You see him here, you see him there, you seem to see him everywhere: now Peter Ridsdale is to become football chairman of Preston North End football club. Ridsdale is one of the more controversial figures in English football and Preston fans do not seem to be overjoyed at the appointment, to put it mildly.
You see him here, you see him there, you seem to see him everywhere: now Peter Ridsdale is to become football chairman of Preston North End football club. Ridsdale is one of the more controversial figures in English football and Preston fans do not seem to be overjoyed at the appointment, to put it mildly.
Ridsdale is best known for his period at Leeds United when the club spent heavily in an aim to reach the Champions League and it all ended in tears. He had a brief spell at Barnsley and then spent a time at Cardiff City. His most recent incarnation has been at Plymouth Argyle where he certainly made an effort to help to save the club.
The owner of Preston, Trevor Hemmings, has been pumping in £750k a month to keep the club afloat which is an amazing amount for a League 1 club. There has been speculation that Ridsdale’s role will be to prepare the club for sale or to find new investors, but that might not be easy, but he has emphasised the need to run the club in a less cash draining way while moving up League 1 which is a challenge to say the least.
Probably some of the more expensive players will need to go in the January transfer window. Ridsdale was unclear how long his mission will take, but he will be nearer to his Lancashire home than he was in Plymouth.