Sheffield United ‘are set to sack Paul Heckingbottom TODAY’ just two days after losing 5-0 to relegation rivals Burnley as they sit bottom of the Premier League with five points from 14 games
[ad_1]
Sheffield United are reportedly set to sack Paul Heckingbottom following their dismal 5-0 defeat against Burnley on Saturday.
The Blades sit bottom of the Premier League table and have won just one game since their return to the top flight.
Now The Athletic reports that they will relieve Heckingbottom of his duties today in a bid to turn around their fortunes, with the club four points from safety.
He would be the first Premier League boss to lose his job this campaign, with sides having adopted a more lenient approach towards dismissals.
Sheffield United are the league’s most toothless outfit with 11 goals and are the most leaky at the back, conceding 39 goals.
Sheffield United are reportedly set to sack Paul Heckingbottom today after their 5-0 loss to Burnley over the weekend
A ten-man Sheffield United capitulated on the road to give Burnley their first home points of the season
Pressure has been mounting on Heckingbottom as the Blades have won one this season
In Europe’s top five leagues, only Almeria in La Liga have a worse points total, having drawn four games and won none.
Things started to look up for Sheffield United at the start of November as they picked up a 2-1 win over Wolves and a 1-1 draw at Brighton.
However, a 3-1 home loss to Bournemouth and a 5-0 crushing at Turf Moor have cast doubt over their ability to compete with their drop zone dogfight competitors.
Chants of ‘Hecky out’ rank from the away end against Burnley.
One of the most worrying aspects of their season has been the number of thrashings, as they have also lost 5-0 to Arsenal and 8-0 to Newcastle.
The 8-0 humiliation against the Magpies was the club’s worst-ever defeat at home.
Some will question whether Heckingbottom was sufficiently backed as his squad made the step up from the Championship.
Only Luton, Crystal Palace, and Everton spent less in the summer and the Blades were stripped of some of their key assets, replacing them with promising but less proven players.
An 8-0 loss against Newcastle in September was the club’s worst-ever loss at Bramall Lane
Key players such as Iliman Ndiaye were shipped off in the summer and the club scrambled for signings on the eve of the season
Sander Berge traded Bramall Lane for relegation rivals Burnley in a £12million summer deal
Vital players such as Iliman Ndiaye, who bagged 15 goals last season, and Sander Berge, who was sold to Burnley a few days before the season began, exited the club.
After losing at Burnley, Heckingbottom spoke of his frustrations over their summer transfer policy.
He told the BBC: ‘I wanted to keep the group together but we couldn’t.
‘We couldn’t because of the last few years and the financial implications. If we’d tied them down (on longer contracts) then we probably wouldn’t have sold those players.
‘There wasn’t a desire from the ownership to sell, but a necessity from a business point of view. We’ve been making financial decisions rather than football decisions. Of course that affects me. I didn’t want it to happen.’
At this stage last season, five Premier League managers had lost their jobs.
Heckingbottom initially entered the Bramall Lane dugout when he stepped in as interim manager at the end of the 2020/21 season, replacing Chris Wilder.
Heckingbottom led Sheffield United out of the Championship with 91 points last season
He complained that the club has had to make ‘financial decisions rather than football decisions’, claiming it has affected him
He was unable to steer the club away from relegation, winning three and losing eight of his 11 games in charge.
Slavisa Jokanovic took his place when the club dropped in to the Championship, but Heckingbottom was called on again in November 2021 when the Serbian coach was dismissed.
Heckingbottom led the Yorkshire outfit to the play-offs in the 2021/22 season before achieving automatic promotion from the Championship.
A run of 11 losses in 14 Premier League games may force the hand of the club’s Saudi owner, Prince Abdullah.
[ad_2]
Source link
