Leeds Utd: Graham Smyth previews Leeds United's upcoming pre-season tour and 'friendly' with Man Utd

Yorkshire Evening Post

Leeds United's pre-season is about to kick off, but what can we really expect? Graham Smyth dives into the upcoming tour, starting with that "friendly" against Manchester United. Don't get your hopes up too high for Saturday's game.  The team is still shaping up, and the focus is more on commercial benefits than a true competitive test. Afterwards, it's off to Germany for training, but unfortunately, without Leeds fans present due to safety concerns.  Get the inside scoop! We'll be there to provide behind-the-scenes insights, covering training, potential arrivals and departures, and game updates. Find full coverage and exclusive newsletters at Yorkshire Evening Post.#LeedsUnited #PreSeason #GrahamSmyth #Football

Transcript

00:00So, Graeme, later on this week, you will be leaving behind your family

00:04for what will feel like an age, I'm sure,

00:08as you head on the pre-season tour, which really kicks off.

00:14Pre-season really kicks off this week as they head out for that friendly

00:19against Man United and then away to their trip to Germany.

00:25What is happening?

00:27What can we expect from all of that over the coming almost two weeks?

00:33I wouldn't expect a great deal from the friendly against Manchester United.

00:37I know it's only Manchester United,

00:39but Leeds aren't exactly going to be in tip-top shape themselves.

00:42They haven't got in a lot of the quality that they still want to buy.

00:46It makes me think a little bit of that game in Oslo

00:49when they played Man United in the starting 11.

00:52Of that starting 11, there's maybe only one player,

00:55maybe two players left on Leeds books.

00:57So, it's no way to judge anything that's going to come from this point on.

01:06But it is just a game that is handy for Leeds to play for commercial reasons

01:11because they have a lot of fans in Scandinavia.

01:14And also, they're playing a team that is considered an old enemy

01:18and kind of brings a certain commercial element and a certain number of eyeballs to it.

01:22So, I certainly wouldn't judge a great deal on Saturday.

01:27Then, they head to Germany straight from Stockholm

01:30and they will be training their training base that Daniel Farka so loves.

01:35Once again, courtesy of the German authorities saying nine,

01:40there will be no Leeds supporters there at the games.

01:44They didn't get permits to hold games in front of spectators

01:46for what the German police have told us,

01:49or at least hinted at, were safety issues, safety concerns.

01:53They didn't go into specifics, but that's how they left it.

01:56Leeds United supporters groups did try and make some headway

01:59into getting an explanation that made sense

02:02or to get permission to have 500 Leeds fans maximum

02:06bust into the game, staying at a town two hours away,

02:09all very policed, all very sober.

02:12And they got precisely nowhere with that.

02:15So, as it stands, we're not expecting Leeds fans to be there and to be involved.

02:20We'll be there like we were last year,

02:21so we'll be able to at least give some insight

02:23into what's going on behind the scenes,

02:25who's training well, who's there, who might arrive.

02:28Who might even depart.

02:31And then what happens in the games.

02:32But the feeling is at the minute that the game coverage will,

02:36like last year, not be live, but reported after the fact under embargo.

02:40And we'll try our best not to spoil the results

02:44as we did last summer to the chagrin of quite a few.

02:48We'll try and make sure that the first few paragraphs of our reports

02:51don't give away the scoreline or the result.

02:54It's an awkward situation again for Leeds,

02:56particularly to find yourself here for a second time,

02:59having sought and given assurances that it would be a different case.

03:04But it's considered highly unlikely, I think,

03:07that Leeds will find themselves back here a third time.

03:09A third time would be unforgivable.

03:11Yeah, it should be made clear that Leeds as a club did everything they could possibly

03:18to make sure that fans could be there this time,

03:21having been a little bit surprised and caught out by what had happened last year

03:25from that perspective.

03:28And as you say, that trip to Germany won't be happening again next year.

03:34Maybe they could go to Belfast and play.

03:38Again, it would be better.

03:41Yeah, we will have full coverage from yourself across all of the matches.

03:49I guess Man United and then two games in Germany.

03:52You can keep up with all that on Yorkshire EveningPost.co.uk forward slash Leeds United.

04:00And Graeme will have his exclusive newsletter exclusively for subscribers.

04:07Again, you can subscribe to that on Yorkshire EveningPost.co.uk forward slash newsletter slash premium.

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