Sheffield United: Manager answers one of football's most difficult questions
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It is a question managers and head coaches across the country could soon be forced to confront, as the nation is gripped by a cost of living crisis which could soon leave supporters with some tough choices to make amid soaring food prices and obscene energy bills.
Sheffield United’s Paul Heckingbottom, whose side is preparing for this weekend’s visit to Preston North End at the top of the table, believes the answer will probably change depending upon the audience. In boardrooms, where directors and executives wrestle with their club’s balance sheets, the need to win matches overrides pretty much everything else. But in the stands, where fans part with their hard-earned money in order to enjoy a release from the harsh realities of everyday life, enjoying the experience is equally important.
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Grappling with this sporting juxtaposition has prompted Heckingbottom to develop a style of play which has so far satisfied United’s owner Prince Abdullah bin Musa’ad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and those on the terraces.
“The good thing about football is that we all appreciate different things about the game,” Heckingbottom told The Star. “I don’t think there’s a right and a wrong way of going about your work. You’re perfectly entitled to try and do it any way you want.
“None of us are likely to stay in work very long if our teams aren’t doing well. But, at the same time, I do think it’s important to give people something to look forward to as well. I know I want to see my lads doing well and that I also want to enjoy watching them in action which, by and large, I usually do.”
Heckingbottom always bridles at queries about other teams’ tactics. Speaking to the media before the postponement of last weekend’s meeting with Rotherham, pulled following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, he responded to the query ‘Is possession overrated’ by replying: “I don’t even know why we’re having this conversation?”
The 44-year-old isn’t stupid. He grasped the point.
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Hide Ad“You do whatever suits you,” Heckingbottom continued, after finally deciding to run with the idea. “You use whatever is in your armoury. You can be direct and progressive. Or you can look to dominate possession and do it that way.”
But around 12 months ago, following a match against a Swansea City side they have just beaten in the Championship, one of his rivals told journalists: “It will take time for us to implement our way of doing things.” ‘Our’ way. Not ‘their’ way. Rather than being pragmatic by devising a strategy designed to get the best out of the tools already at his disposal, this was someone determined to take a more philosophical approach. And it revolves around keeping the ball almost for keeping the ball’s sake.
When the two clubs met towards the end of the campaign, the side in question pieced together a 20 plus pass move midway through the second-half and actually conceded territory. Their finishing position, coupled with results over the past few weeks, means the ploy could hardly be described as a success. Yet, they still plough on; creating pretty shapes but struggling to collect wins.
Heckingbottom is less idealistic. Appointed in November, one of his first acts was to reprise, with a few subtle tweaks, the formation which had proved so effective under Chris Wilder and ditch the one employed by Slavisa Jokanovic. At Deepdale, however, change could be afoot.
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Hide AdAlready without a clutch of left-footed players, United’s coaching staff lost another when Max Lowe damaged a hamstring during the recent win over Hull. Having spent the majority of his reign utilising a back three, Heckingbottom contemplated going with a back four at the Swansea.com Stadium on Tuesday before instead deploying Rhys Norrington Davies at wing-back. The Wales international responded by delivering a man-of-the-match performance, excelling along the flank before Reda Khadra pounced in added time.
“Goals, they’re the most important thing,” he continued. “Possession is one way of creating them, if that’s what your strengths are. People have different strengths.
“Take Rotherham, a good percentage of their ones (goals) come from set plays and the honesty they’ve got. I saw them play Swansea not so long back and they (City) out together I don’t know how many passes and then suddenly Rotherham go up the other end and get a goal. But doing it another way obviously suits Swansea.”
Unlike his counterpart at United, Martin believes possession is nine tenths of the law. One of eight teams in the division who see more of the ball than the visitors (52.4/63.7), City prepared for this week’s fixture 18 places below United in the rankings. They were more direct than usual, but still failed to properly test Wes Foderingham.
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Hide AdPreston have so far returned a figure of 49.7, taking an average of 11.4 shots per game compared to 14.1 for United. Only Norwich City, back in second place after edging past Bristol City in midweek, and West Bromwich Albion take more.
The cult of the coach, that strange quasi-religious movement which attributes folk who inhabit the dugout with superhuman powers, often overestimates the importance of decisions taken inside the technical area according to Heckingbottom. Conveying clear and concise messages during the build-up to matches, according to him, is the real key to success.
“If you can’t get your ideas across simply, concisely, then they’re probably not very good ideas,” Heckingbottom said. “You’ve got to be able to create a picture in the players’ minds, bring an identity to what you are doing, because at the end of the day it all comes down to them.”