Preston North End are in genuine trouble, and their manager is not pretending otherwise. Graham Alexander has acknowledged that confidence is low at Deepdale and warned supporters that any improvement in the club's Championship standing will be incremental rather than sudden.

The Lilywhites have collected just two points from a possible 24 since their only league victory of the season, leaving them six points adrift of safety. That single win in 90 minutes came in the Lancashire derby against Blackburn, and Alexander knows one result does not constitute a recovery. A run of four good games proves nothing; a run of that many bad ones, as Preston have found, is extremely difficult to reverse.

The scale of the problem

Two points from 24 is a harrowing return by any measure. In a division where three points separates safety from danger on most matchdays, Preston's inability to win has compounded rapidly. They face Sheffield United on Tuesday with the table offering very little room for optimism.

Alexander did not dress it up. "Confidence is low without a shadow of a doubt," he told BBC Radio Lancashire. "But I think it'd be a strange thing if I said the players are really confident in everything because it's a results-based business." That is an honest assessment, and honesty at least is a start. The concern is whether honesty translates into points quickly enough.

Building on the West Brom draw

The 0-0 draw with West Brom at Deepdale last weekend offered Alexander a sliver of encouragement, not because of the result itself but because of what he believes it revealed about his side's character. "If you look at the West Brom performance, that didn't come from a basis of confidence because we had no confidence going into that game from winning games," he said. The implication is that Preston can perform without feeling good about themselves, which, in their current situation, may be a necessary skill.

"Bit by bit, inch by inch, you get that good feeling back and that's what we're going to have to do again," Alexander added. The language is deliberately cautious. There is no talk of a six-game unbeaten run turning things around. There is no claim that the corner has been turned. That measured tone is appropriate given where the club sits.

Deepdale must become a fortress

Alexander has identified home form as the foundation on which any survival push must be built. Preston's record at Deepdale this season has not been the bedrock he needs, and he knows it. He pointed to previous successful Preston sides having strong home records and suggested the West Brom performance, limited though it was, could be something to build from.

"Deepdale is a place where we make it the bedrock of that sort of performance base," he said. That ambition is fine in principle, but Preston must convert it into wins rather than creditable draws. A point against West Brom keeps the gap from widening; it does not close it.

What needs to happen

Six points from safety with a full season's worth of fixtures still to play is recoverable on paper. The Championship's bottom end is rarely settled before spring, and Preston will not be the only side accumulating bad runs. But two points from eight games is a deeply embedded problem, not a blip, and Alexander's own language suggests he understands that a reset of this kind takes weeks, not days.

Tuesday's home fixture against Sheffield United is not simply another game. It is an opportunity to prove that the West Brom point was the first step of something rather than an isolated event. Preston's supporters will not be satisfied with moral victories for much longer, and Alexander, for all his measured words, will be well aware that the Championship table is entirely unmoved by good intentions.

Inch by inch is fine as a philosophy. The question is whether there are enough inches left in the season.

Frequently asked

Where are Preston North End in the Championship table?
Preston are six points adrift of the Championship safety line, having picked up just two points from their last eight league games.
When is Preston's next Championship fixture?
Preston host Sheffield United on Tuesday in their next Championship match.
What has Graham Alexander said about Preston's form?
Alexander has admitted confidence is low at the club but says improvement will come gradually, describing it as a 'bit by bit, inch by inch' process. He has also highlighted the need to make Deepdale a stronger home fortress.