Leeds News

Former Leeds boss accepts Elland Road experience alerted him to naive approach

|

Paul Heckingbottom was a disastrous manager at Elland Road, but has claimed upon being appointed as Hibernian’s new boss that his time with Leeds alerted him to his naive approach, as per quotes published by the Yorkshire Evening Post, taken from HibsTV.

When he arrived in Yorkshire, he had just left his boyhood side with aspirations of moving United up the table, but what he managed at Barnsley could not be replicated in his 16 games with us.

Four wins at the helm made his dismissal in the summer inevitable, and in the end both parties profited from the decision as Marcelo Bielsa replaced the now-Hibs boss, while it alerted the 41-year-old to how blind he was in taking over from Thomas Christiansen.

“I’m 100 per cent a better manager for it than when I went in,” Heckingbottom said. “I went in there [Leeds] a bit naive if I’m honest. My time had come to an end at Barnsley, there were things going on which meant I wasn’t going to stay.

“But it’s off the back of that, you’re learning and you don’t want to make the same mistakes.

“So for me to be really diligent and patient for my next club career move, I’m really happy that I have had that because if I’m confident how good a fit this club is for me, then I’m giving myself the best possible chance to be successful.”

Share this article