Preston v Burnley report

See link
https://www.uptheclarets.com/losing-gro ... eston-draw

Said to my dad before kick off how poor the pitch looked. Also suffered the ridiculous walking round after the game back to the car.

The first half featured two goal saving defensive blocks, as Tony references in his excellent report. The first, as reported, an outstanding block from Egan-Riley. The second, from my vantage point 10 rows back and central behind the goal, should be credited to Esteve, who had retreated to the goal line when Trafford raced out toward the Preston player who had got beyond Foster. The ball was bobbling into our goal until Esteve blocked it with his shin. Esteve instinctively roared his satisfaction in having denied the opponent a goal.

I draw attention to this incident to highlight the engrained collective instinct that our players have to defend our goal and the evident pride they take from successfully doing so, and to give due credit to Esteve, not as a criticism of Tony’s report.

Steve-Harpers-perm wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 16, 2025 7:09 pm

Said to my dad before kick off how poor the pitch looked. Also suffered the ridiculous walking round after the game back to the car.

Absolutely ridiculous and pointless. And yes, that pitch was dreadful.

Higham_Claret wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 16, 2025 7:54 pm

The first half featured two goal saving defensive blocks, as Tony references in his excellent report. The first, as reported, an outstanding block from Egan-Riley. The second, from my vantage point 10 rows back and central behind the goal, should be credited to Esteve, who had retreated to the goal line when Trafford raced out toward the Preston player who had got beyond Foster. The ball was bobbling into our goal until Esteve blocked it with his shin. Esteve instinctively roared his satisfaction in having denied the opponent a goal.

I draw attention to this incident to highlight the engrained collective instinct that our players have to defend our goal and the evident pride they take from successfully doing so, and to give due credit to Esteve, not as a criticism of Tony’s report.

I was crediting Estève until I saw it again.

ClaretTony wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 16, 2025 8:08 pm

Absolutely ridiculous and pointless. And yes, that pitch was dreadful.

It was pointless as they were happy for both sets of fans to walk up the same road before the match!

ClaretTony wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 16, 2025 8:08 pm

I was crediting Estève until I saw it again.

Does Foster touch the ball? He looks to clip the man. I'm crediting Estève

Steve-Harpers-perm wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 16, 2025 8:23 pm

It was pointless as they were happy for both sets of fans to walk up the same road before the match!

Absolutely, we walked up that way and the suggestion that it was preventing fans from mixing was ridiculous because we were just sent the other way to mix with Preston fans.

Roosterbooster wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 16, 2025 8:42 pm

Does Foster touch the ball? He looks to clip the man. I'm crediting Estève

Just watched it again and I don’t think he does touch it. But he’s probably done enough. I thought it was Estève with the crucial touch at the time.

ClaretTony wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 16, 2025 8:49 pm

Absolutely, we walked up that way and the suggestion that it was preventing fans from mixing was ridiculous because we were just sent the other way to mix with Preston fans.

The PC you spoke to won't have known for what reason they were blocking that route off and directing fans the other way.

The order comes from the commander for your serial to go to x and do y. You don't get told (and don't ask) why, you go and do it and get grumpy football fans having a go. So you just say whatever ends the conversation quickest and gets them moving the way you want them to go.

Mattster wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 16, 2025 9:47 pm

The PC you spoke to won't have known for what reason they were blocking that route off and directing fans the other way.

The order comes from the commander for your serial to go to x and do y. You don't get told (and don't ask) why, you go and do it and get grumpy football fans having a go. So you just say whatever ends the conversation quickest and gets them moving the way you want them to go.

Thank you for that insight PC Mattster.

Esteve certainly got a block in

He celebrated it like he’d scored a winner himself

Mattster wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 16, 2025 9:47 pm

The PC you spoke to won't have known for what reason they were blocking that route off and directing fans the other way.

The order comes from the commander for your serial to go to x and do y. You don't get told (and don't ask) why, you go and do it and get grumpy football fans having a go. So you just say whatever ends the conversation quickest and gets them moving the way you want them to go.

I'm fully aware that the WPC will have been told what to do - the number of vehicles and police officers used in that one position was just downright ridiculous. Never happened to us before at Deepdale when we've tried to walk back. Made absolutely no sense at all.

wilks_bfc wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 17, 2025 9:20 am

Esteve certainly got a block in

He celebrated it like he’d scored a winner himself

He did

I came out to be blocked by the police after the game with my two lads. I asked the officer how can I get round to where I wanted to get to - Sainsbury’s where we had parked- and she said she didn’t know as she wasn’t familiar with Preston! Surely if you are going to be blocking off a road you need to know what to advise supporters who are being diverted where to go???

