Sheffield United: What is really responsible for turning this team into Championship table-toppers
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As manager Paul Heckingbottom approaches the first anniversary of his appointment at Bramall Lane, which saw him take over a team languishing in the lower reaches of the table before leading them into last season’s play-off semi-finals, McCall believes the 44-year-old’s decision to focus on improving team spirit is responsible for United’s transformation in fortune.
Despite seeing their dream of returning to the Premier League this term shattered when they were beaten on penalties by Nottingham Forest, Heckingbottom’s squad has shaken-off that disappointment to make an explosive start to the new campaign.
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Hide AdA member of Blackpool’s coaching staff before becoming the former Barnsley, Leeds and Hibernian chief’s assistant, McCall admitted to being surprised by the subdued atmosphere inside Bramall Lane when he returned to South Yorkshire last year.
MORE: https://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/football/sheffield-united/the-story-behind-slavs-departure-3471922
“(A decline in) team spirit wasn’t the only thing what had happened back then,” said McCall, who finished his playing career at United before becoming a coach. “I remember the old Sheffield United teams and they were always flying and in your face.
“But these lads had had a really difficult 12 months when we came in. They’d had a loss of form, a loss of confidence and they were getting beat. They’d been used to winning, going up and getting into the top flight. And then, in the space of 18 months, all of that turned into a lot of pain with relegation and what not. It takes a toll.”
“It’s the same for supporters,” McCall added. “You lose a bit of spirit. So the key was to lift all of that back up again.
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Hide Ad“We told the lads on day one: ‘If we can’t get this group into the top six then we aren’t doing our jobs right.’ We believed in them and they did.”
Slavisa Jokanovic, who took charge when Wilder departed following a fall out with the board, attempted to overhaul United’s strategy following United’s slide out of the PL less than a year after achieving a ninth placed finish. When the Serb departed in similar circumstances to his predecessor, expressing concerns about the club’s speed of progress in the transfer market, Heckingbottom immediately reverted to the 3-5-2 system which had seen them climb from the third to the first tier of the English game under Wilder. Last weekend’s win over Preston North End was Heckingbottom’s 23rd victory in only 41 outings at the helm.
Having chosen to bolster United’s midfield and attacking options over the summer - Adam Davies and Anel Ahmedhodzic, who are now both injured, were the only new defensive arrivals - Heckingbottom, McCall and head of player development Jack Lester retained the three man rearguard and overlapping centre-halves which have become United’s emblem following that defeat at the City Ground.
“We’ve not had a play-off hangover,” McCall added. “And that tells you a lot, because the big test always comes when you get beat and then have to bounce back.”