SAM BYRAM: A ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY — Leedsunited.com 16/10/23
In his second spell with the club, defender Sam Byram sat down with Matt Lewis and Michael Bridges for the latest episode of the Official Leeds United Podcast.
Praised for his impressive form so far this season, Sam
chats about everything from dragging pilates equipment around the country to
playing alongside Archie Gray’s dad.
You came on trial at first, was there always a belief that
you were going to sign or were you a little bit in limbo?
"There was definitely no guarantee. I'd come off the
back of not the best injury situation at Norwich, I was a free agent, there
were a few clubs interested, a couple of options abroad and I was waiting to
hear what the next step was.
"I'd done a lot of fitness and extra training through
the summer, so I felt like I was in a really good position fitness wise, then I
got a message off the boss and his staff saying "you know the club, we've
worked with you before, do you want to come and train with us?".
"At the start, it was just coming in and training,
which is good as you're in a team environment and keeping fit, then as it
progressed, they said "We've got pre-season games, do you want to be
involved in them?".
"Obviously from my point, it's a risk being out of
contract, but for me, the chance to impress and sign again for Leeds United,
massively outweighed any potential risk.
"For me, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity,
you're training at Leeds, under a manager you know, a really good squad for
this league and you've got the chance to sign a contract. I thought, what have
I got to lose?"
When you came into the club, you've had a bad injury in the
past, is there stuff you had to work on yourself outside the club or did
everything switch over to Rob Price and his team?
"A bit of both to be fair. What I will say is that the
medical department and its staff have been so accommodating and helpful since
I've arrived. There's a specialist piece of kit, a reformer pilates machine,
that I used in the summer, a machine I've used for warming up and stretching
mobility/strength, and they've done everything they can to make sure that has
been provided.
"There's a bit of a running joke that certain away
games, they bring this machine, and I'm in the corridor using it. They've done
everything to make me as comfortable as possible, so I'm very grateful for
that."
Does someone have to drag your pilates machine across the
country?
"Yeah, they remind me every day! To be fair to them,
they bought a portable one, it turned up with ropes, handles and fluffy
handcuffs and they were like "What on earth is this?", it looked
dodgy."
What is the contrast like between when you were first at the
club to now?
"It's completely different. When you're in it, you
don't necessarily realise until you've been elsewhere, but there was a season I
must have had six or seven managers in one season.
"The squad and structure here now is much more stable,
you can sense on a matchday now, I'd say 99% of the time, it's sold out and you
really feel that excitement and energy.
"The three seasons I was here, we were a below
mid-table team, we weren't playing attractive football, so just that contrast
as well, it's just completely different."
What's the feeling in general like around the club and at
Thorp Arch? It must be chalk and cheese with regards to expectations?
"When I was first here, as I said before, we were a
below mid-table team, there wasn't that expectation every week that we were
going to win and expectation of getting promotion.
"Now, the club have had three years in the Premier
League, we know we have got a strong squad for this league, the Championship is
such a difficult league, obviously the goal is promotion but we're not
underestimating the task ahead.
"You see some crazy results in the Championship every
week, but we just need to keep to our principles, sticking to what we believe
in and hopefully the results follow and we're successful at the end."
You've got Archie Gray in the squad, coming up through the
ranks at Leeds, do you feel a sense of mentorship and responsibility?
"He's very mature for his age, we always have a laugh
with him just being an idiot a lot of the time, but he's not phased at all by
playing for Leeds, one of the biggest clubs in England, in a sold out stadium.
"If I saw that side getting on top of him, if he was
struggling, I'd definitely be there to put an arm around him and help him out,
but I feel like he doesn't need it. He's a great talent and still young, we've
got a great group, not just the senior players, even players in their
mid-twenties are all very mature, so he's got a lot of players there if he
needs someone to lean on."