Former Leeds United manager Paul Heckingbottom has insisted that his replacement Marcelo Bielsa must be following is his shoes as he speaks out about his exit from the club.
The ex-Barnsley boss found himself without a job at the start of June after less than six months in charge at Elland Road, and two weeks later it was confirmed that the Argentinian boss would be taking his place.
Now, with Bielsa having been at the helm for nearly a month, Heckingbottom has stated that he should be demanding the same things from the board as he was when in charge, and that the board must back him to secure the success they desire.
Speaking on Jim White’s talkSPORT show (Thursday, 19/07, 10:00), he said: “I just hope they back him.
He should be saying the same things I was saying and hopefully he gets the backing and the support to make changes and give the fans there what they’re crying out for.
“That’s what they want, that’s what they demand and Andrea went out there and got the man that he wanted.”
Opinion
Fans will be hoping that Bielsa does not follow Heckingbottom’s lead after his spell in charge, with the 41-year-old having struggled to taste any sort of success after taking over in February. This is meant t be the start of a new chapter for the club, not a continuation of the last one, although with the lack of new signings through the door it looks as though it might be verging on the latter. Bielsa was an ambitious capture and the Whites should be backing him up with ambitious new signings, but it seems they have been stumped in their plans to give him exactly what he wants. With a couple of weeks remaining, there is still time, but fans will be sweating over the fact the Argentine’s arrival has not gone to plan. At least he has been given the chance to bring in some new recruits – Heckingbottom did not even see out a transfer window while in charge.