'What we'll be doing' - Ryan Lowe expands on Preston North End idea he'll introduce next season

Preston North End manager Ryan Lowe has a vision for the leadership group he plans to introduce next season.

After losing to Leicester City on Monday night, the Lilywhites’ boss - who will be preparing for his third full season at Deepdale this summer - spoke about his wish to bring in more ‘leaders’ in the upcoming transfer window. And North End’s manager will be picking - most likely - five players to form the group for the 2024/25 campaign. Lowe wants them to run the dressing room and act as a direct line of feedback from dressing room to coaching staff.

“I think it’s only just come in,” said Lowe. “When I played, we had some good lads, captains and leaders. We would organise afternoons and nights out for players and make sure it was all together, with camaraderie. And if someone was stepping out of line, then we’d look at it. But, I think leadership groups have come in over the last few years and I was toying with having one this season. But then it was a little bit of: ‘Okay, do you put someone in there who lads might not feel should be in there?’ So, I have had to tread carefully on it.

“Listen, the leadership of the lads has been fine. They have led by example and there are some good lads in there. But, I will design it next year where there is a leadership group and we will have a leadership captain in that group, who will liaise and bring everything back to us. We are all over on one side of the building and we’ve got a great relationship with all of the players. They feed things back to us when we ask them and we leave them on their own in meetings and ask what it is they need back from us. We’ve sort of got it, a little bit, we just haven’t named five or six leadership candidates who can look after it. But, next season that’s certainly what we’ll be doing.”

It remains to be seen who will be included in the group. North End could be without out-of-contract trio Alan Browne, Ched Evans and Greg Cunningham next season - three players who would tick the ‘leader’ box. The likes of Ben Whiteman, Robbie Brady and Brad Potts would likely be contenders, but Lowe is aware that he must not alienate the rest of his squad.

“Yeah, I will speak to the whole squad when we do it,” said Lowe. “It is something we will look at when we’re away in pre-season. We always do some classroom stuff while we’re away there. And I have got things in my mind that I want from leaders - how they’ve got to adapt themselves and equip themselves well. So, we’ll be looking at loads of stuff. I am big on leadership skills and as I say, we’ve got some good ones. But, to have four or five of them rather than one or two of them, will probably help us.”