Peter Ridsdale on Ryan Lowe exit
Transcript
00:00I don't know how we'll narrow it down because I have to analyse the people who've thrown
00:05the hat in the ring, whether they know they have or not, I don't know, because a lot of
00:07it's been by agents. I must have had 60, 70 calls so far this month. Each one with, well,
00:18some with one candidate, some with a few candidates, because some agents look after more than one
00:24manager. What I don't know is if all the managers know their names have been thrown in. So what
00:29we'll do as soon as we take time for breath, because obviously this happened yesterday,
00:34this morning Ryan's been in and spoken to the players, we had to prepare for that, we
00:37had to prepare to communicate with people. We've then had a player turn up that we've
00:42had to manage the process of him turning up to a different football management structure
00:46to the one he thought was there last Friday when we spoke to him. So we'll assess those
00:53who've got their names on the table, we'll try and determine which ones are of interest
01:00to us, then we'll try and assess what the implications are for trying to get them. Talking
01:06to some will be impossible, i.e. they're probably a bit contracted and difficult to talk without
01:12committing we're going to try and sign them. So it's not an easy process but we've done
01:17it before and we'll do it again and we'll get the right answer.
01:20What did you say to the player that's closing in on signing, was that a difficult chat or
01:24not a problem on his part? No he was great actually, he was more worried
01:27that we might have changed our minds. Given who he is and given he is known to three or
01:36four of our players, we got the players in to meet him first and they talked very highly
01:43of the club, which was very helpful, particularly as they didn't necessarily do it in English
01:48so I wasn't quite sure what they said. He was more concerned that we might have changed
01:54our minds, which we haven't, and we're delighted to add another player, which hopefully we
01:59will have done within the next two or four hours, and a player that our scouts have scouted
02:06and of course Ryan was very happy with the potential acquisition. But this is a club
02:12recruitment which Ryan had bought into as opposed to the recruitment only takes place
02:18because we've got one person who wants them, which is not the way it works.
02:22Can you go for somebody that's in work currently, would that have to come out of the current
02:25season budget or would extra funds be allocated to that?
02:30Well I get allocated a certain amount of cash each season, however we haven't done this
02:37in isolation so clearly I spent a lot of yesterday speaking to Craig and to the owners and they
02:45are conscious of the fact that if we, my instructions are get the right person, don't get the cheap
02:52person. So they've made it clear to me that what we have to do when we have events such
02:58as this which are not foreseen in the budget, that we have to do the right thing for the
03:03football club, not start looking at well I can't afford him because of this or I can't
03:07afford him because of that. I will recommend to the owners the candidate that we think
03:13is the right one to take this club forward. What we won't be doing is doing that based
03:17on it costs twice as much as that or half as much as this.
03:21What traits are you looking for in the new man?
03:26Well the easy thing to say is somebody who wins football matches, but of course what
03:29we also need is somebody who probably got a flexible management style in terms of formation.
03:38Not necessarily somebody who is rigid to a particular formula and we will have a squad
03:44by tomorrow where we don't need to be wedded to a particular system on every game because
03:51we've got players who can play further forward, we've got players who can play in a flatback
03:56four, we've got players who can play in a 3-5-2. We will have a far more flexible squad
04:02option available than maybe we've had in the past or maybe we've wanted to have in the
04:06past. So I think to that degree we'll be looking for somebody who can have a squad that adapts
04:13to the game in which we're about to play as opposed to we are predictable.
04:18Are you open to an overseas appointment or not? Obviously we've created a lot of players.
04:24I mean we want the right person for the job and wherever they come from it's an irrelevance.
04:30We just want the right person for Preston North End Football Club.
04:33Are market insights involved at all in terms of recommending candidates?
04:38They haven't had time yet. I've been contacted by them and said that they have all the data
04:44on every manager around the world. To be frank, apart from seeing Ryan, seeing the players,
04:53seeing Mike, a couple of interviews, seeing a new player, haven't really had time to analyse
04:59what we do next. But we will do this in a professional way and we will involve all the
05:06people who've got an input. I think sometimes because I'm sitting here talking to people
05:11who think it's all about Peter Riddesdale, it's nothing to do with me. This is to do
05:13with Preston North End, to do with its management structure, to do with all the people who have
05:19an input. They will be the people who have an input and ultimately it's down to us to
05:24make the decisions and that's what we'll do.
05:27Ryan obviously brought a lot of staff, backroom staff, to the club as well. Where are they
05:31left in all of this? Is that to be decided?
05:33No, they are employees of Preston North End. They're contracted to us individually.
05:39They weren't employed by Ryan, they were employed by us. We don't like revolutions.
05:46We've been a club that, to the best of our ability, have tried to not have a revolution
05:51when we've changed a manager. We've often brought in maybe a number two. If others have
05:56then gone, we've had to make those decisions. But I've made it clear to everybody who is
06:01still here today that they're employed by us, not by any particular manager.
06:08That's the way it will remain.
06:10Would you appoint a manager again, so wedded to a four-nation, because I think that was
06:13a massive frustration amongst the fan base really?
06:17Look, we want a manager who wins football matches. For me to sit here and start talking
06:24as if I'm some expert in formations and what works and what doesn't I think would be arrogant
06:28and I try hard not to be, despite criticisms I sometimes get. We will try and get the right
06:34manager who can win football matches for Preston North End. I think we've got a squad who
06:40can be flexible in how they play and what formations we play, which means that if we've
06:45got a manager who is the right manager, they will recognise that and they will do what's
06:50right to win the matches on any particular given Saturday or Tuesday night or whatever.
06:55So do I expect going forward we'll be more flexible in how we play? I certainly hope
07:01so, but ultimately I want to win football matches.
07:04Is there business still to do in the transfer window?
07:07Until the 30th of August there's always business to be done. Are we out there looking to add
07:11yet more, spend more money? No, not necessarily, because we always said we'd bring in four
07:15or five, depending on the positions. By tomorrow we will have done the right wing-back, the
07:22left winger or wing-back, depending on your view. We'll have brought in two midfield players,
07:28recognised in both Ben and Alan Wynne, and I think we'll be in great shape. But until
07:35then, 11 o'clock on the 30th of August, Two Names.