Are big games different for Leeds than other clubs in the EFL?
Last season had it, perhaps twice. Leicester City's visit in February did the trick. It was a top-of-the-table clash. It was superior opposition. It was a night Leeds and their fans were asked to prove they were worthy of promotion. The anxiety of an impending loss was even allowed to fester until the 80th minute.
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The population of LS11 took leave of their senses. As the goals flew in, from the relief of an equaliser to the mind-melt of 17-year-old Archie Gray's maiden goal (he later had it taken away, ruled as a Wout Faes own goal by the officials), all anyone could do was revert to basic motor functions.
Leeds, players and supporters, had been asked if they were good enough and they answered emphatically.
Even after the collapse of the run-in, Norwich City's visit in the play-offs brought the best out of Elland Road. There was not the same quality of opposition, but given what was at stake, the riotous procession of four uninterrupted goals basked the ground in belief.
As the best team in the Championship this season, that same crackle has been hard to find. The league table would suggest Burnley and Sheffield United should have brought some kind of atmosphere. The former's visit arguably came too early in the campaign as Leeds were beaten 1-0, while the latter were seen off 2-0.
Bramall Lane will host the return clash before the month is out, in what is a tantalising double-header for Daniel Farke and Leeds. It is Sunderland, the last of the top four to visit West Yorkshire, first. These are two games which could set Leeds up for the title. A win at Elland Road puts Leeds 10 points clear of the Wearside club.
As Nigel Martyn recalls from his own experiences, Elland Road will be such a factor when Regis Le Bris' side visit on Monday night. The goalkeeper fondly remembers meetings with Milan and Manchester United during his time at Leeds between 1996 and 2003.
'Elland Road seems to create a great atmosphere,' he tells The Athletic. 'Crowd performances are the same as players' performances in games. There are certain games, for whatever reason, it's ramped up.
'If you are playing Man United, that's a huge atmosphere, and those European nights seemed to bring out (another level). The Milan game (a 1-0 win for Leeds in September 2000) was about as loud as I played in front of.
📅 | #OnThisNight in 2000, #LUFC defeated @acmilan 1-0 in the Champions League. 35,000 watched Lee Bowyer score the decisive goal at Elland Road pic.twitter.com/0rKZy8PqS4
— Leeds United (@LUFC) September 19, 2019
'There were few other games that were at that level. When Bow (Lee Bowyer) scored it was incredible.'
The crowd's performance is an important aspect Simon Grayson picked up on too. Grayson was in the dugout for some of the biggest games between the Premier League years. He has been increasingly pleased with the improving atmospheres this season.
'The atmospheres have been really growing over the last few weeks,' he says. 'Even some of the games where you think it could be one of them days, the Cardiff (City) game, for example.
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'But the players scored early (sixth and 13th minute) and the connection between the players and the support has just hit levels. It was like, 'We're all in this together, let's drive'.
'The players have got to play their part in making the supporters get on the edge of their seats, but the supporters play a part when the players are under pressure. When there's a lull in the game, that's when you really need the supporters.
'The supporters, over the course of the season, have got a lot better at that because there have been times at Elland Road where the games have not been mind-blowing football. In the last six, eight weeks or so, it's been edge-of-your-seat stuff.'
Like Farke, Grayson experienced play-off devastation with Leeds. The 2008-09 season ended with defeat in a League One play-off semi-final against Millwall over two legs. Then, in 2009-10, fuelled by that pain, they got over the line with a final-day win against Bristol Rovers at Elland Road sealing second place and automatic promotion.
As he did with his team going into that 2009-10 season, Grayson expects Farke will be channelling last year's Wembley heartache when they were beaten to promotion by Southampton.
'We used it as a motivation from the disappointment of losing that particular game, which a lot of Leeds players will have been told about from Daniel in terms of the Southampton game,' he said. ''We don't want to be going through this horrible experience again, mentally and physically.
'That's what my first conversation was on pre-season day one was, 'This is what we're about to do'. You do draw from the special nights of positive results and the disappointing ones as well.'
Big games can do strange things to players, but what about managers?
'As a manager, you are really zoned in on stuff,' says Grayson. 'People have asked me this quite a bit, especially being a supporter, 'Was I making decisions as a supporter or purely as a manager?'
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'Ninety-nine per cent of the time I'm managing as a manager rather than a supporter. There might have been the odd game where I'm thinking what would a supporter want me to do, but it was a very small percentage.
'If you let your heart rule your head, you're not going to get too many decisions right. I was on that touchline, business head on, cancelling out a lot of the noise from the outside, but also using some of it as a motivation, when people might be questioning my decisions. You wanted to back yourself or prove yourself against certain situations as well.'
Farke has never allowed himself to get too high or too low with results. However, there can be no doubting the significance of two wins in the next two for the leaders. The manager has never let his heart rule his head — it will be quite the opposite on the terraces.
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