The message coming out of Bramall Lane last night was that Paul Heckingbottom’s job is safe, and so it should be. However, any more performances of yesterday’s nature and the safety net might be as wide open as United’s defending.

The hosts crumbled to an embarrassing defeat to bring to an end what has been a week to forget on and off the pitch. And had Newcastle taken the scoreline into double figures, it would not have flattered them.

So where do Sheffield United go from here and what next for the Blades boss? Naturally, talk of his position will continue the longer his side goes without a win and remains rooted to the bottom but it’s important to have context behind such narrative. It was mapped out on the day of his appointment that he would ‘not be judged on results’ but on the performance of the football department.

READ MORE: Worrying signs for Sheffield United with no case for defence as Bramall Lane issue now clear

That football department is in good shape. The average age and size of the squad have come down, more debuts for some of the club’s younger players have been handed out and the progress under Heckingbottom has been clear.

He is central to a long-term vision and one that has so far been working very well but this season will put that plan to the test, with United likely to lose more than they win but before Heckingbottom takes the brunt for United’s poor start, there has to be collective responsibility from top to bottom.

There can be no surprise that United are facing a season of struggle, the message in the summer was not about this season but beyond. Premier League money this time has been used to ensure the club learns lessons from its last stint in the top flight and has used it to clean the decks. Last season’s financial troubles have now been addressed thanks to promotion and the majority of players signed have been young players with development in mind.

Indeed, one signing cost less than what United generated for the sale of a 15-year-old in their academy. It was a transfer blueprint to protect the future, but not one that smacked of a club expecting to retain its Premier League status. The board has to take some responsibility for the start to the season, especially given the delay

Although fan patience will ultimately decide the outcome, internally there is a plan and Heckingbottom is central to that. Everyone inside Bramall Lane is on board with how they plan to use this opportunity given the state of affairs off the pitch last season. However, while results are not the be-all and end-all of that plan, Heckingbottom has to help himself for that not to become an issue.

He pushed back in yesterday’s post-match press conference against the notion his side’s defending is an issue. Yet it’s clear for all to see. The ease with which Newcastle found the net, on top of the errors and poor goals conceded so far this season, could cost him his job if they don’t tighten up at the back.

While defensively United were at sixes and sevens, and eventually eights, they were far too open against a side that only five days earlier had gone toe-to-toe in the Champions League with AC Milan. Anel Ahmedhodzic had been given a torrid time by Anthony Gordon in the first half and was found wanting for two of the three goals.

Yet, for the second half the Bosnian went up against him having been moved to right back as Heckingbottom chased the game by bringing on a second attacker. Ahmedhodzic then rolled out the welcome mat for Gordon to cut inside him and curl home the fifth while he stood and watched and then capped off a woeful display by being the first player to head straight for the tunnel at full-time.

Was it naive not to accept defeat at the break and tighten up with damage limitation in mind, or does he deserve credit for wanting to find a way back?

Heckingbottom cannot afford too many more days like yesterday but while the scoreline was embarrassing and the manner of the defeat worrying, he has every right to feel let down by his players. A team that is built on the motto of out fight, out play, out run and one that prides itself on character and its mentality showed a distinct lack of all of that yesterday as they waved the white flag.

Having been the subject of headlines the previous week about his job, he may well have wanted to send out a message of a team ready to roll their sleeves up but it was the exact opposite. There have been signs that they were edging ever closer to a first win in recent weeks, but this result came out of nowhere.

Southampton got thumped 9-0 twice in successive seasons but finished 11th and 15th. As Heckingbottom pointed out yesterday it’s not a defeat that will define their season, but the manner of it will and it could also define the manager’s future unless they address the worrying signs to emerge from a rather dreadful display.