OPINION
Former Leeds manager Paul Heckingbottom is on the verge of landing his first job since being sacked by the Championship high-flyers in the summer.
Sky Sports reported earlier today that Heckingbottom is at the Hibernian training ground to finalise a deal to become head coach.
BREAKING: Paul Heckingbottom at @HibernianFC training ground to finalise deal to become head coach.
Read more: https://t.co/sqTcvrxbLx pic.twitter.com/ASGVxVgUM7
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) February 13, 2019
Things didn’t work out for Heckingbottom at Leeds. Inheriting a squad that was dropping down the table fast, he only won four games in the league and was relieved of his duty in the summer.
The overriding feeling was that he was out of his depth, although some fans still don’t think he was given a fair chance.
The contrast between him and Marcelo Bielsa couldn’t have been bigger though, and Bielsa has given the lie to the view that Heckingbottom was working with players that weren’t good enough.
Both Heckingbottom and Thomas Christiansen failed to get the best from the current Leeds players and for Heckingbottom, that failure has led him north of the border, where he’ll try to steer Hibs towards the top of the Premiership table.
At the moment they’re sat in eighth spot, 14 points off Aberdeen in third.
Many Leeds fans took to Twitter to react to the news and, as you might imagine, they weren’t all hugely positive about their former man. Some, however, were gracious enough to wish him well in his new role.
Here are the best reactions from Leeds fans to the news:
Lolololol DONT DO IT !!!!! Paul Heckingbottom dear dear dear https://t.co/Nws64VwdV4
— Ryan Adair (@RyanAdairLufc) February 13, 2019
Best of luck to Paul Heckingbottom at Hibernian. Got to say that the Leeds job came a bit too soon and he joined at a point where the season seemed over and done with. I still believe he’s a good coach and hopefully he can do a decent job there.
— Tom Carnduff (@TomCarnduff) February 13, 2019
https://twitter.com/THEbarkerboy98/status/1095691309946421248
https://twitter.com/josephjaylufc/status/1095691207932555271
Thinking of you at this difficult time @GarySma32095167
— DG ? (@ellandduck) February 13, 2019
@judediab good luck. You’ll need it
— Theo Widdicombe (@widdicombe_theo) February 13, 2019
Give the bloke a break. He was never good enough and should never have been given the job at Leeds, but that's not his fault. Any one of us would take the job if offered. Good luck to him I say, maybe without the pressure he had with us he'll do well for them. Good luck Paul.
— Jo ? (@El_Loco_Jo) February 13, 2019
https://twitter.com/b1ake_LUFC/status/1095692493910347777
https://twitter.com/AlanWiggypie/status/1095696923410001922
— John Bond (@JohnBond) February 13, 2019
I always liked Hibs. It’s all so sad. Chin up. It won’t last long at least. ?
— Tony Stevenson?? (@tonystellafella) February 13, 2019
The worst and most pointless football we ever played under the Heck.
— LEEDSLEEDSLEEDS (@lufcTom1919) February 13, 2019
https://twitter.com/LordBielsa/status/1095694072377999360
— Jack Hill (@jack_hill567) February 13, 2019
Oh dear @HibernianFC #hibs hes shocking
— Phil (@leedsunited86) February 13, 2019