Pundit’s bizarre “pub football” comment over Sheffield United “timewasting” debate v Tottenham Hotspur

Sheffield United’s approach at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, and boss Paul Heckingbottom’s comments following it, have created much debate in the national media. United were leading at Spurs going into 12 minutes of injury time before two late goals saw the home side complete a dramatic turnaround and seal all three points.

Boss Heckingbottom expressed his frustration at referee Peter Bankes’ display afterwards. Bankes attracted the ire of both sets of players and fans throughout the game and sent off Oli McBurnie for a second yellow card in injury time, with the Scottish striker claiming he only told Bankes that his shirt was being pulled as United pumped a late free-kick into the box.

Heckingbottom also claimed that Bankes told United goalkeeper Wes Foderingham to “kick it long” instead of allowing Spurs to regroup and then play from the back through United’s defenders when spaces presented themselves. “We split our centre-backs to play out from goal-kicks,” Heckingbottom said. “We get out a couple of times so Spurs change. We put the ball down, Spurs change, so Wes has to make a different decision and he’s getting told to play. Why would you play then? Spurs have adapted to us so we have to change again and play something different.

“The referees are just showing how little they know about the game and they’re directing it. How can that possible? I wanted to show them at half-time but I know they can’t see it. From the moment the ball is down [for a goal-kick] we’re taking it in 10 seconds but because we’re getting out and playing to Oli, Spurs change, so Wes has a different decision to make. He can’t make his decision until Spurs have moved. The referees haven’t got a clue, they don’t know what I’m saying. The answer back to me was: ‘Kick long, then.’ We work all week on how we want to play and the refs are dictating to us how we play the game. It can’t happen but it’s happening.”

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Speaking on the BBC, however, pundit and former striker Chris Sutton wasn’t buying Heckingbottom’s comments - wondering, for some reason, whether the Blades boss would have made the same complaint if his side had won. “I think absolutely not,” he said. “I think it was a lot of emotion at the end. His team had conceded two late goals. It’s interesting, we haven’t seen the referees come out and have a pop at Paul Heckingbottom and the way he set his team up at a corner when Richarlison scored and the way they gave away the ball when Tottenham scored the second.

“Which they would have been quite within their rights to do. I think this whole thing is utter nonsense about the goalkeeper. Sheffield United were time-wasting. The whole point of the added-on time and the length of it is because supporters are frustrated with teams time-wasting. This isn’t pub football. If Wes Foderingham can’t work out what to do within two seconds, then he shouldn’t be playing Premier League football.

“Honestly. It’s ridiculous that he has to assess the situation and has to think for 10 or 15 seconds, ‘What shall I do?’ This is supposed to be the best league in the world and Paul Heckingbottom is trying to make us believe that Wes Foderingham didn’t have a clue what to do? It’s just utter guff.”