Hecky's final Blades press conference

The Star, Sheffield

Paul Heckingbottom's final Sheffield United press conference after the 5-0 humiliation at Burnley proved the final straw

Transcript

00:00 What's your take on that?

00:03 Yeah, massively disappointed.

00:07 Listen, we picked a team with

00:10 experienced physicality,

00:13 so certainly to start the game and impose ourselves on Burnley,

00:15 which they would have been expecting.

00:18 And then we dangled two legs in two tackles in the first 30 seconds,

00:21 a lower ball in our box and 1-0 down.

00:24 The second goal is not much better from our point of view,

00:26 now we defend it and then by half-time we've got 10 men.

00:29 So Burnley would not have been expecting a game like that,

00:34 and neither was I.

00:37 Yeah, so that's decided again.

00:39 After last week and all the build-up and all the talk about this game,

00:42 one thing you needed was a quick start, wasn't it?

00:45 And then when you got behind 50 seconds into the game,

00:48 just must have done everything that you were working to do.

00:50 It does if you allow it to.

00:51 Listen, giving them a one-goal lead start is all we've done.

00:54 As frustrated as I am and as angry as I am with the goal and the nature of it,

00:57 giving them a one-goal lead start.

01:01 I think the best way to sum it up is,

01:03 you can't kid anyone when you're on the pitch,

01:05 certainly not the fans, you can't kid them.

01:07 The moments in that game where we were second best in competing.

01:13 In this league, regardless of the level, we all know the step-up in level.

01:20 And if you're not good enough because that step-up's too big,

01:23 you can hold your hands up.

01:26 But if you want a career at this level,

01:28 if you want to stay here as a group or as an individual,

01:33 you have to embrace the league and you have to embrace the challenge of it.

01:36 And as I said, you can't kid anyone.

01:37 And people know who is playing without fear and playing with

01:45 the freedom and the excitement with what the Premier League should bring.

01:49 There's a lot of anger and a lot of frustration on the terraces from the way in.

01:52 Can you understand that based on what you've seen?

01:54 Yeah, I bet they're nearly as angry as me.

01:56 You touched on it earlier, now he's banned for two games,

02:01 that must only add to the frustration as well.

02:04 An experienced player just back from injury after a bump-out,

02:07 two-nil down, stroke at half-time, does he need to deal with that?

02:11 No.

02:11 Jumped that second ball, if you're told him that, wouldn't you tell him?

02:16 There's a lot of questions about your position, your chance,

02:20 but the first time, from the crowd, do you still feel you're the right man to turn this around?

02:26 Nothing will change in that respect, Danny.

02:28 Listen, I've had this now since the beginning of September.

02:30 And one thing I can say is that I can walk out of this stadium with my head held high.

02:37 I know how hard I work and for everyone at the club, that won't change.

02:41 I'll make sure the staff will do the same.

02:43 And we'll continue to give everything we've got with what we've got.

02:46 That won't change.

02:48 And as I said, the first time I got asked this, however many months ago,

02:52 you're asking the wrong person.

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