Our season review is here! And looks a little different this year, as we have attempted to compile a list of the 47 players who have represented PNE this season. The list will countdown all the way from 47 (our worst rated player) to number one (our best rated).
Players will be judged on performances, goals, assists, effort and memorable moments (or not so memorable in many cases). This is almost an impossible task to get right and please everyone, so please let us know what you think and how your list would differ from ours. Feel free to comment below. So here we go...
47. Ian Ashbee - overweight and overpaid, its fair to say the Deepdale faithful were not the greatest fan of the former Hull City player bought in under Phil Brown. He goes down as our worst player of the season.
46. Keammar Daley - the Jamaican came to PNE with expectations high, as a tricky winger with an eye for goal after a decent pre-season. He is 46th in our list due to sheer frustration and he has become the forgotten man after mysteriously hardly kicking a ball all season.
45. Iain Turner - signed on after a fairly solid display at the back end of last season but made mistake after mistake as PNE's season took a turn for the worst. Sent out on loan to Dunfermline and sent back again after conceding a hat-full in the SPL.
44. Rhys Murphy - signed on loan from Arsenal to score goals and has found himself in the reserves. Hope we haven't been paying his wages, one of Westley's disappointing signings.
43. Alex Marrow - another failed loanee from this season, maybe a little harsh being this low but taking into account contribution, he only made 4 appearances and then fell out with Westley (one of many) and went back to Crystal Palace.
42. Darrell Russell - another sponge who has milked his wages out of PNE for too long. Loose cannon and seemingly unpopular, sent out on loan to league champions Charlton.
41. Brian McLean - centre half who has gone completely missing under Westley and probably rightly so. Likely to move on next year.
40. Doyle Middleton - probably a little harsh but the youngsters have to come in somewhere. Not played more than a handful of games and was released earlier this week.
39. Seanan Clucas - only played a couple of games and sent out on loan to Burton Albion.
38. Brandon Zibaka - PNE's youngest player, only made three cup appearances.
37. George Miller - another young player with only a handful of appearances.
36. Will Hayhurst - only featured in the last two games of the season but was offered a pro-contract.
35. Jonathan Forte - came on loan under Brown from Southampton, only played three games but looked fairly useless.
34. Clark Carlisle - hailed when signed as it was felt he would bring much needed experience at the back, but had a complete nightmare. Mistake prone and frustrated at his lack of appearances, he left in January.
33. Jamie McCombe - stocky centre half bought in from Huddersfield, turned slower than the Titanic but still wasn't our worst centre half of the season.
32. Luke Clark - offered a pro deal after a handful of appearances, gave away a penalty on the last day of the season against Bournemouth.
31. Harry Bunn - bought in on loan in January after running PNE ragged for Rochdale earlier in the season but didn't click with confrontational Westley and returned to Man City after scoring one solitary goal for the Lillywhites.
30. Jake Jervis - another failed short term loan, scored a couple but was yet another young, naive striker to play for North End this season.
29. Aaron Brown - has to be viewed as a really poor Westley signing, not good enough for Aldershot but good enough to play up-front for PNE, in an embarrassing display at Hillsborough. Hopefully will be moved on.
28. Jamie Douglas - scored a memorable late equaliser against Carlisle to make it 3-3 but sadly returned to Northern Ireland due to recurring injuries.
27. Andy Proctor - signed in January from Accrington, the central midfielder has had a poor start to his PNE career. He has looked sluggish and out of his depth at times but some Preston fans were a little harsh in the manner they voiced their criticism of him at Deepdale.
26. Jamie McAllister - made four appearances on loan from Bristol City to help ease PNE's left back problems.
25. Graham Cummins - Irish forward signed in January but has struggled to make an impact. Doesn't pose a great threat but scored decent goal in the defeat to Sheffield Utd at Bramall Lane.
24. Andreas Arestidou - the young goalkeeper has made some woeful errors this season and failed to take advantage of Iain Turner's early poor form. He has managed a couple of games at the end of the season but has still looked vulnerable to a clanger or two.
23. Conor McLaughlin - thought he may see more action for PNE this year, still young and will hopefully improve and play a part next season, after a spell on loan at League 2 promotion winners Shrewsbury.
22. Juvhel Tsoumou - scored 3 in 16 for PNE before going on loan to Plymouth Argyle. He will be most remembered for that horrendous touch live on Sky against MK Dons when through one on one. Will he be hear next season?
21. Steven Smith - another poor piece of Phil Brown business. He had all summer to bring in a much needed left-back and he finally acted in late August. But Smith took 4 weeks to gain match fitness and never made the left-back spot his own. Prone to a rash challenge, the former Norwich man has now been released and is on his way to the MLS.
20. Daniel Devine - the young centre half managed 15 appearances this season. The Belfast born player did make some naive mistakes but also scored a memorable long range goal against Oldham. Some potential for the future despite controversial comments son Twitter earlier this week.
19. Chuks Aneke - there seems to be the Arsenal players we watch on TV, with flair, a great touch and an intelligent mind, and then the Arsenal players we get on loan! Maybe that is a little harsh on Aneke (and Rhys Murphy) but we feel he has done enough to just scrape into our top 20 after some half decent performances and a goal against Bury. (YES thats shows how bad some of the players we have had this season have been!)
18. Nicky Hunt - bought in during the January transfer window and has not been superb but filled in fairly well at right back. His strike against Charlton at Deepdale has boosted his place on this list. (That is the fine margins we have to work with in a joyless season).
17. Nathan Doyle - remember him? It feels like a life time ago but he was a strong, battling central midfielder who helped steady the ship after Phil Brown's departure. PNE were unable to secure the Barnsley man for any longer as the Tykes required the 25 year old back at Oakwell.
