Paudie O’Connor was dropped to the bench for Leeds United’s latest Championship clash.
For Paul Heckingbottom’s supporters, it is almost becoming more and more difficult to argue that he deserves the time to make the kind of impact that vindicates Leeds chairman Andrea Radrizzani’s decision to swiftly approach him after dismissing Thomas Christiansen earlier in the season.
Heckingbottom has overseen just three wins during his time in charge of the Whites, but he has shown some faith in some of the brightest youngsters currently coming through at Elland Road, with the likes of Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Tom Pearce and Paudie O’Connor all coming into the first-team fold since his arrival.
It also seemed unlikely that he was going to be able to make substantial changes anyway given that he arrived after the January transfer window and has had to use a squad that was already enduring a miserable slide down the table when he joined them.
Nevertheless, while it may be unfair to call for Heckingbottom to be replaced already, the head coach surely deserves criticism for some of his selection decisions along the way. And one particular call from Saturday’s defeat to Norwich City arguably needs to come under the microscope.
Despite not playing in nearly two months, Liam Cooper was recalled to the starting lineup for the trip to Carrow Road with O’Connor dropping to the bench and Pontus Jansson keeping his place.
O’Connor may have scored an own goal against Barnsley the previous week, but it could certainly be argued that he has actually been Leeds’ best-performing centre-back since his senior debut for the Whites.
Keeping O’Connor in the side may have appeared a brave call, but it would have been the kind of decision that would have earned Heckingbottom some respect from his critics given that the partnership between Cooper and Jansson has not clicked like Jansson’s pairing with Kyle Bartley did last term. O’Connor, in Cooper’s absence, had earned the right to keep his spot and Heckingbottom made what appeared to be a questionable and unfair decision by leaving him out.
Regardless of what happens on the final day of the season, Heckingbottom needs more time and a window before he can be fairly judged on whether he can take the club forward – though that is definitely becoming a much more difficult standpoint to argue – but leaving O’Connor out against Norwich is certainly the kind of decision that does the head coach no favours at all.
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