Sheffield United boss breathes a huge sigh of relief as major promotion obstacle removed
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After spending the past three games watching from the stands, Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom has revealed why he is so relieved that his touchline ban is now over.
Speaking as he prepares for his return to the technical area during Saturday’s match against Luton Town, Heckingbottom admitted that the suspension imposed by the Football Association had proven a test of patience as well as reminding him why prefers watching matches pitchside.
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Hide AdAlthough some members of his professional believe they get a better view of the action from the gantry or directors’ box, but feel duty bound to position themselves in the technical area, Heckingbottom’s explanation about why that is not the case for him provides an intriguing insight into a coaching style which sees United enter the meeting with Town second in the Championship table and seven points clear of third placed Middlesbrough.
“It’s been terrible,” he told The Star. “Really terrible and I’m glad it’s over now. I can only speak for me, not anyone else, but I want to be down there with the players. If I’m not down there with them, I don’t feel a part of the team. I don’t feel as if I can energise them or protect them. I much prefer being where you can really feel the emotions of the game and get involved in them. Personally, I think that’s important but I understand why others might disagree.”
Heckingbottom’s words confirm that, rather than sticking assiduously to a strategy planned in advance, he likes to act on instinct - believing that in order to make the correct decisions he must “feel” the contest. Punished for his sending-off during last month’s defeat to Michael Carrick’s side, Heckingbottom has seen United win two and lose one of the assignments he has observed from a television gantry. Tuesday’s victory over Reading, which followed an FA Cup victory over Tottenham Hotspur and a loss at Blackburn Rovers, strengthened United’s grip on an automatic promotion berth with 11 games remaining.
“The players and everyone else might not have been bothered by me not being there,” he joked. “If you ask them, they might say ‘keep him up there.’ The lads in the dig-out who I’ve been in contact with, they might tell you something different because I won’t have to be in their ear all the time now.
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Hide Ad“Seriously, though, the person who has definitely suffered the most is me. It’s me who has been affected by this the worst, because I really don’t like not being down there with everyone else and the lads.”
Heckingbottom, who confirmed goalscorer Iliman Ndiaye is undergoing treatment for a dead leg sustained during the triumph over Paul Ince’s team, has been able to remain in communication with his assistant Stuart McCall and head of player development Jack Lester during the fixtures covered by his ban.
Following last weekend’s visit to Ewood Park, he admitted: “It’s not always as easy as you might think, mind, because technology sometimes lets you down. You lose a signal, you can’t get a wifi connection and you’re up there feeling helpless.”