Paul Heckingbottom makes honest Henrik Pedersen admission after Sheffield Wednesday victory
Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom showed a great amount of respect towards Henrik Pedersen after his side’s 3-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Deepdale on New Year’s Day.
Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom has praised the professionalism of Sheffield Wednesday boss Henrik Pedersen for the way he has conducted himself throughout such a testing period.
Wednesday fell to their 15th Championship defeat of the season on New Year’s Day, losing 3-0 at Deepdale. North End got the job done via goals either side of half-time from Ali McCann, Milutin Osmajić and Lewis Dobbin.
The Owls started brightly at Deepdale, attempting to take the game to the opposition, but the game was as good as over once the opening goal went in. Struggling from fatigue, Wednesday never recovered following McCann’s opener and never really looked like scoring.
It is, of course, turning out to be a catastrophic season for the Owls, who are already as good as relegated after having 18 points deducted, leaving them propping up the Championship table on -7.
However, Pedersen, who stepped up to take the job last summer after Danny Röhl’s departure, is continuing to try his very best to make the most of a bad situation. And in the opinion of Heckingbottom, Pedersen deserves plenty of respect for the job he is doing.
Heckingbottom praises Pedersen
Heckingbottom told The Star: "I always think whenever you're in a situation where a lot of it's out of your control... listen, as a football manager, a lot of things are out of your control, you focus on the things that are.
“But you're always in control of how you come across and what your standards are and how your values are and how you treat people. I think, from my dealings with him and from what I see, he's handled himself really, really well.
"And although you've got to be selfish for your own career, and it's a big opportunity for him, he's not done that in a way which has tried to make excuses, tried to point the finger at other people - he's done the best to look after his players, give his players the best chance at picking up points, to take the pressure off them.
"And also, I think, and credit to the players as well, the fans can see the players playing for him, playing for the club, playing for the badge.”
Wednesday are experiencing the campaign they are having because of former owner Dejphon Chansiri’s failings. A disastrous summer saw wages go unpaid, pre-season preparations wrecked and 16 members of last season’s first-team squad depart.
In desperate need of a fresh start, Heckingbottom is praying his former club gets the opportunity to open a new chapter sooner rather than later.
"Everyone knows what the outcome needs to be and hopefully it'll happen sooner rather than later for them,” he continued. “So I think everyone's looking forward, but the sooner it gets done, the more it'll be a positive feeling.
“If it drags on, which is every chance it could, by the way, then that'll become harder and harder for the staff, for the players and the fans."