Leeds United News: Opinion – a look at the Whites’ Championship fixture list

So here it is. A pre-season behind closed doors trip to Germany, rounded off by a visit to Harrogate Town (and Bettys – founded in 1919, the same year as Leeds United) and a visit from last season’s ninth-placed La Liga side , Valencia. .

The latter offers a chance for revenge against manager Ruben Baraja, who was in the Los Ches squad to play in the first leg of United’s Champions League semi-final defeat in 2001, and Elland Road to remind Sergio Canos that no he forgot it. the alleged header on Ezgjan Alioski in 2018, for which the winger was cleared of wrongdoing.

But then the real business of the Championship kicks off at 12.30pm BST on August 10 with League One champions Portsmouth at Elland Road, perhaps still off Danny Pugh’s winner 14 minutes into his second debut last time they came in 2011. days. Take some more of this, Steve Cotterill, Nwankwo Kanu and co, I hear you say.

Scanning the 10 months of the slogathon, with Sky Sports selections, Carabao Cup ties and FA Cups waiting in the wings, my attention is always drawn to key moments and anomalies.

Watford, Millwall and Norwich City are the long away days in midweek, where supporters will negotiate trade patterns with the benign bosses. Not that anyone can book too much safely yet, knowing that the TV schedule to be announced next month could curtail efforts for discount train tickets, flights and hotels.

Two games away from home in Christmas week look as harsh as the weather will be at Stoke City and for the inevitable frosty binoculars at Derby County.

But the clash includes a visit to Oxford United in the first league since Howard Wilkinson led United to promotion to the top flight in 1990.

A generation will remember Wilko berating his captain Gordon Strachan for giving up penalties only for Lee Chapman to miss a hat-trick chance from 12 yards in a 4-2 win at the Manor Ground .

Another will recall the 4-3 pre-season defeat at the Kassam Stadium, after which new manager Marcelo Bielsa, director of football Victor Orta and boss Andrea Radrizzani were in heated discussions as the 2018-19 season came .

A DVD of Ken Loach’s Kes was seen in Bielsa’s dugout that day. You could imagine Brian Glover getting fed up yelling at his employers, “I’ve never seen such sloppy work in my life!”

There won’t be any Billy Caspers being accused of “sloppy work, lad” on BBC Radio Leeds and the Don’t Go To Bed Just Yet podcast, you can be sure.

In less than seven weeks against Pompey, we’ll be there covering every shot, tackle and save until Plymouth leave 10 months later.

Oh, and any play-off games that might follow…