When you find yourself tuning into a Premier League match on Sky Sports, you can often come across some acerbic punditry. Chief among those pundits with an acidic tongue are Graeme Souness and Roy Keane. Both men were legendary players; titanic midfielders with presence, big game experience, and a very big table of medals. However, it is rare that either pundit really gives out too much praise to other teams – so, when Souness started to wax lyrical about Leeds United, fans might have been shocked.

However, after a comfortable win against Southampton at St. Mar’s, the former Liverpool player and coach was very quick to talk up the way that Leeds play. With a career that has seen him lift league titles as player and coach, and also win the European Cup more than once, Souness knows a fair bit about good football. After all, his Liverpool teams were renowned as some of the most aesthetically pleasing teams of the 1980s.

When asked about what he made of Leeds in the post-match punditry on Sky Sports, then, Souness was effusive in his praise of what he believes are the “best watch” in English football.

What did Graeme Souness say about Leeds United?

As the game finished, the pundits began to speak about the job that Leeds have done. With faint hopes of European qualification still open, Souness was quick to speak with pride about the job that was being done, saying: “They’ve been the best watch for me,

“They play a brand of football that you can’t help but enjoy. There’s an honesty about them, they are a young group that prior to this year you are thinking ‘these are not Premier League players’ but to a man they have stood up and looked like they have belonged in this league.”

Having been a fan of the team since their opening night loss to Liverpool, a 4-3 thriller, Souness has been pretty kind about Leeds on more than one occasion. However, it was his comments about Marcelo Bielsa that show you what Leeds have really accomplished in their first year back in the big time.

“Some of the football has been fantastic and I would go as far as to say that he would be my manager/coach of the year. The football that he has got this group of players playing defies logic when you look at where those players were before.”

For Leeds fans, this has been a fairytale season. Many teams return to the top, look sprightly, and then fade away badly. The Whites, though, have stuck faithfully to the task and never waivered from their ideal pursuit for the season. Although European football might be one step too far, it would be more than fair to say that they have been a refreshing experience for all football fans in the UK to experience.

Quality, consistency, and attacking endeavour: there are many reasons why Leeds fans have fallen head over heels in love with this side. So, too, have the pundits.