Derby deserves Premier audience

SHEFFIELD United manager Gary Speed has hailed today's Yorkshire derby against Leeds United as the biggest fixture outside the Premier League.

Speed, who spent the first 10 years of his playing career at Leeds, returns to Elland Road for the first time since his appointment as Blades manager last month.

His love affair with Leeds is never likely to end but the Blades are his employers now so there will be no divided loyalties.

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With both clubs in the promotion chase, around 35,000 supporters are due to attend the game – the biggest crowd in the Football League this season.

"Games between these two clubs are always big," said Speed. "But we have not had this fixture for a few years and this is the biggest game you can get outside the Premier League.

"I will always have a soft spot for Leeds because I was there for 10 years and did an awful lot of growing up in that time. I think I will get a good reception but if I don't, I don't – all I am bothered about now is Sheffield United."

Speed made over 300 appearances for Leeds and was a member of the Howard Wilkinson side that won the Football League in 1992.

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He is a good friend of Leeds manager Simon Grayson as they joined the club on the same day aged 14 and played regularly together in the reserves.

Reflecting on his playing days at Leeds, Speed said: "I had some great times but I was probably too young to appreciate what we had done. I came straight into the team (as a teenager) and we were successful straight away."

On his eventual departure to Everton, he admits: "I needed to get away for my own benefit. I wasn't training properly or being as professional as I should have been. By the end of my time, I needed a new challenge."

Speed thinks Grayson, who made only two first team appearances in a Leeds shirt, has not been given the credit his achievements as manager deserve.

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Leeds won promotion in Grayson's first full season in charge and are making a solid start to life back in the Championship after three years in League One.

"I think the job he has done for Leeds has not been emphasised enough," said Speed. "It has been lost because it is Leeds United and they are expected to do well as a big club with great support.

"I know what he's done and his record as a manager is fantastic. Simon's a very intelligent lad with the mentality for the modern game. He's not one of these 'fly off the handle' merchants, he has the right mentality for a modern day manager.

"It would be great if he takes them back to the Premier League but hopefully it won't be at our expense. At the moment, I would rather see Sheffield United back there."

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The links between the two camps are widespread this afternoon; the Blades' entire management team previously worked at Leeds, so too chief executive Trevor Birch and striker Richard Cresswell

Leeds, meanwhile, have three defenders on the books who have played for the Blades – Paul Connolly, Neill Collins, and Leigh Bromby.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Post this week, former Blades manager Neil Warnock, now at Queens Park Rangers, insisted that Yorkshire clubs are not helped by the amount of local derbies in the Championship.

Speed begs to differ, saying: "If you are looking for excuses and you are not mentally strong as you should be, then you will blame too many Yorkshire derbies.

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"If you're going to be successful, you have to deal with that. There's no point saying 'we have too many, we can't do this or that', you just have to deal with it."

Leeds are playing their third consecutive Yorkshire derby today after losing 5-2 away at Barnsley and drawing 0-0 at Doncaster Rovers. The Blades lost 1-0 at Middlesbrough in Speed's first game as manager.

As Leeds prepare for the final part of a three-game run of derbies against South Yorkshire opposition, Simon Grayson is likely to make just one charge to his line-up as George McCartney comes in for Ady White at left-back. The Northern Ireland international completed a one-month loan switch to Elland Road from Sunderland during the week and has impressed in training.

Grayson said: "George has good experience and good quality. It was an area we thought we needed to strengthen. We looked at a number of players but George is someone Glynn Snodin has worked with a couple of times at West Ham and with Northern Ireland."

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Leeds making just one change means Alex Bruce is likely to retain his place in the side, just a few months after holding talks with then Blades manager Kevin Blackwell over a switch to Bramall Lane from Ipswich Town.

Speed last night signed Belgian international defender Ritchie De Laet on a month's loan from Manchester United.

Read all about Leeds United defender Alex Bruce by clicking here.