Mixing the incredulous with the downright ludicrous, the June-July footballing vacuum has been stealing sanity for years.

Starved of the week-to-week routine of matches followed by either lamentable bemoaning or celebratory boasting, the football fan scours any information available to them in search of anything relatively round or bouncy.

In their frenzied and ravenous state, this is where the football supporter is at their most vulnerable. As a Leeds fan, this feeling is heightened by the gluttony of a full season under Marcelo Bielsa, a season spent dreaming and fretting in equal measure with the horrible sting of disappointment at its climax.

The usual pre-season fayre for Leeds United consists of uncertainty, spawned by managerial appointments, takeover rumours and repeated reassurances that our jewels are not for sale, followed by their imminent departure.

It is a situation that leaves Whites fans particularly susceptible to the unscrupulous rumour mill that operates across the Twitter platform.

This is not a phenomenon that is specific to the advent of social media. I remember as a much younger man combing over the ‘Transfer Rumours’ section of whatever rag I could get my hands on, or flicking through the relevant section of Ceefax, Teletext and Aertel in search of news. I never succumbed to the temptations of Clubcall – I’d have been lynched on arrival of the phone bill.

However, Twitter allows a whole new generation of fuckwits access to the tools required to spread complete falsehoods at record speed. What was previously loose talk in a pub or office that made its way via Chinese whisper throughout the land is now a social campaign engineered by like-seeking charlatans from their bedroom base.

The departure of our most steadfast and trusted journalist, Phil Hay, from his role with the Yorkshire Evening Post has cast a shadow of uncertainty over all information available online regarding Leeds United transfers. Such was his influence, there is a core of support who simply refuse to believe anything until Phil has confirmed it via his Twitter account.

Coupled with this upheaval is the radio silence emanating from Elland Road. We haven’t heard the dulcet tones of Salim Lamrani in what seems like decades. Andrea Radrizzani’s input has been limited to sporadic tweets. Even the new centenary badge was quietly slipped out via a late-night change of profile picture on the official Leeds United Twitter account.

But what has really raised the alarm has been the silence and lack of movement on transfers. The strength and persistence of the suggestion that Jack Clarke’s departure is imminent has done little to help and resulted in the customary Leeds Twitter civil war as people attempt to regulate their feelings ahead of such a departure.

The fact that, across the Pennines, the red half of Manchester has welcomed Daniel James has further sharpened the focus on Leeds’ lack of transfer activity. Had it not been for the intransigence of Huw Jenkins, or Leeds apparent reluctance to shell out the required funds, James may well have helped us to promotion.

The incoming rumour mill has also been working overtime, with the frenzied vacuum causing the credibility of the alleged targets to drop by the second. The most realistic prospect mooted was Callum O’Dowda, but the Republic of Ireland international was at pains to point out that he was very much under contract with Bristol City, who Leeds will meet in the first league game in August.

The other quite realistic target that emerged was Helder Costa, but in true fashion, it has been allowed to float in the air for a few weeks, allowing more rumours to surface that Leeds are about to be usurped by a more free-spending opponent.

Angus Kinnear declared ‘absolute confidence’ in the current Leeds United squad as he looked to ease the concerns of the fanbase. Predictably, it fell on deaf ears. We have heard all this before.

The fact that the absurd mention of Dimitri Payet and Gianluigi Buffon emerged after this statement reflects the barmy nature of this time of year. Nothing is concrete and the babble of transfer rumours is merely background noise to keep jittery supporters ticking over until August.

It’s all made up. While it’s tempting to get emotionally involved in the rumour mill, any stressing is ultimately futile.

However, it would be quite nice to hear some communication from the club that goes beyond ‘we are happy with what we have’. It’s concerning, but at the minute we need to cut through all the nonsense and wait it out.

#lufc