The 2021/22 SkyBet Championship campaign will be remembered by Blades fans as a season of two halves.
Spirits were high in August following the appointment of Slavisa Jokanovic, a manager with a proven track record of achieving promotion to the Premier League. The early season optimism soon faded following an opening day defeat at home to Birmingham City.
It was a game which was emblematic of United’s woes under Jokanovic, with the players struggling to switch from the style of play which they had enjoyed under former manager Chris Wilder. With the exception of Morgan Gibbs-White, no one ever looked comfortable receiving the ball from the defence, with the Blades’ attack being hopelessly blunt week after week.
The situation was exacerbated by the fact that Jokanovic had only arrived at Bramall Lane in July, with the Serb being unable to bring in players who would have been better suited to his footballing philosophy.
In the end, Jokanovic’s appointment was one which looked great on paper but never really felt right once he stepped into the dugout. A dire run of form saw the Blades pick up just 23 points from their first 19 games. Following increasing discontent from the stands, Jokanovic was sacked in late November despite a 2-0 home win over Bristol City.
The United board wasted little time in naming Paul Heckingbottom as Jokanovic’s replacement, offering the ex-under 23s and caretaker manager a five-year contract. Many fans, including myself, were sceptical about his appointment. Lots viewed him as an easy going ‘yes man’ who lacked the drive and ambition to take the club in a forward direction. It’s safe to say that ‘Hecky’ – as he is affectionately known – has proven the doubters wrong.
The resurgence that the club has enjoyed under his leadership has been remarkable, with United moving from 16th to 5th, picking up 52 points and keeping 18 clean sheets along the way. This resurgence has not only been felt on the pitch but off it too, with Hecky restoring the connection between players and the fans which hadn’t been there under Jokanovic. The importance of this player-fan-manager connection at Sheffield United cannot be underestimated, with it being one of the key factors behind the meteoric rise under Wilder.
After such a successful beginning to his tenure, the challenge now for Heckingbottom is to go one better next season following the disappointing penalty defeat to Nottingham Forest in the playoff semi-finals. The expectation will be to make automatic promotion or at least the playoffs. Anything else will be viewed as a backward step. As always recruitment will be key. United have lost their best performer last season in loanee Morgan Gibbs-White, and finding a midfielder who can match his link up play and incisive attacking ability will be crucial if the Blades are to achieve promotion.
The most important business that needs to be done is in the forward department. With Rhian Brewster still finding his feet, veteran Billy Sharp beginning to suffer with injuries and Oli McBurnie struggling for form – the Blades desperately need a proven goalscorer. United have been far too reliant on the close-range efforts of Sharp and need a striker with the ability to drive forwards and put efforts on goal from outside the 18-yard box.
If the Blades can manage to replace Gibbs-White and beef up their attacking options, then Heckingbottom will have every chance of success next season.