There was an element of loyalty that led to Sheffield Wednesday entrusting their new, Arise ownership regime with Henrik Pedersen as head coach.
Previously an assistant to Danny Rohl, Pedersen is a highly accomplished and esteemed coach, highly regarded across the continent, having worked for the likes of Red Bull Leipzig.
The Dane didn’t need to persevere through the calamity that was last season, with a summer exodus due to financial issues, a tiny squad propped up by academy graduates from an unextraordinary youth setup, skeletal staff, and as well as a whole host of everyday issues like the absence of any running water to deal with – and the points deductions meant the season was a write-off right from the get-go, making motivation challenging.
Yet persevere he did, when it would have been easier to sack it off and find another job on mainland Europe, in hope of getting the opportunity to build something of substance.
The problem for the club is that, in choosing Pedersen, rather than saying thanks, giving him a healthy compensation and going with their own person, is that it opens the conversation for change much earlier, if performances aren’t what was wanted straight away.
If it was a new appointment that began nine unbeaten, with some heavy wins and some ropey performances, but then successive wins, the whole club would be intent on giving them time.
Whereas, with Pedersen, Owls fans point to his record, including last season, fairly or otherwise, and the temptation is stronger to change.
The problem the club has now is that, after a start to the season that should come as no surprise to anyone, after such a tumultuous summer with change across the board, they’ve missed an opportunity to bring in their own person, and give them a pre-season to recruit and get their ideas across.
There’s a pressure to get results straight away, at a club of this stature in League One, and so the job probably requires somebody willing to be flexible – at least initially.
It’s one thing wanting to be a pressing coach, but if your best player is veteran midfielder Barry Bannan, then maybe you cool that down in order to maximise your biggest assets.
Also, I think leadership is a key factor. Pedersen, Matt Hamshaw and Pete Shuttleworth are all good technical coaches, but I don’t think there was enough charisma, vocality and motivational qualities within that group – and that has to change with that next appointment.
You have to be good at managing people, managing upwards, managing the media… and that’s the reason why I probably wouldn’t endorse Dave Challinor, the early frontrunner.
He’s got a great record at the lower levels, but I’m not quite sure how he’d come across to people when he’s coming in as an outsider, and I also wonder if as a decision-maker, he might be a bit too individualistic.
I think that works at smaller clubs, where there’s fewer people, whereas at the bigger clubs it arguably becomes more important to bring everyone into the decision-making process.
My first pick would be Paul Heckingbottom. I think he’s a really underrated Championship manager, who’s delivered results everywhere he’s been, but I see a possibility where, after his exit from PNE, he might slip through the net at that level.
Hecky is a really good motivator, with the ability to manage the club and not just the players. He’s a Yorkshireman, which shouldn’t be a factor but doesn’t do any harm with regard to both personal logistics, and how he’s received from the fanbase once you get past the fact he’s managed their fierce rivals to promotion.
Previous affiliations aren’t ideal, but we’ve seen Danny Wilson and Steve Bruce manage both clubs well enough without major issues, and Heckingbottom has enough about him to deflect some of the stick by taking it in good humour.
I think the fact this is an in-season appointment would be a positive thing in that regard, because he has the opportunity to win the fanbase over early on with results and performances, and I see him as the type of manager who can make an instant impact.
Heckingbottom came in at Barnsley, initially as caretaker, and continued their ascent up the league to a promotion and cup double in 2015-16.
He went in at Sheffield United, changed from the 4-2-3-1 Slavisa Jokanovic was playing to the 3-5-2 the players were used to and got them to the play-offs in 2021-22.
At Preston North End, they’d had a shaky start with successive defeats, and under Heckingbottom they only lost six of the next 30 league games.
He’s an experienced manager now, he knows what he’s doing and I think he’d be a great fit.
