Simon Grayson reveals the advantages Leeds and Ipswich have over Leicester and Southampton | OneFootball

Simon Grayson believes his former side, Leeds United, and their promotion rivals, Ipswich Town, have the advantage in the race for automatic promotion over Leicester City and Southampton.

Grayson has had success as a manager in the EFL previously, and is no stranger to promotion, having joined Leeds as manager midway through the 2008/09 League One season from Blackpool. He would lose out in the play-offs during his first season, but secured the club's return to the Championship by finishing second in the following campaign to put an end to Leeds' three-year stint in the third tier.

He came close to securing a play-off place upon their return to the Championship, but fell just short with a seventh-placed finish, despite his side scoring the second most goals in the division that season.

Since then, Leeds have been back to the Premier League for three seasons, after 16 years outside of the top-flight, but are vying for an immediate return in 2024 and are fighting for promotion once more this year as well.

The race to gain promotion is into the final seven weeks and the run-in, with four sides fighting it out for two spots in the top four, where Grayson's former side currently sit top of the pile over their rivals. Leeds, Leicester, and Southampton are all recently relegated clubs who were expected to be in the promotion mix, whilst Ipswich have defied the odds and are aiming for back-to-back promotions under Kieran McKenna.

Simon Grayson's promotion verdict

Grayson believes that Leeds and Ipswich have an advantage over their rivals, due to the Whites having Daniel Farke two-time promotion experience from the league to lean on, whilst Ipswich also have promotion experience from League One last year, as well as a no-fear factor, because they weren’t expected to be in the mix this season.

Speaking to Football League World via best casino bonus, he said: “I think it's a big, a big positive for Leeds as a club and I think that's one of the reasons why they appointed him in the first place in the summer.

“He has that experience of winning promotion to the Premier League but what I have been really more impressed about with him is he that gets what the supporters want and need.

“He's galvanised, not just football club, but the city as well. There was a bit of sort of negativity around but he gets it. He wants to play a certain way that the supporters love to see and that's full credit to him. “That's his experience because he's been around the block, he knows what it's all about and worked some really good clubs where there's a big expectancy level so I think I think he is in a strong position. “Kieran McKenna has got the experience of being promoted from League One. I get that it’s not the same level as getting into the Premier League, but they've got an advantage that nobody expected Ipswich to be in this position as well. “Anything they do is a real bonus. Given where they are now, if they do miss out on anything, there will be disappointed but they've got that no-fear factor that they're playing with at the moment. “Southampton a little bit in between in terms of they're expected to do it but may not quite this season. The biggest ones, obviously, are going to be Leicester because when they were relegated from the Premier League, they still had a very strong squad from the top-flight days. “Where they got to in the league, the number of points they were clear, the pressure will all be on Leicester again now because there will be nothing worse for a club so far ahead a few weeks ago to maybe dropping into the play-offs and having to get it going again.

“That psychological negativity might play a part but hopefully it doesn’t.”

The race for automatic promotion

Ipswich and Leeds have both had their dip in form this season, and have come out of the other side stronger for it. Farke's side had a tricky festive period, but ended that since the turn of the year by winning 37 points from a possible 39 available.

On the other hand, Ipswich also struggled during the Christmas schedule, and continued that into 2024, but have since righted themselves, and McKenna's side have the huge advantage of being in this situation last year, as they chased down both Plymouth and Sheffield Wednesday.

Although Southampton and Leicester have games in hand, Leeds have a kinder end to the season in terms of their fixtures, and appear to be the team to beat in terms of momentum and the quality of their performances on a consistent basis at the moment.

However, no one should write off any side involved, with plenty of them also facing each other during the run-in, meaning it's all to play for in terms of who goes on the strongest run between now and May 4th.