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Are Leeds finally United?

2014. It's been a crazy year so far to be a Leeds United fan. Sure, throughout my life as a Leeds fan has been what you could describe as being "crazy" but this year feels some what different. Over the last few years the club has been trudging mud in the second tier of English football but there seems to be a sense of change in the air around Elland Road. With an entire squad overhaul during the Summer do we finally have a team who are all pulling in the same direction? Do this team know what it means to "be Leeds"?

15 new players have come in since Massimo Cellino took control while 19 of the previous season's players have exited the club. Of those new recruits the average age is 23, while the average age of the ones to of left is 28. With this new youthful exuberance has come a hunger to succeed. For too long Leeds United has been seen as one last big pay cheque for ageing journeymen who, frankly, couldn't give a damn about what happened to this once glorious club. The likes of Luke Varney, Michael Brown, Paul Green et al. It's enough to make any Leeds fan wake up in cold sweats. But things are different now. Now we have an owner who has been personally screening these new players himself to see if they have what it takes to take this club forward. From what we've seen so far this season it's been successful.

Sure, it wasn't the strongest of starts for the Whites. One win out of the first four league games, plus the loss to Yorkshire rivals Bradford in the League Cup and it was bye-bye Hockaday. As much as you can not blame the Hock for taking the head coach role being offered to him, the former Forest Green manager was clearly out of his depth. But now, under the guidance of Neil Redfearn, the team is starting to come together. Since the academy coach took charge Leeds have won 3 and drawn 1 and it's not just the results that have been encouraging but the camaraderie that's been on display. An abysmal first half performance against Bournemouth left Leeds down 1-0 and it could of been much, much worse had it not been for Silvestri's fantastic performance between the sticks. But the team came out fighting after half-time and went onto win the game 3-1. Some lovely free flowing football was played and after each goal the players celebrated like brothers. Some of the new boys have even commented on how there is a bond between players and fans growing. This game could well prove to be a turning point in the club's season.

"I feel a lot of the connection between the supporters and the team...We try to give it our all because these people deserve the best for how much love they put into the team" - Mirko Antenucci.

Every game we see the likes of Bellusci and Silvestri showing their appreciation to the fans. Even running the full length of Elland Road to give away their match worn shirt. Rarely have we seen this in recent times. The new Italian boys are no strangers to social media either. Communicating with the fans on a regular basis has helped them build a bond between one another.

And it's not just the new players that have been feeling the love. Veteran left-back, Stephen Warnock has had somewhat of a renaissance in a Leeds United shirt. The 32-year old has been one of the most consistent players so far this season, constantly running his socks off, making some excellent tackles and even grabbing himself a goal.

Don't get me wrong things are far from perfect, but after a decade of owners trying to milk this club for everything they can and players who'd rather be sat on the bench, collecting their pay-packet than playing for the shirt it's refreshing to see players who want to get our club where it belongs. Who knows the cause of this sudden feeling of togetherness. Maybe it's the sudden influx of players arriving from the same country that has them all pulling in the same direction, or maybe the current squad are all buying into Cellino's vision for the club? Only time will tell. All we can do is hope that it continues.

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