Feature Season Preview Leeds United
We look ahead to the Whites' 2010-11 Championship Campaign
Feature: Season Preview Leeds United
After a predictably dour showing by England in the World Cup, football fans in Leeds now have something far more exciting to look forward to, as Championship football returns to Elland Road.
The sleeping giant that is Leeds United awoke last season with a rollercoaster campaign full of twists, turns, cup upsets and a promotion won in the most dramatic final-day seen at Elland Road for a generation.
Leeds’ new all-white shirt and a city still buoyed from last season will hopefully spur United on to build on last year’s successes, but the reality for the Elland Road faithful is that promotion to the promised land of the Premiership is another huge task.
Manager Simon Grayson wasted no time in adding to his squad this summer, bringing in four new recruits before the England team had got on the plane home from South Africa, and a further two players before Andrés Iniesta scored the goal that won the trophy for Spain.
Amongst the newcomers are highly-rated goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel who’s putting his famous father Peter in a tricky position by hopping over the Pennines. Leeds-lad Lloyd Sam joins on a free from Charlton to add some attacking flair in midfield whilst Billy Paynter swapped playoff heartache with Swindon for a move up north.
Add to the mix Neill Collins, who signed permanently from Preston North End after playing an important role on loan at Elland Road at the end of last season. and full-back pair Federico Bessone from Swansea and Paul Connolly from Derby and the Leeds squad looks healthier and stronger already. Fans will be holding out for more from Grayson before the transfer window slams shut, as the Championship will require a lot more grit and bite on the field than was observed during last season’s nail-biting title run-in.
A strong, experienced defensive midfielder is a must and despite the arrival of Paynter and return of loan man Davide Somma, United need more firepower upfront following the departure of Jermaine Beckford. The striker completed his long-protracted move to Everton in the summer after scoring 85 goals in a Leeds shirt over the last three years and he’ll be missed as he looks to prove he has what it takes to make it in the top flight.
The preseason has so far seen a few ups and downs. A tour of Slovakia saw the squad lose one match, win another and undergo a blast of cyrotherapy with temperatures of minus 120°C, before returning home and undergoing a torrid 4-0 defeat in the pouring rain at the hands of Bury. Any more results like that and an ice cold welcome might become a more common event for the team. Thankfully, the next game saw United playing away at Hartlepool and returning with a far more convincing 5-0 victory.
A scout down the fixture list this season sees several familiar names to look forward to. There’s Yorkshire derbies a-plenty, with Barnsley, Doncaster, Hull and Sheffield United all eying the Whites up as a chief scalp, our old friends at Cardiff and a last-day of the season clash at Neil Warnock’s QPR (assuming Rangers’ owners haven’t had enough of him by then). Only the wildest optimist would dare to suggest this could be a promotion decider, but we all dared to dream at Old Trafford last season didn’t we? Enjoy the season everyone and keep on Marching On Together.
Elland Road regular Mark Fletcher runs beer reviews website Real-Ale-Reviews.com and Leeds fan Joe Mewis’ new book Leeds United On This Day will be out at the end of August
Posted on Wednesday 4th August 2010
Leeds United FC
Elland Road, Leeds, LS11 OES
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