16. Barry Nicholson - a player who has struggled with injuries as much as with his performances. He has been far from great but has helped when required and is fairly reliable. The Scott may be another player surplus to Westley requirements come next season.
15. Jamie Proctor - after a scintillating pre-season the home grown striker has been a little disappointing. But in his defence the number nine was rushed back far too quickly by the incompetent Phil Brown and this has hampered his development this year. He has scored a few but the PNE faithful will want much more next season. It was reported Proctor was subject to bids of up to half a million from both Swansea and Newcastle, big money for PNE. Hopefully the decision to reject those offers will prove worthwhile in the future.
14. Chris Holroyd - signed from Rotherham in January, the frontman has made it 14th in the list due to his incredible work ethic (and lack of other contenders). The twenty-five year old doesn't exactly look potent in front of goal but has won over some of the PNE fans due to his hard work and never say die attitude.
13. Bailey Wright - probably the best player to come from the youth team this season after a really solid end to the season filling in across the back line. The young Australian also scored a 90th minute header against MK Dons at Deepdale, ensuring Sir Tom Finney's birthday celebrations did not turn sour.
12. Chris Robertson - arguably Westley's best signing. The centre half bought in from Torquay has not done too much wrong at centre half, building a solid partnership with Chris Morgan. Nothing special, just old fashioned defending is how Robertson plays.
11. Adam Barton - caused a lot of frustration earlier on in the season as he put in some lacklustre performances. But in came Westley who changed his role into a deeper lying one and Barton improved, as he proved far more comfortable in spraying the ball around rather than in making robust challenges. His season was bought to an unfortunate end with an awful injury and we hope he makes a quick recovery as Barton has the potential to be a key player.
10. David Gray - has done well to make the top ten. Some positive moments and has at times looked assured but PNE fans will be worried as he showed against Charlton with a terrible mistake leading to the champions second goal. Gray has pace and is not afraid of a tackle, it is important to remember he is only 23 and hopefully with more games and more experience the former Manchester Utd man can blossom into a really good right back. That's if Westley is prepared to give him the chance.
9. Max Ehmer - the twenty year old on loan from QPR has done well in the centre of PNE's midfield, which has been a real problem area for the Lillywhites. At first he seriously lacked fitness but has shown a good level of ability and Westley seems to like the German. His performances have seen fans call for a permanent deal but that may be tricky for PNE to negotiate.
8. Neil Mellor - possibly the most frustrating player at PNE. In form and fitness he can be a goal machine but has had another injury plagued season. He makes eighth on the list as his goals early on in the season arguably kept Preston from a real relegation dog fight. Many questions need to be asked when considering to keep the former Liverpool man at PNE. Is he worth the large wage he will no doubt ask for? And is he going to be fit for enough games next season? Are among a few. Personally I would love to see him stay but don't think he is financially viable or likely to remain relatively injury free next year.
7. Paul Coutts - the midfielder is clearly a massive talent, as proved by his goal on the opening day against Colchester. But his season has been over shadowed by events off the pitch including a bust up with Graham Westley. Since then Coutts hasn't looked as committed to the cause. Often seen with his hands on his hips at right midfield where Westley has frequently (and wrongly in my opinion) opted to play him. It is strongly rumoured that Coutts will be off in the summer and has been linked with his former club Peterborough. But Coutts has had some good moments this season and has shown his ability on occasions and finds himself seventh on our list.
6. Graham Alexander - the PNE legend finds himself in sixth for his work off the pitch as much as on it. He could have very conceivably been given the full time job after a semi-successful spell in charge with David Unsworth after the departure of Phil Brown. It is a shame that the end of his season was hampered by injury but as every Preston fan will remember he ended his fantastic career on a huge high with that brilliant curling free kick against Charlton, which was his last ever touch in professional football.
5. Danny Mayor - the Leyland born winger seems to have shown signs that he is coming to age at the back end of the season. He has proved a handful for a series of defenders and has put in some really positive displays. He won himself the goal of the season with his fine strike at Deepdale against Hartlepool and rightly won Young Player of the Year. Hopefully Danny will continue to improve and be a key player next year for PNE.
4. Craig Morgan - after a really poor showing last season in the Championship the centre half has stepped up his game this year and proved he is a top draw defender at this level. He has looked solid particularly towards the back end of the season with new signing Chris Robertson and has cut out the mistakes that hampered his game last season. A defence built around him next year should be solid.
3. Paul Parry - the Welshman has had a solid season, showing his versatility filling in at left back frequently and putting in consistent displays all season. Players like Parry often get over-looked in fairness he does not do anything special but gives the team balance and stability. He is an important squad player and will hopefully stay fit and feature next season. But there is a chance that the manic Westley may not fancy him and could look to move him on.
2. Iain Hume - it is a real shame the Canadian has not been fit enough to feature more often this season, he could have potentially have got nearer to the 20 goals mark if he had stayed injury free. We all know the qualities the frontman possesses. He torments defenders, works hard, has a great leap for a small man and can always get the team a goal. We have to hope he stays at the club next year as he provides the quality the team lacks in front of goal. He is a real crowd favourite and hopefully Westley will look to build the forward line around the 28 year old.
1. Thorsten Stuckmann - who else could it be really? It is a shame to say our player of the year is our keeper but the German has been a monster between the sticks since he signed for the club. "Stuckers" has kept PNE in countless games with many great saves and was rewarded for his fine form with the Player of the Year Award. The 31 year old has provided much needed stability in goal after a series of mistakes from his predecessors Iain Turner and Andreas Arestidou. It was great news when Stuckmann declared he intended on staying at the club as he will be vital next season. Surely his most memorable moment of the season will be when he galloped forward in the last minute against MK Dons, causing confusion in the oppositions defence and Bailey Wright nodding home to nick a much needed equaliser for PNE.
