The fixtures are out and Leeds United will start the 2015/16 season with a visit from Burnley on the 8th of August before 3 consecutive away games start with a League Cup tie against local rivals Doncaster Rovers on the 11th, followed by league ties at Reading and Bristol City on the 15th and 18th respectively. Sheffield Wednesday visit Elland Road on the 22nd before a trip to Derby on the 29th rounds off a tricky looking start to the campaign for The Whites.

To give some indication of how difficult a start it looks to be for Leeds, of all the Championship clubs Uwe Rösler’s side will face in the first month of the campaign, only Reading are considered less likely to be promoted, giving some measure of how unfancied his side are at present. At the time of writing, Leeds United’s odds of promotion are 25/1, while Bristol are 22/1, Sheffield Wednesday are 18/1, Burnley 14/1 and Derby are 15/2 second favourites behind Hull City.

Of course, this being the Championship, it’s very difficult to predict what will happen and a lot will depend on the players brought in – and retained – over the next two months.

Leeds have made some movement in the transfer window already, signing Scottish striker Lee Erwin from Motherwell and picking up American U23’s goalkeeper Charlie Hotton, formerly of Cardiff City, on a free transfer. However, neither name is raising the expectation levels much and with talk of Sam Byram attracting offers from Sunderland, there’s been little evidence so far of a Leeds United side ready to challenge at the upper half of the table.

Byram’s possible exit isn’t the only transfer rumour doing the rounds however, there’s also been plenty of players rumoured to be heading to Elland Road too; Joey Barton probably the most recognisable, if one of the least realistic-sounding names to be linked thus far.

At this point, there’s no real surprise Leeds haven’t done more business because the crucial month for transfers tends to be July when contracts expire and the movement of out-of-contract players creates a domino effect across the leagues (teams lose players, enter market to replace, meaning more teams lose players and so on until the window closes).

As important as it is to bring in new blood and strengthen this summer, it’s equally important we retain young stars like Sam Byram if we’re to maximise our chances and defy expectations in 2015/16.

Brace yourselves, the next month and half could be something of a rollercoaster. On and on…

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