It will seem a bit like groundhog day for Simon Grayson when he prepares his Leeds side this morning for their Boxing Day match at Leicester.

It was exactly two years ago that Grayson took over as United manager and his first match was also against the Foxes.

The difference is that two years ago both sides were in League One and it was Leicester who were flying at the top of the table while Leeds were on the back of a five-match losing run.

Now Sven Goran Eriksson’s side are wallowing in the bottom half of the Championship and Leeds are up to second after convincingly beating leaders QPR at the weekend to extend their unbeaten run to nine matches.

It has not all been plain sailing for Grayson, who has been on a tight budget and faced problems like dealing with want-away striker Jermaine Beckford.

Ironically, it was the Leeds boss’s diplomatic handling of that tricky situation that finally persuaded many fans that he was up to the job.

Former Eland Road apprentice Grayson, who signed a new three-year deal after leading the club to promotion last season, has 62 wins under his belt with just 26 defeats and 23 draws, a record chairman Ken Bates hopes will continue to grow.

“With all the madness in football, Simon is probably one of the longest-serving managers in the league,” said Bates.

“He has brought stability to the club and has just got on with the job. We have supported him in every way we can afford but his demands are not excessive and he is realistic.

“He is respected by everyone and has a cool head. When we lose I don’t get panic calls the next morning. There’s just a cold assessment of what went wrong and how we can put it right.

“I’ve got great hopes for Simon and I hope he is here for many years to come.”