Beren Cross's Leeds United notebook on 'dire' Elland Road need, squad photo and new Thorp Arch tech

The big news of the week at Leeds United has been the statement on the future ambitions for Elland Road’s redevelopment. The Whites put more meat on the bones of how they see the future for the John Charles and Don Revie stands, while taking the capacity to beyond 53,000 seats.

There has been a lot of reaction to the statement across the fanbase, including a lid on some opinions until drawings and dates are put out there by the Whites. Leeds United Supporters’ Trust sent LeedsLive a statement with its reaction to the news.

It said: “We welcome the club’s plan to develop Elland Road, which we believe reflects the ambition and potential of Leeds United. It’s long overdue and the general facilities are in dire need of upgrading.

“We're also pleased the club is committed to preserving the unique feel and atmosphere that makes Elland Road so special, this is one of the elements we will stay close to. It's encouraging to see the club have already started to engage with supporters in the early stages of this process, however, we as fans have heard these kinds of promises before.

“The real excitement will come when we finally see concrete action and progress on the ground.”

There was a supporters’ advisory board meeting this week and the minutes from that will undoubtedly reflect the initial questions put to chief executive Angus Kinnear. They should be published in the coming weeks.

Team photo

The team photo, a staple of every football club’s year, was finally taken at Thorp Arch this week. There had been a plan to get the squad and staff out on the pitches at the training ground, but bad weather pushed everyone on to the indoor pitch.

It remains to be seen when the club want to put it out, but it always give a sense of completion to the new campaign. Understandably, most clubs will now leave their big picture until after the close of the transfer window, such is the rate of turnover in players before then.

New technology on trial

What can be best described as a metal box the size of a shipping container was on the indoor pitch at Thorp Arch this week too. It’s a new form of training technology the club has been trying out and has proven especially popular with the goalkeepers.

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Okkulo is the company behind it and the aim is to improve players’ reaction times. They go into this windowless box, with a machine firing footballs at them and they have to control or save them in virtual darkness.

There are some neon lights and targets in there, imagine laser quest, but it’s ultimately training their reactions in the dark so they become quicker in daylight.

Under-21s learn their cup fate

The National League Cup is a new competition this season and Leeds United under-21s will be a part of it. There are 32 teams in the competition, which is divided into four regional groups of eight teams.

Sixteen Premier League 2 teams play against National League opponents. Four PL2 teams and four National League teams will be in each group, meaning United’s four games will all be away against lower-division teams.

The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stage, which consists of stand-alone matches, starting with quarter-finals. On Tuesday, October 1, Leeds will travel to York Street to take on Boston United in the first match of the season.

Along with these dates, Scott Gardner's team will visit Gateshead on Wednesday, November 6, FC Halifax Town on Tuesday, December 3, and Tamworth on Tuesday, January 21. Be aware fixtures can change.

Newcastle United, Sunderland and Middlesbrough's under-21 teams are also in Group C with Leeds, although they will only play National League opponents.