We have partnered with the Yorkshire Evening Post to bring you a new monthly column focussing on the fans' views on events at Elland Road. The first piece formed part of the YEP's pre-season special published ahead of the visit to Nottingham Forest.

There’s an eerie feeling of calm surrounding the build-up to Leeds United’s Premier League campaign - and for supporters it just does not seem the norm.

Fans used to approaching the season’s start with a sense of trepidation seem to be preparing for the kick off at Nottingham Forest in an almost relaxed frame of mind - and relaxed is not something you often associate with one of English football’s most glass-half-empty fanbases.

Maybe it’s the way the the team performed in the last two-thirds of the 25-26 season; perhaps it’s the measured approach taken to the summer transfer market but the feeling amongst many Supporters’ Trust members is that the club are well-placed to tackle the new campaign.

Landing key transfer targets Harry Wilson, Tarik Muharemovic and James Trafford indicates to the sceptical elements of our fanbase that 49ers Enterprises have a proper handle on what the club need to be competitive in the world’s toughest league and are prepared to dig deep to fund squad upgrades.

There’s even talk in some quarters of a push for Europe.

Form in early 2026 was good enough to see the Whites booking trips to Lithuania, Latvia and Albania this term but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Second-season syndrome exists so, however optimistic fans feel, anything above a 17th-placed finish has to be the target.

Sky Bet had Leeds joint fifth favourites for relegation, just above Sunderland prior to the first round of games.

That said the three newly-promoted clubs - Hull City, Ipswich and Frank Lampard’s Coventry City - are odds on to make a swift return to the Championship so the bookies believe emulating United or the Black Cats and bucking the recent trend that those who go up should go back down is a big ask.

You don’t have to go back far to realise poor decision making behind the scenes can trigger a slide out of the Premier League.

Leeds failed to build on the ninth-placed finish under Marcelo Bielsa in the first season back in the top flight, gurgled around the plughole in the second then dropped back into the Championship after a disastrous third year.

A failure to evolve Bielsa’s squad quickly enough plus a perceived lack of quality new arrivals were contributory factors; it can't be allowed to happen again.

With 49ers Enterprises willing to invest in quality, it appears lessons have been learned.

The 49ers are not just spending on the squad; they’re also driving the evolution of the stadium.

Fans heading to the West Stand once to opens for business will see significant changes with work having begun to replace the 70-year old structure. Supporters sitting across in the Jack Charlton Stand are likely to see the building opposite change shape through the season.

While it will be strange to see the emergence of the new-look ground, those in attendance have to make sure Elland Road retains its unique atmosphere.

As usual the ground will be packed each week with fans scrambling to secure seats. The club are considering a switch to a ballot-only system for My Leeds members wanting match tickets, a move opposed by more than 60 per cent of those who took a Supporters’ Trust survey.

Access to tickets will continue to be a bone of contention particularly while stadium upgrades are ongoing - where will existing West Stand season pass holders be housed next term for example - so watch this space for how the club tackles this thorny issue.

But for those fortunate enough to be inside Elland Road for the Brentford game, rest assured we will raise the roof as Marching On Together is belted out - only after booing the Premier League anthem of course. We wouldn’t be Leeds if we didn’t retain that little bit of rebelliousness.