Leeds United: Previewing Leeds’ opening fixtures
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00:00Well, yep, as I say, we're into the summer now, the transfer window is going, so you've made your summary there.
00:06But, despite that, there's only just over a month until it all gets going once again.
00:13Yep.
00:14That feels a little bit daunting, to be honest, but it is.
00:17Leeds, of course, their fixtures were confirmed very recently.
00:22They start with Portsmouth at home at Elland Road.
00:27As I say, we won't go too far into the further months to come, probably just look at the first couple of ones.
00:33But, let's be honest, it's a good chance to get the crowd back on side after what was a heartbreaking day at Wembley
00:39and put in a good performance and hopefully set up the rest of the season and play as they mean to go on.
00:45I think so, yeah.
00:46The first thing to say is I better get used to the Saturday 12.30 games.
00:49I think three of the first six I think it is a Saturday 12.30.
00:52That's actually probably quite an interesting point, really, because Daniel Farker did talk about it a few times last season
00:58about how they weren't the best 12.30 kick-offs because they had to change the routines.
01:02They started another of the meals early and this, that and the other.
01:06That could be a factor, to be honest.
01:08It might well be.
01:10But, in terms of the fixtures, yeah, I don't know.
01:12I think when they first came out, I looked at it and thought that's a decent start for Leeds.
01:15I think it is because you're at home and you want to start off at home, obviously, and that's that.
01:20Obviously, against a newly promoted side in Portsmouth.
01:22But the first thing you'd say with that is, well, newly promoted side didn't stop Ipswich, did it?
01:27That's the first thing to say.
01:28They'll be coming up with momentum as well, Portsmouth.
01:31Obviously, fans will be right up for it.
01:33That in itself will be a very hard game, I think, at Ellen Road.
01:37But you would obviously fancy Leeds.
01:38I think there are about one to three favourites for it already as prices are already there for it.
01:42But that might be going a bit over the top in terms of just how strong of favourites they are.
01:46But, yeah, that's the first one.
01:47Then, obviously, you've got the Carabao Cup game.
01:48That's hard.
01:49Obviously, Middlesbrough are at home.
01:50I mean, apart from being drawn away, that's about as hard as you could have got, really, in terms of the teams in it.
01:56Obviously, with the Prem teams not coming in it yet and stuff and it obviously being regionalised.
02:00That's difficult.
02:01And then, obviously, West Brom away the following Saturday.
02:03I mean, that goes without saying.
02:05That's hard.
02:06They made the playoffs, obviously, Carlos Corbijn.
02:07And, again, that's a Saturday 12.30.
02:09Then you've got Sheffield Wednesday away on a Friday night again.
02:12So, I mean, Yorkshire derby.
02:14I expect they'll be a bit better this season.
02:16Obviously, after finishing the season strongly.
02:18And then, Hull at home as the fifth game.
02:20So, actually, when you go through it game by game, it's quite a hard start.
02:24It is quite hard.
02:26Yeah, I think so.
02:27I think it is, yeah.
02:28And it makes really getting a victory in that first game even more important because, you know,
02:33I think, generally speaking, everybody kind of agreed that Daniel Farke needed to be given another crack of the whip, you know,
02:38and have a proper start at it without a mess of a summer.
02:41And I think that's probably right.
02:42I think, you know, who else are you going to go and get, really?
02:44And stuff, you know, players, you know, seem to play for him and stuff.
02:48And I just definitely think that's the right call.
02:50But I don't mean any managers under pressure with a bad start.
02:53But especially after last season, if Leeds don't start well, then obviously, like, you know, the pressure will amount.
02:58So, they do need to hit the ground running.
03:00And I think three points in that first game is obviously very, very important.
03:03Even then, you've got five games or four league games.
03:06Then you've got the international break.
03:07And then the first game back is Burnley.
03:10And obviously, Leeds and Burnley are the top two in the market for it.
03:14So, as a first six, including the Cup game, it is a pretty, pretty hard start.
03:19But then that's the Championship.
03:21It kind of feels like the opening games, there's a bit of everything in there.
03:25And it's almost like a microcosm of the Championship.
03:28You know, you've got a potential promotion, well, a couple of potential promotion contenders in there.
03:34You've got Yorkshire derby in there.
03:36You've got a newly promoted side in there.
03:37You've got a bit of everything, really.
