Sheffield United: Significant 2021 decision proved everyone wrong | OneFootball

Heckingbottom's appointment was mocked by many - but he proved to be a very shrewd appointment.

Slavisa Jokanovic struggled at Sheffield United during the early stages of the 2021/22 campaign, but his exit in November 2021 came as a surprise to quite a few people.

The Blades had to adapt to a new style under Jokanovic, having spent years under the stewardship of Chris Wilder.

Paul Heckingbottom may have spent some time in caretaker charge during the latter stages of the 2020/21 campaign, but United were very much accustomed to the Wilder way and Jokanovic needed time to implement his style.

Having won promotions with Watford and Fulham in the past, some fans were willing to be patient with the Serbian, even though the team weren't performing to their potential during the first few months of the 2021/22 season.

Sheffield United replace Slavisa Jokanovic with Paul Heckingbottom

Prince Abdullah cut Jokanovic's reign short on November 25th 2021, just a couple of days after the Blades had secured a 1-0 away win at Reading.

Even that night, the South Yorkshire side didn't play very well, but his sacking was still a surprise and the decision to appoint Heckingbottom as his permanent successor was an even bigger shock.

Heckingbottom was an internal appointment, and he had experienced success during his managerial career, but the decision to hand him a four-and-a-half-year contract was mocked by many football fans, not just those who supported the Blades.

Quite a few people were expecting Heckingbottom to fail, but he proved to be a very good appointment, and he was able to make a decent short-term impression, as well as a positive longer-term impact.

Paul Heckingbottom proved people wrong after Sheffield United appointment

The Blades were in a lower midtable position when Heckingbottom came in, but he was able to guide them up the Championship quite quickly, winning his first three league games in charge and securing a statement win away at Fulham during that set of games.

They did stutter at points, but won their final three league games of the season to book a place in the play-offs.

And they very nearly secured a place in the play-off final at the expense of Nottingham Forest.

Winning 2-1 in the second leg away at Forest, who looked unstoppable under Steve Cooper at the time, they took the game to penalties.

Unfortunately for United, they were unable to secure a win in the shootout, but they were able to redeem themselves in the following season to win promotion.

Their transfer business was limited during the 2022 summer window, but United were still able to make a fast start to the 2022/23 campaign and managed to finish on 91 points in the end, which is an excellent total.

During their promotion-winning season, they also beat title-winners Burnley 5-2, which shows the quality that United had in their squad.

The likes of Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge may have made a real difference at times, but Heckingbottom still deserves plenty of credit for his work at Bramall Lane.

Though his reign at United may not have ended very well, with the 47-year-old struggling in the Premier League, he is fondly remembered for the success he enjoyed in South Yorkshire.