How to defend him?
Well, he was cursed that his best spell, when the team was the most exciting in recent years, came when no bugger was about to see them.
And it's easy to forget the chaos and carnage of that time, and really, by rights, that season should have seen us relegated. That we're still in this division can well be attributed to Pressley for galvanising an us v the world mentality when the club was ripped away.
The latest SCG meeting gives an indication things are not well with the club, and the best we can hope for is the odd blip until and unless the club itself stabilises. In that respect, the Northampton season was Pressley's positive blip.
He also was indeed brave enough to introduce youngsters to the first team, and not many managers are.
Sure, he's not perfect - the inconsistencies in banishing players then calling them back would not make for good discipline, the somewhat bizarre choice to go uber-defensive after a great attacking seaon the year before, and the us v them seemingly extending to a squad where if you weren't with him, you were against him can all be held against him.
But... the club is a mess, and no manager will be able to sort that mess out long-term by themselves, without a lot of goodwill from fans to give time.
So, as with most managers, flawed in places. But there's no doubting he worked hard, was genuine in his desire to succeed, wasn't just picking up a pay cheque like many seem to. I hope he takes on board what he learned with us and goes on to success elsewhere.