03:38And that just kind of sums it up in those first games.
03:40I think other standouts were Boxing Day.
03:42I think everybody had a bit of a groan at that, thinking what we're going to get on Boxing Day.
03:46And they got Stoke away.
03:47So, that'll be fun going down there on Boxing Day.
03:50But not the most glamorous fixture for that.
03:54But, you know, they've got to go and do it on a Boxing Day at Stoke and now.
03:57So, Blackburn at home on New Year's Day looks like a more palatable fixture.
04:02But then that said, we saw what Blackburn did against Leeds last season.
04:05And then the end doesn't look too bad.
04:07You've got two home games, Stoke and Bristol City, followed by Plymouth away.
04:10Obviously, Wayne Rooney's Plymouth.
04:12So, you know, we'll see how it goes.
04:14But where we're at, we'll come to that stage of the season.
04:17So, promoted on the south coast down there at Plymouth would be quite something.
04:21But let's not go that far yet.
04:23It's an awful long way to go, 46 games, obviously.
04:25But, yeah, as I say, at first glance, I thought it's a decent start.
04:28But the more you go through those game by game, it is quite a tricky one, really.
04:31I think, you know, sort of, yeah, they need a good start.
04:34It won't be that easy to get one.
04:35But they are in a better position than last summer.
04:37You know, that's the bottom line.
04:38There's still going to be ins and outs and a lot of movement this summer.
04:41Obviously, we've already had Archie.
04:42We'll wait and see what happens, whether they can keep Somerville,
04:45whether someone like that needs replacing.
04:47But, I mean, compared to last summer, you know, it was just ridiculous.
04:50People just leaving left, right and centre on loan clauses.
04:53So, they should certainly be more prepared than they were for the start of last season.
04:57So, yeah, bumpy at home.
04:5912.30, get used to them because, well, it isn't the last one, is it?
05:02And I think there'll be plenty more to follow.
05:04One thing that won't change is the amount of times that Leeds are on TV.
05:07You know, the top of the bill on that agenda,
05:10albeit you can see more games next season because of the new broadcasting rights.
05:14But, yeah, get used to Saturday 12.30.
05:16I think there'll be a few of them.
05:18Yes, as you pointed out there, Lee, perhaps more of a challenging start
05:22than perhaps some people might have realised for Leeds
05:24at the beginning of the Championship campaign.
05:26But you've got to play every team twice.
05:30Yeah, this is it, yeah.
05:32You can make the argument that, yes, OK, it is a challenging start,
05:35so they might not get off to the best of starts.
05:37But I'm sure that after that, even if they didn't,
05:39then they'll have easier runs where they'll have time to make up
05:43any points that they perhaps lost or any...
05:45Yeah, momentum feels like a key thing as well, though, for Leeds, obviously,
05:49because the last... I mean, obviously, it goes without saying that,
05:52you know, the season finished about as flat as it could
05:54because they got beat in the playoff final, which is obviously heartbreaking.
05:57But even before that, even before the playoff final,
05:59obviously, they're really limped towards the finish line.
06:01You know, obviously, the playoff semi-final first leg-thumping victory
06:06seemed to have turned that around,
06:07sorry, second leg seemed to have turned that around a little bit.
06:09But, you know, if you look at the results as a whole,
06:11you know, they didn't finish the season strongly at all.
06:14And, you know, all it would take is a couple of bad results.
06:16And then it's a bit like, you know, you're sort of challenging yourself
06:18to pick back up again, really.
06:20So, like, I know no games must win at that stage of the season,
06:23but that first game against Portsmouth just feels like massive
06:26in terms of, like, providing the right launch pad for them
06:28to sort of, like, go onwards.
06:29Because West Brom away, the second one, will definitely be difficult.
06:32They're all difficult in the Championship, aren't they?
06:34But, yeah, we'll soon be here and, you know,
06:37we shall see something new.
06:38Leeds, Portsmouth, Elland Road.
06:40Yes, very much so.
06:41Well, I think that's just about all we have time for in this episode.
06:44Obviously, we're back now.
06:46We're back into pre-season,
06:48so we'll be back to regular episodes of the
06:50Marching On Together, Leeds United podcast.
06:53But until the next episode, Lee, thank you very much as always.
06:55Cheers, Daniel, thank you.
06:56We will see you very soon.
06:57And until then, we'll see you next time.