'Boring' jibes won't alter approach - Heckingbottom

Preston North End have finished 13th, 12th and 10th in the Championship in the three seasons leading up to Paul Heckingbottom's arrival in August

Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom has said fan criticism over the way the club is run will not impact on how he handles playing matters.

A joint open letter, written by PNE Online and the Preston Supporters Collective Steering Group, said "immediate reform" is needed, adding that recently being labelled by a Championship podcast as "the most boring club in the EFL" was "hard to dispute".

In response, North End chairman Craig Hemmings said he would meet the authors of the open letter to discuss their concerns - an offer which has since been accepted.

Asked what areas he needs to focus on, Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire: "The football pitch, the transfer window so we can make changes. Anything else is not my remit.

"I don't think the narrative has changed since before I came in. There's been negativity on the pitch and off the pitch.

"But it won't change what I think we need. I'm sure if there's a need for me to see that [the letter], I will, but it doesn't change my feelings about what we need to do."

The Lilywhites are 19th in the Championship table, two points off the relegation places, and have finished in mid-table - 13th, 12th and 10th - in the three seasons before 2024-25.

Indeed, they have finished between seventh and 14th in all nine campaigns since their return to the second tier in 2015, rarely in trouble yet also struggling to consistently mount a top-six challenge.

Former Barnsley and Sheffield United boss Heckingbottom took charge shortly after the start of this season, following the club's decision to sack former boss Ryan Lowe just one game into the new campaign.

The fans' open letter also referenced a number of the squad being out of contract at the end of this season and claimed the club's transfer strategy "urgently needed an overhaul" but Heckingbottom said he is happy with the position he is in.

"For me, it's an opportunity - I'd 100% rather have that coming in, having not affected the squad, than have everyone under contract, meaning you can't alter anything," he added.

"The money is not going to change in terms of what we've got so from my point of view it's a big plus. It allows you to manage and manoeuvre things a lot more."