Sheffield United: Paul Heckingbottom explains why he has been named Championship Manager of the Month

After narrowly losing their opening match of the new campaign at Watford, Heckingbottom’s side have prepared for tonight’s game against Swansea City on top of the Championship table after winning five and drawing two of their seven since.

That run of form saw Heckingbottom named as the division’s MoM for August, having been selected by a panel comprising of the English Football League’s chief executive Trevor Birch, who previously held the same position at Bramall Lane and Sky Sports’ Don Goodman and a representative from SkyBet; the competition’s sponsors.

“It’s the players who get the results, there’s so much more than many people see which goes into something like this,” Heckingbottom told The Star. “All of the staff members and everyone else too, because we’re just trying to get as many things as right as possible.

“The same goes for the fans, they are in the equation as well, because when you go through tough moments they help you come through it.”

“We want a lot more of these, because that goes to show things are working well,” Heckingbottom continued, referencing Anel Ahmedhodzic’s nomination for the PFA Vertu Motors monthly players’ prize. “I know I might wind people up at times, but that’s why. Because I want the best from everyone and the minute you accept what you’ve got, that’s when things start to fall away. Something like this, it reflects the work of everyone, not me. It’s about the group as a whole, genuinely.”

MORE: https://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/football/sheffield-united/sheffield-united-defender-up-for-award-3836553

Although City are 19th in the table, Heckingbottom is mindful of the threat Russell Martin’s men pose. They enter the contest on the back of their first home win of the campaign, after beating Queens Park Rangers 1-0.

Tracing the journey United have been on since losing on penalties in last term’s play-off semi-finals, Heckingbottom said: “The reward is a reflection of our start to the season. It began the moment we had that penalty save against (Nottingham) Forest. It goes back to the conversations we had that night with the staff and the players. It is not just about seven or eight games. It’s about going all the way back to that night and how hard everyone has worked since.”

“We’re pleased and we’ll accept it, but we are going to need some more of these as I say if we are going to stay at the top.”

Heckingbottom has enlisted the help of Max Lowe and others currently ruled-out through injury to help prepare for the trip to south Wales.

Although United detected a subtle change in City’s approach during their victory over Rangers, Heckingbottom said: “The only thing we are uncertain about is their goal kicks going long. They did that against QPR.

"Regardless of whether they are a back three or four, they would be foolish not to try and pass because their strength is their bravery on the ball. Swansea’s shape might change but their approach won’t I don’t think. The big thing is their goal kicks were different and they’ve put the ball in the box more.”

“Goals change the dynamic, when they are scored,” Heckingbottom added. “If you are chasing, possession tends to go up. We’ve always tweaked, we can do different things. But you still have to create and you still have to defend properly.”

MORE: https://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/football/sheffield-united/sheffied-united-manager-reveals-the-big-reason-behind-his-teams-flying-start-3834690