Leeds United fans are renowned throughout the footballing world for their passionate and dedicated support of their beloved club, with Whites manager Daniel Farke calling on them to “sing their souls out of their body” tomorrow afternoon when their side host Bristol City at Elland Road.
Despite it still being so early in the Championship season with just 10 out of 46 games currently having been played, Farke has described the clash with the Robins as “really crucial” for his side as they seek to carry back-to-back home victories into next week’s international break.
Whilst Leeds did secure an important 1-0 victory against Queens Park Rangers under the Elland Road lights on Wednesday evening – a result which would have calmed the nerves after a disappointing 3-1 defeat away at Southampton the previous weekend – the atmosphere within the stadium itself appeared rather subdued.
In his pre-match press conference today, Farke attributed this to the quite tepid performance of his players, who failed to follow up on Crysencio Summerville’s early goal with any significant chances.
And while a win is a win and a clean sheet should be treasured, especially given Leeds’ lack of them last season, the German admitted that it was up to his players to provide the spark on the pitch for the fans to generate the atmosphere off of it.
“It was also like this with the atmosphere. Our supporters are always great, fantastic and I’ve labelled them special and unique and they’re definitely up there with the best fans, not just in this country but in the football world.
“Leeds United supporters are always unique and special but it’s also up to us to entertain them and to cheer them up. One thing is for sure, I would say that the game against Bristol is crucial because we’re coming through such a tough period of the last two seasons, pre-season with all the discussions, short pre-season then difficult period in the beginning of the season and many rumours.”
This relationship is a reciprocal one however, with Farke stressing the importance of the fans, who he described as “the best in the football world”, in responding to how the team perform on the field in order to get them over the line.
“We’re in the top six and want to cement this position and stabilise this position. In order to do this, this home game against Bristol is crucial.
“We have to be ready. For me, it’s not the most important game because each and every game is about three points, but it’s a really crucial game for us.
“We need a really buzzing Elland Road tomorrow. We need supporters to sing their souls out of their body and we need them to carry us.”
