Consistently winning football matches is the only thing that really matters when it comes to building a rapport with the support.
I rate Neil highly, even though there are aspects of his managerial style that I don't particularly like. His touchline demeanor, for example, seems extremely petulant and unpleasant at times. However, as far as I am concerned this minor personal criticism is immaterial given how well Neil has done. It almost certainly just reflects his passion and commitment for the cause anyway.
As long as the team is winning, it doesn't much matter, to me, if Neil doesn't rapturously applaud the fans after away games, sign every matchday programme, or trawl round local schools dressed as Deepdale Duck dishing out PNE tat to uninterested children.
If the manager is doing all of those frivolous things, but the team is failing, they won't do much to keep the fans sweet. It would be great if he did, but winning football matches is always the most important factor for engaging the fans and wider city.