Chairman's column: Leeds United

Read Swansea City chairman Huw Jenkins' programme notes for tonight's clash with Leeds United.

Welcome to the Liberty Stadium for our first evening match of the season on home soil.

Evening matches create a special atmosphere among supporters, and I’m sure that will prove to be the case tonight.

A warm welcome to Leeds United, their board of directors and visiting fans who have made the trip from Yorkshire.

Changes - both on and off the field - will continue over the next few months as we work hard to rediscover our belief and fight to restore pride and passion to our football club.

The last few years were no fun for anyone connected to Swansea City with the battle to avoid relegation taking firm hold of everything we tried to do and making the challenge to compete in the Premier League very hard to maintain.

Graham Potter and his staff have very quickly settled into their new roles with ease and have established a very relaxed but determined outlook within the group.

There are many ways to face up to Championship football after falling out of the Premier League, but after three years of drifting away from our main focus in an attempt to win top-flight matches, the chance to offer Graham the chance to help us re-establish our identity once more was an opportunity we couldn’t afford to miss in my opinion.

Graham has a very clear vision that helps everyone quickly understand what is required, from individual players understanding their roles on the pitch to the recruitment of players and the need to suit the team more than the individual talent.

The need to quickly change the whole atmosphere around the club was very important after such a struggle to win football games and the negative feel that comes with a lack of belief or the tactics adopted in an attempt to win Premier League games.

Graham and his staff are used to winning football games and, with the right support and backing, I’m sure he can quickly help us turn the club around and bring the best out of the young squad of players we are now developing at Swansea City.

The last few seasons have been a big challenge for everyone connected to Swansea City and the reputation we had created took a battering from all angles - sometimes justified, sometimes not.

But the challenge we face will shape our football club for the next generation.

Collectively we must unite and show Graham that we all ultimately want the same thing - a football club we can be proud of and enjoy watching compete week-in, week-out in the highest competition we can.

Enjoy the game,

Huw