now.
Friday’s 2-1 defeat at Swansea City took PNE’s record to a frankly dismal three wins in the last 16 Championship games.
The six-game winning run and subsequent ascent to the top of the Championship table earlier this season now feel like a long, long time ago.
Nine defeats in the last 15 games have seen PNE plummet down the table, now sitting 13th in the Championship yet still – somehow – only four points off the top six.
PNE confirm Ryan Lowe backing – or the dreaded vote of confidence
North End’s dreadful form means boss Ryan Lowe is under immense pressure and many fans were calling for his sacking after the defeat in South Wales.
PNE did release a statement on Saturday, but it maybe wasn’t the statement supporters were expecting.
Both Craig Hemmings and Peter Ridsdale have offered their backing to Lowe, stating that the ‘easy decision’ would be to sack him.
Instead, Hemmings and Ridsdale are giving Lowe time to turn it around whilst acknowledging that results have ‘not been acceptable’.
These statements have earned a reputation of being a ‘dreaded vote of confidence’, with managers often losing their jobs after such public backing.
Maybe it’s a stay of execution, maybe it’s delaying the inevitable, maybe it’s a stroke of genius, but one thing is for sure – Lowe needs results soon or there will be no other decision to make than a managerial change.
Leeds United rack up huge win ahead of PNE clash
The last thing Lowe needs right now is a clash against Leeds United, but that’s exactly who PNE face on Boxing Day.
The Whites are going for promotion back to the Premier League and turned in a stunning performance on Saturday afternoon.
Leeds smashed second-placed Ipswich Town 4-0 at Elland Road, absolutely destroying one of the most impressive teams in the Championship this season.
That win felt like a real statement from the Whites and they now have a struggling PNE side in their sights.
The sheer pace of Crysencio Summerville and Daniel James is enough to strike fear into North End fans and this promises to be a tough ask for Lowe and co.
Lowe has produced results to save his job in the past and he certainly needs one now as the pressure mounts.