Only wins will stop the noise - Heckingbottom
Paul Heckingbottom has seen his Preston side lose their opening four league matches
- Published
Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom accepts they need to start winning matches after receiving strong financial backing in the summer transfer window.
Heckingbottom was able to bring in a dozen new signings across July and August, and says his squad are ready to compete.
The Lilywhites have lost all four of their Championship matches this season and are bottom of the early table.
"There's no way we had a competitive team at the start of the season," Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire.
"The squad has changed every single week from the first game.
"We've got the tools now. We've put the squad together. Now we have to get to work and get the wins. That's the only way noise stops. You've got to start winning.
"We've made that first step to improve resources and be able to start to compete, and get to the level where we can really push."
Last season, Preston were fourth in January but three victories in their final 15 games saw them finish 14th in the table.
Heckingbottom said he was grateful to the board for unprecedented financial backing this summer but success would take time.
"The biggest thing that we had to do as a club if we want to move forward and start competing is make sure we can develop our own players," he said.
"Ultimately the benefit is you have success together, or you sell players and move on and invest.
"Progression, finishing as high as we can, and winning promotion and growing the club is further down the line. The short term is just winning games."
His side next face Lancashire rivals Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.
Preston have scored just three times in the Championship this term and Heckingbottom accepts they are going to have to be more creative moving forward.
"Even now, we lost five centre-forwards in the summer, and we've replaced them with two," he added.
"We're going to have to get goals and assists and create chances in other ways. We've tried that with the wider players.
"We'll need goals from centre-backs as well this season, which we haven't previously had enough of."
Heckingbottom: 'This is the team now'
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