Owls: Give Heffernan time, says Sheffield Wednesday boss
Paul Heffernan is a goalscorer, pure and simple. By his manager's own admission, the player is not noted for anything else.
That's why it's too easy to raise an early question mark over Heffernan's failure to get off the mark - and why Alan Irvine is asking fans to reserve judgment on Sheffield Wednesday's summer signing from Doncaster.
The Owls boss is convinced that Heffernan will vindicate his judgment that the 28-year-old's poaching qualities will make a significant input to the side's promotion bid.
So far he's failed to make the most of the few opportunities he's had and found himself shadowing strikers who are finding the target.
But players of Heffernan's type should never be dismissed. For instance, at a much higher level, Gary Lineker was the kind of player you would barely notice unless he was sticking the ball in the net.
Heffernan is of that variety, which makes him hard to evaluate without reference to the statistic on which he thrives.
"If a player like Paul is scoring 15-20 goals, people don't think about anything else," said Irvine. "If he is not scoring, well, he is not a target man and he won't win loads of balls in the air. And he's not rapid in terms of pace, either.
"But he is a scorer of goals and quite often they are not spectacular, usually from close in. It's that old knack of being in the right place at the right time.
"He's a composed finisher, too, but at the moment he's just lacking that self-belief in front of goal. He's had a few chances, including one at Scunthorpe in the Carling Cup."
Heffernan's 102 career goal haul suggests this is just a temporary phase - providing he keeps pressuring his rivals.
Irvine added: "Paul needs time to settle but just has to make sure he's ready. That's easy to say and harder to do. Psychologically players can get to feel a bit low when they are out of the side, it can happen to anyone. But part of being a player is coping with that and to use it as your motivation."
The player's healthy goal ratio with Notts County, Bristol City and Doncaster - where he hit 53 across five years - suggests a pattern. He hasn't always been a regular starter by any means, so what's currently happening at Hillsborough can be considered quite normal.
"Heff is having one of his spells and, as a striker, he's desperate for that first goal," Irvine added. "Once he gets one, he'll probably relax. After all, he has a proven record, particularly in this division. So I feel he will come good in time."
Irvine makes the same judgment on former Wolves player Daniel Jones and one-time Liverpool trainee Jon Otsemobor, neither of whom have broken into the side after joining the Owls as prospective senior players in the summer.
"I felt Jon played well at Scunthorpe but is having to wait because of Lewis Buxton's form at right back," said Irvine. "In the same way, Tommy Spurr has got in ahead of Daniel at left back. Tommy is doing very well.
"People make judgments very quickly these days - and that applies to players as well as managers. For instance, in pre-season none of our strikers were scoring. Now Neil Mellor, Clinton Morrison and Marcus Tudgay are all off and running.
"Let's not forget there's been a massive turnaround in the dressing room. It's a swing of 21 players since I came in last season. It takes time and some will settle quicker than others.
"But after releasing some players at the end of last season, I was happy with what I'd got left as a nucleus. I looked at it as a very good base and people like Lewis Buxton and Tommy Spurr are proving that."
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Thursday 09 February 2012
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