Slavisa Jokanovic struggled at Sheffield United during the early stages of the 2021/22 campaign, but his exit in November 2021 came as a surprise to quite a few people.
After years of being led by Chris Wilder, the Blades had to adjust to a new style under Jokanovic.
Paul Heckingbottom may have spent some time as caretaker manager in the latter stages of the 2020/21 season, but United were used to Wilder’s system, and Jokanovic needed time to adopt it.
Having previously won promotions with Watford and Fulham, some fans were ready to be patient with the Serbian, even though the squad was underperforming in the early months of the 2021/22 season.
Sheffield United replace Slavisa Jokanovic with Paul Heckingbottom
Prince Abdullah ended Jokanovic’s tenure on November 25th, 2021, just a few days after the Blades won 1-0 away at Reading.
Even though the South Yorkshire side didn’t play well that night, his dismissal was unexpected, and the choice to name Heckingbottom as his permanent successor was even more surprising.
Heckingbottom was an internal selection with a successful management career, but the decision to award him a four-and-a-half-year deal was derided by many football fans, not only Blades supporters.
Many people expected Heckingbottom to fail, but he proved to be a very good pick. He was also able to make a decent short-term impression.
Paul Heckingbottom proved people wrong after Sheffield United appointment
The Blades were in lower midtable when Heckingbottom took over, but he was able to immediately take them up the Championship, winning his first three league games in charge and securing a statement win away at Fulham during that run.
They struggled at times, but they won their last three league games of the season to secure a spot in the playoffs.
They almost made it to the play-off final by defeating Nottingham Forest.
They won 2-1 in the second leg away at Forest, who appeared invincible under Steve Cooper at the time, and went to penalties.
Unfortunately, United did not win the shootout, but they were able to redeem themselves the following season by winning promotion.
Their transfer business was limited during the summer of 2022, but United were able to get off to a quick start in the 2022/23 season, finishing with 91 points, which is an exceptional number.
| Championship table (2022/23 campaign) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | P | GD | Pts | |
| 1 | Burnley | 46 | 52 | 101 |
| 2 | Sheffield United | 46 | 34 | 91 |
| 3 | Luton Town | 46 | 18 | 80 |
| 4 | Middlesbrough | 46 | 28 | 75 |
| 5 | Coventry City | 46 | 12 | 70 |
| 6 | Sunderland | 46 | 13 | 69 |
During their promotion-winning season, they defeated title-winners Burnley 5-2, demonstrating the quality of United’s squad.
Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge may have made a significant contribution at times, but Heckingbottom deserves a lot of credit for his efforts at Bramall Lane.
Though his time at United did not end well, with the 47-year-old failing in the Premier League, he is warmly remembered for the success he had in South Yorkshire.
The fact that he was able to prove others wrong likely added to the spell’s appeal for him.
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