Ex-Leeds United man on 'huge' fitness boost and unseen benefit of Premier League schedule

Friday night's silence and tribute at Villa Park for Her Majesty The Queen perhaps gave some food for thought as to what might have been at Elland Road had Leeds United's game against Nottingham Forest gone ahead.

But, without sounding like I am not committed to an opinion on it, I can see absolutely both sides of the equation in terms of last weekend's games being postponed as a mark of respect.

I can see why there's a little bit of frustration but something in me quite respects this tradition of pumping the brakes with football.

I suppose it's frustrating for a fan because you will be looking around wondering why other sports are being played.

But football took a stance and, obviously, there are different reasons why yesterday's game against Manchester United at Old Trafford did not go ahead.

It just means that Leeds are in a position, once again, where they have a lot of time on their hands from a non-playing point of view but also a hell of a lot of time to be able to get stuck into the training-ground work and get players back fit off the back of Friday night's under-21s game.

First-team players Patrick Bamford, Liam Cooper, Luke Ayling and Junior Firpo all came through at least 76 minutes each on Friday and that's huge for Leeds.

We have seen the good and the not so good so far this season from Leeds but, with having those established players back, it's not just what they bring on the pitch but what they bring in personality too which is only a good thing.

It felt like a busy start to the season which now has this break.

There will then be another busy portion after the international break and then it will be the World Cup.

But there is plenty of time now to get training work done and to get players back up to speed and back up to fitness.

That game on Friday night was perfect for Leeds.

Liam Cooper came through 90 minutes on Friday and I thought Leeds had got a decent player when he signed but I think he has grown into the stature of what's expected of a Leeds United captain.

Having had the chance to talk to him and spend time with him, he is another thoroughly decent human being that understands the weight to play for Leeds, of skippering Leeds and of the challenge that is afforded to him in professional football to play at the highest level.

You can look at where he was earlier on in his career and that circuitous route back to the top level shows a lad that possesses a lot of self awareness, makes sacrifices to make sure that he could be as good as he possibly could be and makes choices to facilitate that.

I think Leeds are a better club for having him in and around the club and on the pitch and I think Leeds are a better team for him either being in the building or in that starting XI.

He's a man that can be fondly looked at and well-liked.

It's good to be well-liked, it's better to be well-liked and productive on the field and I think he has shown, over the course of his Leeds career, that that's exactly what he's done.

If you are looking at man to man in terms of what Coops brings to a Premier League defence, it's not just what his individual game is, it's what his individual game facilitates to those around him.

I think he makes the defence calmer and I think he makes them more composed.

He won't take chances and I think he sets a standard in the way that he goes about it.

Patrick Bamford netted a hat-trick on Friday and I think he can get back to those heights that he hit in Leeds United's first season back in the Premier League.

It's about having the consistency of availability with Patrick, as he well knows.

He is a player that has immense self awareness of what his role is in the team, how good he can be in the team but also, possibly, how he's viewed at times with regards to his injury record, which, as much as it might frustrate fans, it will be 100 fold for the player himself.

He will want to be part of that and he will understand.

He has felt the adulation and roar of being a goalscoring No 9 for Leeds so why on earth would he want to be off the pitch?

He's definitely a player with the bit between his teeth and ambition.

With Patrick, over the course of his career, there has been attention on his route into football and stuff off the pitch and being born into wonderful circumstances or privilege.

But that's just a happy accident of birth and that has nothing to do with it.

You can't predetermine anything like that or preordain it and he has worked his socks off to get to where he needs to get to. No-one has given him a free pass.

To work his way up to being a centre-forward for Leeds is a great achievement and he knows exactly what it takes just to keep on cementing that place because, if you don't score goals, then that's you boxed off. You've got to get back into the team and get back into the team and get minutes under your belt and you have got to get goals again.

He will understand that it's a constant microscope that a Leeds United forward operates under.