The managerial seat of Leeds United continues to draw questions in relation to the position of the club in the Championship. What started out as a promising season headed towards a promotion to the Premier League is in tatters right now. The Whites sit in the 14th spot of the points table and have won just 2 games since Boxing day.
Obviously, the United faithful have been calling for the head of Paul Heckingbottom with Andrea Radrizzani drawn into questions over his own decisions. Bookmakers have joined the conversation by lining up Shrewsbury Town head coach, Paul Hurst as the 40-year-old’s replacement.
Hurst comes from a similar background as Heckingbottom himself as far as career paths are concerned. Both are young in the profession and have made a name for themselves in the lower divisions of English football.
Heckingbottom lead Barnsley to Championship promotion in the 2014/15 season by beating Millwall in the League One Playoff Final. Shrewsbury are headed towards the same direction under Hurst and are within an earshot of an automatic promotion as well.
Heckingbottom’s work with the Reds was expected to be repeated at Elland Road but after 12 games in charge, it all paints an entirely different fixture. He has struggled to uplift the team from their torrid run earlier in the year. The former Sunderland player has followed into Thomas Christiansen’s shortcomings and is close to facing the axe after this season.
However, is it fair to drop the entire blame on Heckingbottom? No!
His work might not have been impactful but has shown promising signs over the past couple of months. The 2-2 draw against Derby County in February showed the manager’s tactical capabilities and even the 1-0 win over Brentford in the next weekend.
It might be a classic case of a mental rut which more often than not players struggle to come out of. Granted a fresh face and new perspective will change things but Heckingbottom does not deserve all the backlash.
If anything, Hurst might just do the exact same job with the current squad if new signings are not made in the next summer window. He could be another gamble that has equal odds of not panning out for the Peacocks.
Read More: Leeds United Working On A Deal For This In Form Spanish Star: Why They Need To Tie Him Down!
Plus the jump to the Championship is almost a mile long as far competition in the League One is concerned. Hurst needs to prove his capability in the upper tier before he can be considered for the position of a club hoping to earn promotion to England’s first division.
