WWE superstar drops emphatic Preston North End message as 'suck it up' plea sent | OneFootball

Amid their poor start to the season, Preston North End have received a message of support from an unlikely source in WWE star Cody Rhodes.

WWE superstar and Preston North End fan Cody Rhodes has sent a message of support to the Lilywhites after their nightmare start to the season in the Championship.

As their poor start continues, pressure is starting to build on Preston manager Paul Heckingbottom, with supporters making their frustrations clear, and the 49-year-old will be keen to pick up some points before the September international break to save his job at Deepdale.

Paul Heckingbottom under increasing Preston North End pressure

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Preston spent much of the first half of last season in and around the play-off places, but a decline in form following the turn of the year saw them finish the campaign in 14th place after winning just four of their final 20 games.

It was a busy summer of transfer activity for North End, during which the Lancashire outfit smashed their transfer record to sign Tottenham Hotspur loanee Alfie Devine permanently for a fee of up to £6 million, while they also spent £2.5 million on Oxford United winger Stanley Mills and £3 million on Celtic striker Johnny Kenny.

Lee Nicholls, Harry Clarke, Caleb Wiley, Leo Leroy, Liam Gibbs, Delano Burzorg and Jusef Erabi were among the other new arrivals at Deepdale this summer, but much of the Lilywhites' business was done in the latter stages of the window, much to Heckingbottom's frustration.

On the pitch, Preston made their worst start to a season for 70 years as they lost their opening four games, but they secured a much-needed first win of the campaign with a 2-1 home victory over local rivals Blackburn Rovers last weekend.

However, despite Callum Lang's fifth-minute opener putting them ahead, North End fell to another defeat as they were beaten 2-1 by Watford at Vicarage Road on Tuesday night, with second-half goals from Edo Kayembe and Mamadou Doumbia sealing all three points for the Hornets and increasing the scrutiny on Heckingbottom.

Cody Rhodes delivers passionate Preston North End message amid disaster Championship start

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It has been a disappointing start to the season for the Preston faithful, and it seems their struggles have not gone unnoticed by one of their most high-profile supporters, WWE star Rhodes.

Rhodes, who is a two-time Royal Rumble winner and multi-time world champion, has previously revealed that he is a loyal North End fan after being introduced to the club by fellow WWE wrestler Wade Barrett, and he has delivered a rallying cry to the Lilywhites amid their current plight.

When asked if he had any advice for Preston to help them turn their fortunes around, Rhodes told SPORF: "Well, I'm honestly going to say suck it up and move forward here because a couple of things.

"When you're an American and you're over here and you're saying 'this is my favourite football club' and there's already this feeling about football over here, even though soccer is the world's most popular sport, I'm putting my name out there guys.

"I'm trying to get on a rocket ship myself.

"I've got a movie coming out, I've got something else on the way, I'm here at WWE trying to own the scene and be QB1, so if I'm saying you are the guys, don't make a fool of me please.

"Go out there and win, that's all you've got to do.

"Me and Wade, me and Joe, me and Michael Cole, will all be very happy.

"Not only that, we'll come, if you guys keep winning and this season turns out to be what I think it should be, what Wade has told me, we'll be there, we're coming to a game."

Paul Heckingbottom facing crucial Preston North End period as September international break looms

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With most footballers active on social media these days, it is likely that Rhodes' words will have reached the Preston dressing room, but it remains to be seen whether they will have the desired effect.

As the extended three-week September international break approaches, it would be the perfect time for North End to make a managerial change, so it is difficult not to feel that the next two games against Lincoln City and Queens Park Rangers could potentially determine Heckingbottom's future.

While it could be argued that Heckingbottom deserves more time to gel his new-look team, particularly as much of the business was done in the final days of the window, the poor form stretches back to early January, with the Lilywhites winning just five league games this calendar year, leaving him in an incredibly vulnerable position.