Sheffield United vow not to lose the common touch in the Premier League

Despite being about to enter a competition dominated by big business, corporate interests and increasingly, soft power brokers aligned to overseas governments, manager Paul Heckingbottom pledged following his squad’s promotion from the Championship not to ditch its unashamedly blue collar values in favour of cultivating a slicker image.

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That message has been echoed by Jack Lester, one of the 45-year-old’s closest confidants, as planning for next season’s top-flight campaign begins in earnest.

“It’s something we should be proud of, not shy away from,” United’s head of player development told The Star, endorsing Heckingbottom’s message. “It’s who we are. It’s what we are. That connection with the community is something, in the eyes of all of us, we should never lose. Ever. That’s because it’s what makes Sheffield United Football Club what it is. It’s what it stands for.”

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Although Heckingbottom, Lester and assistant manager Stuart McCall acknowledge United’s off-the-pitch operations must continue to move with the times in order to give them the best possible chance of competing at the highest level, crucially the desire for change does not extend to how they are perceived by those who follow them either in the flesh or from afar. Heckingbottom has frequently spoken of his desire to enlarge the support structures in place for those under his command, potentially drafting in another specialist coach to work specifically with United’s defenders. Currently a role he performs in tandem with his other duties, the former Barnsley, Leeds and Hibernian chief has given McCall and Lester, who both represented United during their own playing careers, special responsibility for tutoring their midfielders and attackers respectively. McCall enjoyed a stellar career in the engine rooms of Scotland, Rangers and Everton before first arriving at Bramall Lane where he previously worked under Heckingbottom’s predecessor Neil Warnock before spells in charge of Bradford City, Motherwell and Scunthorpe.

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“You do see a lot of footballers get a bad rap at times,” continued Lester, who scored 16 goals in 50 appearances for United before joining Nottingham Forest 19 years ago, “Because they either lock themselves away or don’t really mix too much. Don’t get me wrong, I get it at times because there has to be a place of work and that’s the same for all of us, no matter what we do. But we don’t want to be in some sort of bubble. We want people to be around the lads, because that’s what makes a football club - the fans.”

United will get the opportunity to celebrate with their supporters at a civic reception tomorrow, designed to mark their achievements during a season which as well as finishing second also saw them reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

“They are the ones who really make a club what it is.” Lester said. “So no, losing that touch is definitely not something that we’re going to let happen. Footballers aren’t different to anyone else. Okay, the profile some of them have is very high. But they’re people, and it’s important to always remember that.”

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