The Debate: Paul Heckingbottom's future at Leeds United

The Yorkshire Evening Post's chief Leeds United writer Phil Hay and digital writer Joe Urquhart analyse the situation.

Phil Hay's view...

Paul Heckingbottom’s defection to Leeds United caused indignation at Barnsley, catching them on the hop and angering a board who were blindsided by his exit. Heckingbottom was unapologetic but philosophical about the timing. “Barnsley have been the winners out of this,” he said.

It will look that way if Leeds pull the plug on him shortly; £500,000 paid to Barnsley in compensation for a head coach who gave Leeds cold feet and precious few results. Errors of judgement have been plentiful at Elland Road, a trend going back many years, but another sacking would look like rank incompetence, the second time in three months that Andrea Radrizzani had backtracked on his choice of manager. Once might be unlucky but twice is careless and confidence in his third choice would be automatically diminished.

Results are stacked against Heckingbottom, at Leeds and over the course of this season. Between Leeds and Barnsley he has 37 points from 43 games courtesy of eight wins and 22 defeats. Neither job has given him satisfaction. Both clubs, though, are complex in their own way; difficult to manage and in the case of Leeds, riddled by a group of players whose talent is questionable, whose injury and disciplinary records are appalling and whose motivation has been on the wain since the turn of the year.

Therein lies the problem with Heckingbottom: the question of whether Leeds have seen so much as the half of him yet. From Radrizzani’s viewpoint, a decision on Heckingbottom’s future can only come down to gut feeling. Is he unsuited to the role, too inexperienced or too short of clout? Or would these three months have been a hospital pass for any coach? Radrizzani is back in Leeds this week and his next move is almost upon him.

The Italian’s opinion of Heckingbottom is unclear but United’s head coach has support and sympathy inside Elland Road. The club’s senior players have warmed to his coaching and man-management and there is an acceptance that some in the dressing room have sold him short. Leeds appreciate his diligence: in early at Thorp Arch, always out late and honest about what he wants. The coaching of United’s goalkeepers has changed since his appointment, less continental in style, and Bailey Peacock-Farrell is finally providing a safe pair of hands. Heckingbottom’s use of the academy – the level where his own coaching career began – is in tune with Leeds’ plan to operate with a slimmer squad next season, supplemented by the most talented Under-23s. The club have involved him in their planning for the transfer window, taking recommendations for players like Andy Yiadom and Oli McBurnie, both of whom he signed for Barnsley. They are yet to give him any indication that his time is up.

Heckingbottom is, in many respects, doing what Leeds asked him to do, minus a late push for the play-offs. The season has died under him without a whimper but Leeds must reach a view on whether it would have survived to any great extent under anyone else. There is, on one hand, no change in Leeds’ tactical approach, their basic organisation or their state of mind. If anything, the team have regressed. On the other hand is a brow-beaten squad riddled with injuries and unable to feed on something as simple as pride. It is doubtful that Heckingbottom would want to keep the majority of these footballers. This is someone else’s squad and a mediocre one at that.

What the 40-year-old faces is a culture of fear: the fear of next season going wrong, the fear that his current record is indicative of his coaching ability, the fear of Leeds backing the wrong horse again and the fear of Heckingbottom falling on his sword in October and the whole cycle starting again.

The imminent arrival of the summer almost counts against him. If a change is in the offing then what better time?

But Leeds, guided by Victor Orta, specifically picked him out of Barnsley and must have had their reasons for doing so. They must have realised how highly many in the game speak of Heckingbottom and decided that £500,000 was good money. Should the club feel the need to hit reverse gear, what does it say about those advising Radrizzani? And how can they continue in their roles after a season of so many mistakes?

Scepticism about Heckingbottom is understandable and he would be naive to expect much empathy but there is a sense of him being written off on a whim or on the basis that Leeds have an easy opportunity to twist once more. It has to get better but it could get better, provided United’s blueprint gets better. Standing by Heckingbottom will take some backbone. Perhaps some backbone is what this club needs.

Joe Urquhart's view...

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, isn’t it? ‘I should never have gone’ is the most commonly used phrase to describe the word.

I imagine most Leeds fans will have been wishing they hadn’t gone to the majority of the Championship league fixtures the Whites have played out since Christmas.

The same though can be said of Paul Heckingbottom.

He was, of course, a manager who was struggling at boyhood club Barnsley in a tough division before upping sticks and moving to West Yorkshire.

Though nothing has quite been the same at Leeds since Gaetano Berardi struck a venomous shot from outside the box on a cold winter Sunday lunchtime in Newport.

The effort caused bedlam in the stands and really the chaos at Elland Road hasn’t stopped since.

Samuel Siaz was sent off in the same game, Thomas Christiansen sacked just a month later and owner Andrea Radrizzani took to social media to call out a team that have since left the division for Premier League football – let’s not even touch the whole badge saga.

Nothing ever happens quietly at Elland Road but when it rains it always pours.

So, when things went south during this campaign it was probably only right for it to go wrong in such dramatic fashion. It’s the ‘Leeds’ way it seems.

Heckingbottom has taken charge of the Whites in 13 Championship fixtures since his appointment in February picking up just two wins and 10 points in the process.

There is no disguising the fact that it is a dismal record and to say it has been a tough few months would be an understatement but problems at Elland Road lie deeper.

The 40-year-old is already fighting against growing disenchantment amongst the United faithful, but the big question on everyone’s lips is does he deserve more time?

The short-termism and pressure in football dictates that he is already facing calls for his head.

Heckingbottom has been tortured with a growing injury list, players short of any kind of form or confidence and hasn’t even been afforded a transfer window as yet – does it not feel a bit too soon even in football terms?

Leeds decided he was the man to take them forward and even paid £500,000 for his services – so what has changed? On the field, not a single thing. But Heckingbottom is a cog in the United machine and when one piece isn’t working you don’t just revaluate one section, do you?

No matter how many times you replace the cog if it keeps failing as a collective then something else must be done.

Yes, he has not had the effect Leeds were hoping for as faint play-off hopes disappeared but if United do get cold feet then just what have we been doing for the last few months?

Heckingbottom has always reiterated he is analysing the squad to see who he does and doesn’t want at Thorp Arch beyond the summer. If the powers that be believed in him in February then why not continue that belief? This, after all, is a squad that was assembled beyond his control and is evidently not up to scratch. Of course, he should not escape criticism for his choice in tactics and insistence on formation or the selection of certain players.

For me, the structure at United in its current form hasn’t been given enough time to be assessed, time though is something that isn’t always afforded in a trigger happy business that relies on results.

If United do bite the bullet and go for someone else, well... maybe they should make sure they’re focused on the right cog first. It’s a big summer ahead for Leeds and one they must get right otherwise heads will roll.

They decided upon the man they wanted at the helm, now, what comes next is crucial.

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