Sheffield United: Manager makes amazing claim about his team
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After last weekend’s draw with Norwich City extended United’s winless run to six games, Heckingbottom’s squad are preparing for Saturday’s match at West Bromwich Albion ranked fifth in the table despite entering the recent international break three points clear of second.
Although a debilitating injury crisis has limited his room for manoeuvre, recently prompting him to admit that availability rather than form is now influencing their selections, the 44-year-old has refused to criticise United’s players for surrendering pole position in the race to reach the Premier League.
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Hide AdIndeed, after watching them come from two goals down to claim a share of the spoils against Dean Smith’s side, Heckingbottom is convinced that no team in the competition offers paying supporters better value for money.
“I watch so much Championship football, and this isn’t me bigging us up for the sake of it, but I do think some of our games are the best you’ll see. We always try and have a go. We always try and play on the front foot. Okay, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. But that’s always what we’ll try and do and the lads deserve recognition for that.”
As well as their fitness issues which will rule Sander Berge, Max Lowe, Jayden Bogle and Rhys Norrington-Davies out of the trip to The Hawthorns, United’s recent performances have been peppered with individual errors. That has prompted calls for Heckingbottom to adopt a more conservative strategy in an effort to help them rediscover the defensive solidity which characterised United’s displays at the beginning of the campaign.
But Heckingbottom, whose side have conceded as many goals in their last three outings as they did in their first seven since returning to action in August, stressed: “How we go about things suits us and it’s best for us. We do everything we can to try and get a goal ourselves and show that intent. The minute that stops, that’s when I think there’s an issue to be worried about going forward.”