Why Paul Heckingbottom Can Steer Leeds United To The Premier League Despite His Lack Of Experience
The environment at Leeds United has been nothing short of chaotic in the past few months and they dropped a major bomb recently when they announced that Paul Heckingbottom has succeeded Thomas Christiansen as the club’s manager. Christiansen failed to do much for the club and after an abysmal run of form which saw them go without a win since Boxing Day, the management decided to let go of him and bring in the relatively inexperienced Heckingbottom.
Having managed Barnsley at a professional level so far, Heckingbottom has quite a task cut out for him at Elland Road. Currently gracing the 10th spot with 44 points, Leeds are far from the qualifying spots for the Premier League. At present, catching up to the likes of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Derby County seem impossible but if Leeds can manage to get to one of the qualifying spots, they can launch a strong fight and battle tooth-and-nail to somehow make it to the Premier League.
To do that, Heckingbottom might seem inexperienced but there is a reason to believe that he could be the one to give the Leeds fans what they have been waiting for – a spot in the top-flight. Last season, Leeds finished 5 points behind 6th-placed Fulham and at present, they are 7 points behind Bristol City, who are gracing the 6th spot with 51 points. A 7-point gap is definitely not a big deal, thus making it all the more likely for Heckingbottom to work his magic and get them to the playoff spots, at the very least.
At face value, it is safe to say that Leeds have signed a coach with a reputation that is yet to be built. However, he is known quite well for developing and polishing young players while also extracting the best out of the team despite having limited resources.
Leeds are not in the best position right now but Heckingbottom has worked in more trying situations to come out on top and Leeds will be hoping for the same. That said, the move is nothing short of a gamble and if Heckingbottom can manage to deliver, he will become an iconic figure at Elland Road.
Heckingbottom is an ambitious man and it is something that was evident in the way he helped Barnsley rise to prominence. Ever since he took charge of the club in 2016, he helped them win against sides like Oxford and Millwall. He knows how to work with a wobbly side and can fine-tune them to bring out the best. Leeds are no different and though the pressure is immense, Heckingbottom is one of the very few people who can actually do it.