How to tell Sheffield United players are behind Paul Heckingbottom

Short of the impossibility of being in there, that test is what players say - off the record. Not those predictable statements for public consumption. You know the type. “We’re all behind him”… “once we cross the white line it’s up to us” … “as players we must take the blame”.

I’m not saying there’s never any sincerity in those comments. It’s just that they roll off the tongue with the obvious caveat “well, they would say that, wouldn’t they?” Besides, when did you last see an in-contract player sacked for poor results?

Once that word “blame” is introduced - as in “blame us, not the manager” - we all know there is only one place where it falls. Players can put it on themselves in absolute safety. That’s why I tend only to believe the “backing the boss” mantra if I hear it in an off-stage whisper. That’s far more telling. And I doubt there is a single senior player at Bramall Lane who wouldn’t deliver that same message about Heckingbottom.

You can forget Oli McBurnie’s recent extravagant statement about being “one million per cent” behind him - except I’m convinced it happens to be true. There is a nucleus of long-serving players who have enjoyed a continuation of the best days of their careers under this management. Others around them have been handed recent opportunities by being signed.

Results might indicate United are being crushed by the demands of the Premier League but you detect no sign of crumbling in spirit from within. Heckingbottom has nursed that togetherness by being careful not to overreact to results. When people are feeling bad is not the time to make them feel worse. It’s simple psychology. He’s carrying them with him.

Can the Blades win a couple of the next five or six? That’s when you’d see the other side to the boss, demanding more. For now, the mentality is not a case of being soft. It’s about human nature. Somehow this is an experience to be enjoyed. As if there could be any other approach to hosting Manchester United this Saturday evening!