The Hornets are set to be looking for a new boss this summer, and one man who is currently out of work is ex-Sheffield United manager Heckingbottom
The 34-year-old has managed four games so far and has done fairly well as well, going undefeated. Among those matches was a 1-0 victory away to Birmingham City and four draws, in that order, with Leeds, West Brom, Preston North End, and Ipswich Town.
More success will undoubtedly help Cleverley’s prospects of getting the position long-term, but the club will undoubtedly give other applicants priority before making this crucial choice.
Carlton Palmer urges Watford to consider Paul Heckingbottom
Former Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom is one possibility the team ought to take into consideration, according to former Hornets midfielder Carlton Palmer.
Although Palmer thinks his previous team ought to be considering the 46-year-old as well, Sunderland is apparently giving him serious consideration.
Palmer recently told FLW, “Tom Cleverley is still impressing at Watford, and he is doing his chances of getting the job permanently no harm.”
“In his four games in command, he has truly stabilised the ship, winning one and earning two draws against teams vying for promotion. You cannot in any way criticise the work he has done.
“Despite his connections to the Sunderland position, Paul Heckingbottom is someone I admire, therefore it surprises me that he hasn’t been signed yet.
“He performed admirably with Sheffield United during his previous stint in the division, helping the team advance with some outstanding play.
“He performed admirably there as well, considering the little funding, and I felt it was unfortunate that he ultimately lost his job.
“Whether Paul would be interested in the job, given the way the Watford hierarchy hire and fire managers, would remain to be seen, but he definitely would be someone I would personally look at, given that he remains out of a job for now.”
Watford should not overlook Paul Heckingbottom in manager search
In light of the aforementioned, some of our FLW writers have talked about Heckingbottom below and if Watford should give him a shot at becoming head coach in the summer.
Simmey Hannifin-Donaldson
It would be a mistake for Watford to pass him over in their summertime head coach search.
The former Sheffield United manager led the Blades to victory in extremely trying conditions behind the scenes and has expertise gaining promotions in the second division.
In that regard, his background would be advantageous for what appears to be a challenging position at Vicarage Road, and given enough time, he could undoubtedly succeed in WD18.
Watford would also not be required to pay any club a compensation fee for the 46-year-old, having been fired by the Blades, which is another reason the Hornets ought to give him some thought.
If, and it’s a big if, Watford were interested, though, I can see Heckingbottom having potential reservations about taking the role.
Watford have become infamous for their hiring and firing of head coaches in recent years, and given that Heckingbottom is a relatively big name available on the job market this summer, he will likely not be short of options in the Championship.
As such, there may be more attractive options than Watford out there for Heckingbottom this summer.
Heckingbottom’s record before moving to Bramall Lane was dubious, to put it mildly, but it was evident that he had what it took to lift Sheffield United out of the Championship the previous season.
Regardless of the manager in charge, the Blades team that earned promotion was a respectable one. However, Heckingbottom’s prospects aren’t great when you consider that Chris Wilder appears to be getting a little bit more out of them in the Premier League than “Hecky” did, and that Wilder was unable to get the Hornets to challenge for the playoffs.
The 46-year-old likely has a fine Championship position somewhere, but Watford usually performs better when they take the foreign coach route.
Of course, it doesn’t always work, but Xisco Munoz’s victory with the Hertfordshire team allowed him to advance from the Championship, suggesting that perhaps a manager or a young coach might be more appropriate for the current role at Vicarage Road than someone with more experience.
Heckingbottom is obviously someone to think about given his background in the game, but Watford should ultimately take a different route.
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