Leeds United's full Elland Road homecoming perfect for club, manager, player and fans - David Prutton

The last one came back in May 2004 in the 3-3 draw against Charlton Athletic, the contest that followed the 4-1 defeat at Bolton in which Leeds were effectively relegated. There were scenes of that kid crying and all that type of stuff.

Sixteen years later, that famous picture was recreated after Leeds had gone up and the kid was about 30 or something – or maybe a bit younger!

But for a generation of Leeds fans there will be a chance against Everton to hopefully exorcise some demons of the last time they felt that particular feeling in front of a full house in relatively normal circumstances.

There’s a friend of mine who I work with who is a director who is an ardent Leeds fan of a certain generation.

He knew the better times but has also known the fallow periods and the down times and seen what it is now.

First and foremost he feels very privileged to be working there but on the flip side he is just so excited about what the atmosphere will be like.

I remember playing there for Southampton in what I think was a midweek game and it was amazing.

I remember watching a Premier League game there a long time ago as a schoolboy which was also amazing.

And I played in games which were nowhere near as important as what Leeds are doing right now and they still had large crowds there.

I am just so excited for the players that are going to see, smell and feel that roar and energy that comes with that crowd, that passion, the aggression, everything that comes with what a good football crowd is.

The players are now going to finally feel that in the Premier League and quite rightly and deservedly so because they are the ones that have put in the donkey work to get Leeds back into the top flight.

The joining up and the marrying up of club, manager, player and fans is nigh on perfect at this moment in time.

Leeds have quite clearly got to bounce back from the opening weekend defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford.

We were looking at the game leading up to it and thinking about the last two games against Manchester United last season, about learning lessons and taking stock of what they had experienced in those.

But then they went to Old Trafford and the same thing happened again as in the first game last season.

Marcelo Bielsa will have Leeds looking at themselves and what they could do better but on the flip side of it you have to look at how much money Manchester United have put that team together for.

You had a parade of a World Cup winner on the pitch before the game in Raphael Varane.

He had no tangible effect on the game but you had Paul Pogba playing like Pogba can plus Mason Greenwood and et al performing in a way that they should be doing every single week in my opinion.

Chastening would be the word to put it for Leeds. I wouldn’t necessarily use the word embarrassment or humiliation but chastening.

There has been talk about what the season potentially needs to bring and what Leeds should be looking at. I’m not saying it instantly puts it into perspective but there is now a reality check going into a new Premier League season.

We will see the fruits of that and what their reaction will be against Everton.

Rafa Benitez has come in at Everton and he was very quick to thank the fanbase after starting with a win at home to Southampton last weekend which is exactly what he had to do.

But if you look at what Everton have done and their net spend over the last three, four, five, six seasons, that hasn’t bought them the success that they feel they deserve or that the fans understandably crave.

This is a nice little test for Leeds.

Everton are a club who have been very much part of the Premier League furniture for a very long period of time.

Now they are facing a club that has got back there and wants to stay there and wants to maybe be level pegging with an Everton. In the near future, the plan will be to leapfrog them and look at those places towards the top six.

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/yorkshire-evening-post-launch-leeds-united-only-digital-subscription-ahead-premier-league-campaign-2967964

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Thank you Laura Collins