It’s been a strange year as a Preston North End fan. We’re onto our third manager of 2021, and the fans have felt all sorts of emotions whilst the club has stayed above board in the same place that they started the year really.
For some players it’s been a year to shine. Ryan Ledson started the year in great form really coming into his own and going on to win the Player of the Year award at the end of the season. Whilst in the second half of the year Patrick Bauer has reminded us what we miss when he’s injured; an absolute rock at the back and a threat from set pieces too. It’s imperative we give him a new contract soon.
Three players have had more consistent years than others though, and we will hope to see plenty more of them next year, but it may not be possible for a couple of them.
Daniel Iversen
What a find this guy has been. He had never played at this level in England before and was only brought in at the start of the year due to an injury to Declan Rudd. After spells at Oldham Athletic and Rotherham United in the leagues below and a brief time in Belgium, we didn’t know what to expect. He came into a side bad in form so was always going to be busy, and has been ever since really. He has won us countless points on his own.
His shot stopping is superb. We’ve seen some great goalkeepers at Deepdale since 2000, but I think Iversen is above all of them bar Jordan Pickford who edges it for his unbelievable distribution. Iversen has to work on that, but the 24 year-old is on the right path for a glorious career. He could go on to succeed Kasper Schmeichel for both club and country, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he does. He’s one of the best in the Championship and deserves a team in better form than we have been, in front of him. If there’s any way at all that he is still with Preston going into next season, then we will have done very well to tie him down, because he is bound to have better offers in the summer.
Sepp van den Berg
Another loan player that Preston fans have taken to is Sepp van den Berg. The departure of Ben Davies at the start of the year was always going to hurt. We watched him grow from a nervous 17 year-old into a superb left-footed centre half and one of the best players at the club. To see him get a move to Liverpool was akin to a feeling you’d get as a proud parent, I’d imagine. Unfortunately it hasn’t quite worked out for Davies at Liverpool just yet, but in return we received a young player embarking on the start of his football career.
What we got was a Dutchman desperate to take this opportunity. A young man who completely understands what it means to represent this fine club, and how important it is to the fans. You can tell he relishes every game and makes the most of the highlights. He’s gone for it with his two goal celebrations against Morecambe and Swansea City and shows his delight at this teammates success as well.
He even shone against his parent club in the Carabao Cup and had proved a key player at right-wing back as well as his more comfortable centre-back position. He only turned 20 on the 20th December, and has represented the Dutch Under-21 team this season too. It’s not often you get the combination of a young player, who’s likeable, enjoys playing for the club and is a solid 7/10 every game. Much like Iversen, it would be a shame if we were to part ways forever with Sepp at the end of the season.
Emil Riis
If you’d asked me at the start of 2021 who would be appearing in this article I don’t think I would have been putting any money on Riis. He was an exciting when he joined in the summer of 2020 as it had been a while since we had delved into the foreign market. Whilst he had shown some promise and had some good attributes, he was lacking in the most important department for a striker; goals.
However this season, with limited competition, and the incorporation of two strikers up front, Riis became an obvious choice in the first eleven, and boy has he taken it! Another fan favourite now, he is clearly enjoying his game. He’s playing with confidence this season and that is shown through the angles, and positions he is willing to take shots from. His goal against Luton Town caught everyone by surprise, and the power he can put on those shots is exceptional too.
The club moved quick to give him a new contract to give them more security, and with 12 goals already this season at the time of writing he is probably worth at least £5 million in this market. A Denmark call-up also came his way this year and the 23 year-old will be looking to add even more to his tally next year. Perhaps just give the long throws a rest for now though.