No matter whether it was then manager Dennis Wise, his coaching staff, the players or even the chairman being interviewed, they all made reference to how the 15-point penalty imposed by the Football League had brought the whole club together.

Results in the opening weeks backed up this belief with Leeds winning 11 of their first 13 games to create a base from which the club would eventually reach the play-off final.

Gary McAllister was not at Elland Road when United turned the perceived injustice of a points deduction into a positive, but he is determined that his side should develop a similar siege mentality ahead of the new season.

He said: "Look at the teams who have done well in the past at Leeds United, going back to Don Revie's team and their fantastic players, Howard Wilkinson's side and then David O'Leary's side.

"All those teams may not have had a 15-point deduction, but they still created a siege mentality and made Elland Road a fortress.

"We need to create that siege mentality again and the easiest way to do that is to win games. It creates team spirit."

United's second season in the third tier will kick off tomorrow at newly-relegated Scunthorpe United and McAllister, well aware that his side are the firm favourites for the League One title, believes the home side could also be under some pressure.

He said: "Everyone talks about the pressure that comes with being at Leeds, but other clubs have that pressure.

"Scunthorpe have just come down and will want to bounce back.

"They have the experience of playing at a higher level. We have had them watched four or five times in pre-season, Steve Staunton went over last weekend when we were playing at Elland Road.

"They are very much a group over there. Scunthorpe have good individuals but it is very much a team and work ethic that stands out."

McAllister took charge at Elland Road last February following the departure of Wise and has spent the summer putting his own stamp on the squad.

He added: "I have brought in five players this summer and I have definitely now had time to impose my thoughts and ideas on the game on to the players.

"I have been here six or seven months now so it is still a work in progress, but it is drifting towards being my team."

United will go into the game boosted by David Prutton agreeing a new deal to keep the midfielder at Elland Road until 2010 and back-up goalkeeper Alan Martin signing a new three-year contract.