The dawn of the new season

And so the dawning of the new Football League season approaches. Tonight is the night where you can’t sleep, tossing and turning in your bed, the excitement, the nervous anxiety building keeping you from your slumber. Sure there was the League Cup games last week but that was just a warm up, a glorified pre-season friendly, tomorrow is what matters, tomorrow really counts. Expectation levels amongst Leeds United fans ahead of the 2011/2012 season was high following our young players overachievement during their first season back in the Championship. This year however expectations are somewhat more subdued.

The team faltered last season, what had looked once like being a promising season soon slid into mediocrity and Simon Grayson paid the price. The new manager came in and declared the squad not fit for purpose. Warnock was quoted recently in the Yorkshire Evening Post as saying “I found myself standing on the touchline last season thinking ‘nobody here, and I really mean nobody, is irreplaceable.’ That’s how bad it was”. That squad has been all but dismantled now, out star player sold and a new team built over the summer months.

Leeds have certainly been busy in the transfer window, makes a change from previous summers, let’s just remind ourselves of all the comings and goings;

OUT: Andy O’Brien (Vancouver), Robert Snodgrass (Norwich), Andy Lonergan (Bolton), Adam Clayton (Huddersfield), Maik Taylor (Millwall), Mikael Forssell (released)

IN: El-Hadji Diouf (Doncaster), Lee Peltier (Leicester), David Norris (Pompey), Andy Gray (Barnsley), Jamie Ashdown (Portsmouth), Luke Varney (Portsmouth), Rodolph Austin (Brann), Paddy Kenny (QPR), Jason Pearce (Portsmouth), Paul Green (Derby), Adam Drury (Norwich)

The defence has certainly been bolstered and the, in my opinion, slightly error prone Andy Lonergan replaced with a more experienced keeper. The midfield also looks a lot more solid and there is a bit more strength in depth which we have been lacking in recent seasons. If we can tie Ross McCormack to a deal then we should have good enough striking options. The major issue for me is creativity. Howson and Snodgrass will both be big losses, their ability to get up the field and create chances was key to Graysons teams best performances. If we have, if we can replace that creativity I think we have a fighting chance at the play-offs.

So how do you think we will do in the new season?