Andy Ritchie: Leeds United need to support Garry Monk in January transfer window

It was obviously good this week to see Garry Monk nominated for the manager-of-the-month and deservedly so.

I know I recently joked about him being in for a longevity award already!

But seriously, Leeds are a club who, if they carry on gaining more momentum, you just don’t know where they can go.

Personally, I just do not want to tempt things by saying they are going to do this and that. I just hope that they can keep things going over the coming weeks ahead.

Garry will certainly be very pleased with what he is seeing and happening at Leeds United. But he will not be getting in front of himself either, I know that much.

Hopefully, people will not be getting too much in front of themselves too as Garry certainly won’t be.

In saying that, Leeds are seeming to get into a little bit of a groove, which is just great.

It has taken its time, hasn’t it? But maybe someone has finally taken a grip of them.

If this carries on, surely there has got to be a little bit of money available in January for Garry to be able to continue it during the transfer window. It would be remiss not to carry on to build upon what he has been doing.

Garry is a grounded manager and will just be wanting to make sure his players keep it going and will keep them on their toes as you do not want people thinking it is a bit comfortable.

Leeds will be thinking that wherever they play, that they can go out and get something, which is not a bad thing. But equally, Garry will be keeping their feet on the ground and making sure the players don’t get ahead of themselves as that it is the danger.

It is about keeping focused; I am sure they will do.

You have got to say that they certainly have some really good games to look forward to.

Obviously, Leeds got a great result against Norwich last weekend and going there and winning is a very good one at a team who are doing very well and thinking about going straight back up and at a place in Carrow Road where Leeds don’t have the best recent record.

There are some great games coming up now for Leeds and it is onto Newcastle United and an Elland Road full house.

As I have said previously, I would not have treated Leeds losing to Newcastle and Norwich as negatives as they are a work in progress. But they have now won the first game.

The Liverpool tie in the EFL Cup is also on the horizon and it is a great one too and as always, there will be a great away crowd there and be full to the brim.

It is a great chance for Leeds and they are playing so well and it is a fantastic tie. It is a win-win situation, really.

Obviously, Leeds are now in an international break and Garry will probably be thinking that he could have done without it, given their recent run and results.

But, that said, if he has a few players with niggles, one or two can maybe be looked at and with these breaks, you know they are coming and have to take it in the way it goes. You cannot do anything about it can you.

On to the international front and I have got to say that I have enjoyed the England versus Scotland fixture being back in the limelight this week and it has brought back memories of yesterday-year.

I remember the Scottish contingent that used to be at Leeds and at other clubs I played at. When I was there at Leeds, there was Eddie (Gray), Frank (Gray), David Harvey and Peter Lorimer and always a decent Scottish contingent.

My dad is Scottish, so I am actually half Scots, although I chose to play for England.

I remember playing up at Celtic Park in Glasgow for England under-15s one year and we beat them 1-0 and I think it was the first year in which we had beaten them on away soil for something like 11 or 12 years.

It was the biggest game at that level in youth football for England, even though we played Germany and France and all the other home nations in Ireland and Wales. But Scotland was always the big one.

I also remember playing them at under-18 level and we beat them 1-0 and we won the Danny McGrain Shield or something.

Fortunately, my dad wasn’t too bad with that result, as he had been down in England for a long time!

He respected that I had plumped for England.

I remember that you always used to get England versus Scotland banter when the home internationals were on back in the day.

I had it at Manchester United with the likes of Lou Macari, Gordan McQueen, Joe Jordan and Arthur Albiston and there were a lot of Irish lads as well, I remember

The banter also flew around at Leeds. Arthur Graham was another Scot who was there when I first arrived and then George McCluskey also came.

There was always several Scots in nearly every English club.

But you look at it now and there just do not seem as many Scottish players who are down in the English game anymore, does there?