Former Leeds United star David Prutton has claimed that new boss Paul Heckingbottom has not enacted enough change at the club since his arrival.
Former boss Thomas Christiansen was dismissed in February after a dismal winless run of seven games, and Leeds turned to Barnsley boss Heckingbottom as his replacement.
Since the 40-year-old’s arrival the Whites have won just one of their eight games, alongside three draws and four losses to put themselves out of contention for a play-off spot.
Sky Sports pundit Prutton has now claimed that the start to Heckingbottom’s career at Leeds has been disappointing after he crucially failed to change enough at the club, and called on him to establish a framework for next season as soon as possible.
In a column for the Yorkshire Evening Post, Prutton said: “I don’t doubt that Heckingbottom would have liked to have seen more of an improvement in the team than he has. It was unrealistic to ask anyone to pick up and revolutionise the struggling side Thomas Christiansen left for him, but, in my view, the changes so far have been pretty limited. As far as results go, I take very little interest in the cliché of the managerial bounce because you often find that a new boss picks things up for a limited period but I do like to see significant alterations in the way a side plays, the way they defend and they way they adapt to a new voice.
“Over the next eight games I’d like to see the skeleton of a side fall into place at Leeds because, as much as I agree that some major recruitment is needed, the club can’t start from scratch in the next window. They can’t dispense with the entire squad and the fact is that some of the players at Elland Road are better than these results. Some players at Leeds would slot into a competitive Championship side.
“For his own sake, Heckingbottom needs to establish a framework which he can build around when the summer comes. I don’t blame him for any of the problems this season, but Leeds can’t just wade through six more weeks of draws and losses. No-one around here will tolerate that.”
OPINION
Prutton is spot on here. More often than not in modern football you will see an upturn in results when a new manager comes in. If not, you usually see an upturn in performances, or at least a change in style. None of those things have been present at Leeds since Heckingbottom’s arrival, and that will disappoint fans. The former Barnsley boss gives off the impression of being this no-nonsense, old-school manager, but it doesn’t even look like he has whipped the squad into shape, which would be the least expected of him. As Prutton says, it is too early to lay the blame at his feet, but Heckingbottom needs to start enacting some real change at Elland Road if he is to make a success of this big opportunity.