Leeds United and Millwall fans ‘absolutely incredible’ – former player
Former Leeds United midfielder David Norris has discussed the “electric” Elland Road atmosphere and how it affects both home and away players.
Norris was a Whites player between 2012 and 2015, though the vast majority of his appearances came in his first season at the club following his arrival from Portsmouth.
The Leeds crowd will be more expectant than ever this season with Daniel Farke’s side hot favourites for automatic promotion to the Premier League, and Norris reminisces on his time playing at Elland Road as both a home player and a visitor.
Speaking exclusively to MOT Leeds News, he said: “When you’re there as a Leeds player, it’s absolutely electric. It’s absolutely incredible when the team are playing well, but you have to handle that pressure when it’s not going well.
“Playing away there, I used to like the banter from the fans and used to thrive off getting a bit of stick, but some players melt under it a bit. The same has even gone for home players in the past. The crowd are so fanatical that they play a huge part to both teams on the pitch.
“Away was always difficult, though – Leeds and Millwall were the tough places to go that I remember.”
Leeds United will make Elland Road a cauldron
Daniel Farke and the squad will be calling on Leeds United fans to, as ever, look to make Elland Road a fortress.
Some of the Premier League’s best have remarked on how impressive the stadium can be on a matchday, including Phil Foden, Jarrod Bowen and former Leeds defender Ben White.
According to Football League World [9 May], Leeds ranked fourth for attendance relative to capacity, with fans filling 95% of Elland Road throughout 2023-24 – bettered by only Leicester, Norwich and Ipswich.
Leeds averaged a gate of 35,989 at home league matches last season [WorldFootball.net], second only to Sunderland, who boast the Championship’s largest stadium capacity.
Of the side’s 90 league points in 2023-24, the Whites secured 53 of these at home, conceding just 16 goals and were unbeaten at Elland Road until the final two home fixtures of the season – both of which were lost to Blackburn and Southampton.
In other Leeds news, a finance expert thinks the club could launch a ‘Red Bull Cup’ tournament.
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