Leeds United v Norwich City: Jon Newsome on importance of setting the right mood an hour before kick-off

It is a job he believes will start at 7pm, when the teamsheets are published an hour before kick-off.

Because the names the home fans are presented with as they make their way to Elland Road or eat and drink in its concourses has the potential to set a powerful ball rolling...or puncture the mood.

Like the other three teams in the Championship play-offs, Leeds went cagey in Sunday's first leg at Carrow Road, picking Archie Gray as a more defensive-minded No 10 and claiming a first clean sheet since April 9. But the second leg requires a different way of thinking, according to former centre-back Newsome.

"The way we start the game is huge," said the Sheffield-born defender, who played 88 times for Leeds and 76 for Norwich in the 1990s. "Even before that, the starting XI he (Daniel Farke) picks I think is huge because it puts a message out to people and you hope the supporters get on board and for the first 15, 20 minutes you do what (coach) Mick Hennigan used to say to us when I was there.

"He'd say: 'Don't disappoint them.'

"Norwich will be expecting a baptism of fire, 100mph with 36,000 Leeds fans screaming for our throats.

"Don't disappoint them.

"Make sure they look at that clock after 15 minutes and think, 'This is going to be a long time.'"

To do that, Newsome wants to see a different team.

"The manager is going to earn his money this week," he says. "I think he's got some big decisions to make.

"I don't think Georginio Rutter (at centre-forward) is working. I don't think it worked on Sunday.

"Leading the line he's got to play a very different kind of game to the one he's been playing – he's got to be willing to work away from the ball, willing to run a channel, stretch the game and he didn't do any of that. He played his usual game, came towards the ball, wanted it to feet, and that for me just condensed the area we played in and stifled Archie a little bit because he was just running into more bodies.

“I'd be a little bit surprised if he went with the same formation."

The contrasting moods Newsome saw from both sets of fans at the weekend surprised him.

"Norwich will say coming to Elland Road is a free hit for them," said Newsome, who will be commentating for BBC Radio Leeds.

"They finished 17 points behind Leeds and got turned over twice by them in the league so It could be seen as bit of a mismatch but that goes out of the window in the play-offs because of all the external noise and anxiety and what the prize is.

Sign up to our Sports Editor’s TeamTalk newsletter

"Norwich wanted to get people on their feet and it's a great club with great fans but they didn't really have a lot to shout about on the pitch. If some very tight decisions had gone Leeds' way they could have been one or two down."