"It might be horrible" - Alan Smith makes Elland Road claim in Leeds United, Premier League verdict | OneFootball

Alan Smith played over a third of his career games for Leeds United

Former Leeds United star Alan Smith is backing his old club to beat the Premier League drop if they go on to win promotion from the Championship table – thanks in part to their fanbase.

Despite a slip-up in a 1-1 home draw with West Bromwich Albion last time out, Daniel Farke’s Whites are on the march in the Championship, sitting atop the pile with 76 points from 35 games.

With 11 matches remaining, Leeds will hope to seal automatic promotion back to the Premier League following a two-year spell in Championship.

Former Leeds United favourite Alan Smith states Elland Road could be a difference maker in Premier League

Smith, who made 225 appearances for his boyhood club before departing to arch-rivals Manchester United in 2004 to generate money for then-cash-strapped Leeds, believes the Whites must simply aim to be the “fourth-worst” side in the Premier League if they are to earn promotion this season.

The 19-time England international pointed to the struggles of promoted trio Leicester City, Ipswich Town, and Southampton, with all three sides from last season’s Championship currently occupying the bottom three of the Premier League.

Despite admitting that it was hard to see sides from the Championship making an impact in the top flight, Smith felt that Leeds’ raucous home atmosphere could prove a difference maker if the Whites were to return to the Premier League after a two-year absence.

Smith knows first-hand the impact the Elland Road crowd can have on a game, having played for the Whites in fierce derbies, Champions League nights, and relegation battles.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World via Goplay Wille P, Smith shared: “I always think it’s really difficult.

“If you look at the three teams that went up this year, would you expect them to come back down?

“Yeah, you would, but you just need to be the fourth-worst team in the league.

“It will make the fans even more important next year, and make Elland Road an intimidating place to come.

“Regardless of the result or performance, you’ll know that they’ve got your back whatever.”

Alan Smith: Leeds United must stay up by any means necessary

Some Leeds fans might be concerned with Daniel Farke’s track record in the Premier League, having suffered one relegation with Norwich City before being sacked a month into his second season as a top-flight boss by the Canaries.

As such, Smith believes the Whites might have to switch up their style, saying that pretty football would have to be ignored in order to “be horrible”.

Smith explained: “I think Leeds have just got to find a way to stay up, and it might not be pretty and it might be horrible, but if you stay up for a year and build.

“The stats show that if you stay up for two or three years, you will be up for a long time.

“The gap is getting bigger between the teams that stay up and the teams that go up.”

Leeds return to action this weekend, when they visit lower-half Portsmouth on Sunday, March 9.

The Whites are currently on a run of 17 unbeaten games in the Championship, a streak stretching back to the start of December.