"\u003Cp\u003EIn 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.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPraised for his impressive form so far this season, Sam chats about everything from dragging pilates equipment around the country to playing alongside Archie Gray\u2019s dad.\u003C/p\u003E""\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EYou came on trial at first, was there always a belief that you were going to sign or were you a little bit in limbo?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022There was definitely no guarantee. I\u0027d 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.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I\u0027d 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 \u0027you know the club, we\u0027ve worked with you before, do you want to come and train with us?\u0027.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022At the start, it was just coming in and training, which is good as you\u0027re in a team environment and keeping fit, then as it progressed, they said \u0027We\u0027ve got pre-season games, do you want want to be involved in them?\u0027.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Obviously from my point, it\u0027s a risk being out of contract, but for me, the chance to impress and sign again for Leeds United, massively outweighed any potential risk.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022For me, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity, you\u0027re training at Leeds, under a manager you know, a really good squad for this league and you\u0027ve got the chance to sign a contract. I thought, what have I got to lose?\u0022\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cscript src=\u0022https://pcb.incrowdsports.com/index.js\u0022 type=\u0022text/javascript\u0022\u003E\u003C/script\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\u0022background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg src=\u0022https://dc6vmiz8c91pk.cloudfront.net/media/10/99893010806472/byram_001.png\u0022 alt=\u0022Sam Byram\u0022 /\u003E\uFEFF\uFEFF\uFEFF\uFEFF\uFEFF\uFEFF\u003Cbr /\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhen you came into the club, you\u0027ve 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?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022A bit of both to be fair. What I will say is that the medical department and it\u0027s staff have been so accommodating and helpful since I\u0027ve arrived. There\u0027s a specialist piece of kit, a reformer pilates machine, that I used in the summer, a machine I\u0027ve used for warming up and stretching mobility/strength, and they\u0027ve done everything they can to make sure that has been provided.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022There\u0027s a bit of a running joke that certain away games, they bring this machine, and I\u0027m in the corridor using it. They\u0027ve done everything to make me as comfortable as possible, so I\u0027m very grateful for that.\u0022\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDoes someone have to drag your pilates machine across the country?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Yeah, 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 \u0027What on earth is this?\u0027, it looked dodgy.\u0022\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is the contrast like between when you were first at the club to now?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022It\u0027s completely different. When you\u0027re in it, you don\u0027t necessarily realise until you\u0027ve been elsewhere, but there was a season I must have had six or seven managers.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The squad and structure here now is much more stable, you can sense on a matchday now, I\u0027d say 99% of the time, it\u0027s sold out and you really feel that excitement and energy.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The three seasons I was here, we were a below mid-table team, we weren\u0027t playing attractive football, so just that contrast as well, it\u0027s just completely different.\u0022\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\u0022background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg src=\u0022https://dc6vmiz8c91pk.cloudfront.net/media/10/79391510668878/byram_002.png\u0022 alt=\u0022Sam Byram\u0022 /\u003E\uFEFF\uFEFF\uFEFF\uFEFF\uFEFF\uFEFF\u003Cbr /\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat\u0027s the feeling in general like around the club and at Thorp Arch? It must be chalk and cheese with regards to expectations?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022When I was first here, as I said before, we were a below mid-table team, there wasn\u0027t that expectation every week that we were going to win and expectation of getting promotion.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Now, 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\u0027re not underestimating the task ahead.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022You 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\u0027re successful at the end.\u0022\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EYou\u0027ve got Archie Gray in the squad, coming up through the ranks at Leeds, do you feel a sense of mentorship and responsibility?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022He\u0027s very mature for his age, we always have a laugh with him just being an idiot a lot of the time, but he\u0027s not phased at all by playing for Leeds, one of the biggest clubs in England, in a sold out stadium.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022If I saw that side getting on top of him, if he was struggling, I\u0027d definitely be there to put an arm around him and help him out, but I feel like he doesn\u0027t need it. He\u0027s a great talent and still young, we\u0027ve got a great group, not just the senior players, even players in their mid-twenties are all very mature, so he\u0027s got a lot of players there if he needs someone to lean on.\u0022\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I played with his dad! When I was first here, he played as a striker, so that makes me feel old. From him being here when I first arrived to now playing alongside his son.\u0022\u003C/p\u003E"