Paul Heckingbottom will be thrown straight into the deep end this afternoon as his Leeds side take on local rivals Sheffield United in what could be a feisty Yorkshire derby.

Whilst firing the players up and making sure they are committed and ready for the battle might be the usual pre-match talk from a boss ahead of such a game, Heckingbottom will have to plead for calm heads.

Leeds lack of discipline was a major factor in Thomas Christiansen getting the sack and the new boss needs to make sure his players don’t continue to throw away their season because of stupid red cards.

The Whites are bottom of the fair play table and have more red cards than any other side in the league and Heckingbottom is already feeling the impact of that.

He goes to Bramall Lane without key player Samuel Saiz, full-back Gaetano Berardi and captain Liam Cooper who are all absent through suspension, although Eunan O’Kane is returning from a ban.

Those players have all been dismissed in recent games and it’s seriously halted their play-off push.

You have to seriously question the professionalism and attitudes of those involved to keep costing the team even after it became a highlighted issue weeks ago. Yet, nothing changed under Christiansen and he paid the ultimate price.

Quite simply, Leeds are nowhere near good enough, like every other side, to be giving opponents a man advantage.

So, when the sides step out into what should be a raucous atmosphere this afternoon, Heckingbottom will have to make sure his players play the game and not the occasion.

Fans may pass off a late tackle or players squaring up to opponents as passion and signs that they care but the reality is Leeds have crossed the line far too much in recent weeks.

And, Heckingbottom needs to resolve this discipline problem immediately if he is going to have any chance of getting off to a positive start in his Leeds career.

Thoughts, Whites fans? Let us know in the comments below.