Foulthrow wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 17, 2025 10:12 am

I came out to be blocked by the police after the game with my two lads. I asked the officer how can I get round to where I wanted to get to - Sainsbury’s where we had parked- and she said she didn’t know as she wasn’t familiar with Preston! Surely if you are going to be blocking off a road you need to know what to advise supporters who are being diverted where to go???

The diversion actually made it easier to get to Sainsbury's

It was to prevent a bottleneck on the narrow Lowthorpe Road with potential flashpoints with both sets of fans.

By getting our fans out via Bill Shankley Crescent allowed for a natural filter and more space whilst actually being the shorter route out towards Sainsbury's.

If there had been a fracas on Lowthorpe Road, it could have had an impact on innocent parties given it is so narrow.
It's a moot point saying we were allowed to walk there before the match as the numbers will have been spread over a longer period of time, as opposed to the complete emptying of the ground at once.

ClaretTony wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 17, 2025 9:23 am

I'm fully aware that the WPC will have been told what to do - the number of vehicles and police officers used in that one position was just downright ridiculous. Never happened to us before at Deepdale when we've tried to walk back. Made absolutely no sense at all.

I was there as a supporter rather than working it so don't know why but there are any number of reasons why it was like that.

Could have been due to the incident with Hannibal a decision was made to preempt any issues. Or down to the atmosphere getting quite charged with the furstration towards the end. Could be there was intel of something preplanned. Could have been an incident in the stand during the match and they wanted to filter everyone down one route to be able to make an ID/arrest.

You say in your report that at Ewood there wasn't such measures but given the result and the way the stands empty there it's different to Deepdale and a draw. Most Rovers fans were long gone by the time we were leaving as we stuck around for the celebrations.

Ultimately, at most it was adding 5 minutes to the walk. Hardly worthy of being called ridiculous.

For future, WPC hasn't been a thing since the 90's, we're all just PCs. I'm not saying that to get at you, just for info.

Could have been worse. I once got told to get on a double decker bus by the police at Deepdale, then forced onto a train back to Burnley. I wouldn't have minded the free transport, had I not lived in the opposite direction in Manchester at the time. Was 2006/7 I think.

I have no doubt that the groundsmen had instruction as to how the pitch should be. It has been tightened up on but I know in the past we have told Roy Oldfield how the manager wanted it on match day according to how the opposition play. Would be amazed if Heckingbottom wasn’t behind it rather than having poor groundsmen.

elwaclaret wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 17, 2025 1:10 pm

I have no doubt that the groundsmen had instruction as to how the pitch should be. It has been tightened up on but I know in the past we have told Roy Oldfield how the manager wanted it on match day according to how the opposition play. Would be amazed if Heckingbottom wasn’t behind it rather than having poor groundsmen.

It’s nothing to do with the preparation for one game, it’s a poor pitch, simple as that. They won’t have the money to spend on it I wouldn’t imagine.

I find it interesting that since the Hannibal incident occurred there has been no video shown of the Preston player being pushed by Hannibal or of the Preston player speaking to him behind his back. I assume this is because any average standard lip reader would be able to read what was said
Hopefully this will be dealt with quickly and correctly whatever was said.

ClaretTony wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 17, 2025 1:14 pm

It’s nothing to do with the preparation for one game, it’s a poor pitch, simple as that. They won’t have the money to spend on it I wouldn’t imagine.

I think thats spot on Tony. We've had either Premier League payments or Parachute payments for 15 consecutive years now whereas Preston obviously havent

randomclaret2 wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 17, 2025 1:17 pm

I think thats spot on Tony. We've had either Premier League payments or Parachute payments for 15 consecutive years now whereas Preston obviously havent

And it makes a huge difference. The one season when we’d have had no parachute money was 2013/14. But it was 2010 when we got the first Desso pitch and we replaced it last summer.

It’s the same with floodlights. Go to a game when they are needed at a ground that hasn’t staged Premier League football and the difference is so obvious. The one that stood out for me was at Millwall two seasons ago.

Preston and all clubs get what they deserve. Not our fault they are rubbish

Good report Tony. I had a smile to myself when you mentioned Tom Finney. Many years ago I was walking down to the Turf with my Dad and he nodded and said "Hello Tom" to a passer by. I asked him who it was and he said it was the "Great Tom Finney," an English international. I think in those days Tom used to write a guest piece for the "News of the World" and he was watching us that day.

CaptJohn wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 17, 2025 3:09 pm

Good report Tony. I had a smile to myself when you mentioned Tom Finney. Many years ago I was walking down to the Turf with my Dad and he nodded and said "Hello Tom" to a passer by. I asked him who it was and he said it was the "Great Tom Finney," an English international. I think in those days Tom used to write a guest piece for the "News of the World" and he was watching us that day.

He did write for one of the Sunday papers. He must have been one very special player.

I went with my youngest in 2014 to pay my respects to a footballing legend. No prizes for guessing which flowers I took