No stranger to Leeds United or Liverpool, commentator Jim Beglin is kicking off his 2020/21 campaign by watching his two former sides battle it out at Anfield this evening (5:30pm).

Having won the First Division title, FA Cup and Charity Shield with the Reds, Beglin was signed by Howard Wilkinson in June 1989, before going on to help Leeds United become Second Division champions.

We caught up with our former defender on returning to Leeds, the similarities between the 89/90 and 19/20 promotion winning sides, and how he thinks the side will fare in the Premier League.

Welcome back to Leeds, how does it feel to be back in Leeds?

It's lovely coming back, coming across the M62, all the memories have been flooding back. I think the last time I managed to get back to Leeds was in 2010 when Simon Grayson's side were facing Tottenham in the FA Cup. I was commentating for ITV and I saw a few people from my time here, which was really nice. 

What a game for you to start on?

I saw the fixtures come out and straight away I thought 'Surely that's got to get picked for TV'. I found out two weeks ago I was going to be working that game, and I just thought that's perfect for me. I'm fascinated to see how it will all work out, as last season Liverpool played another promoted side in Norwich on the Friday night. Norwich gave them a few scares, they put them in an awkward position and Liverpool didn't hit the ground running despite winning the game 4-1.

You were part of the last side to get promoted from the second tier, do you see any similarities between the two Leeds sides?

"Not really, football is completely different now. Under Howard Wilkinson I would say we played a more direct game, we played percentage football, basically get the ball in the box as much as you can and you'll score a certain amount of goals.

Now, it's a very different style under Marcelo Bielsa, it's a very exciting style. If you are going to make a comparisons with anyone, you'd have to say his side are more like the top 2 in the Premier League, Liverpool and Man City.

You can't play in this Leeds team unless you are willing to look for the ball, have the courage to get onto it. I love to watch it, it's a high octane game, when possession is lost there's an immediate press. It's a really entertaining brand of football. 

What was so special about the 89/90 side that allowed you to achieve promotion?

I joined in the summer, Howard Wilkinson arrived a little before that, Gordon Strachan was already in place and he was a revelation. I think during that period Howard was great at putting together a squad that was capable of doing what we achieved in the end, in the same way Marcelo has done.

When we won the title, there was sufficient quality and substance. I remember the Leeds fans were starting to get a little bit desperate in the run in and then we got nervous at times. I suppose you could compare to 2018/19 when it didn't quite work out for Leeds.

We had our hairy moments but I think ultimately the experience we had in that side saw us through, we were effective, we were difficult to deal with and very well drilled.

In terms of the step up from the Second Division to First Division, what was the biggest differences you noticed?

Ultimately it came down to the quality. I think Howard was very good at identifying anywhere that there might be a weakness in the side and sorting it out. After he made several signings in 1989 to get to the top flight, he knew that he had to go again and he did. He brought in about half a dozen new players, who were able to add substance to the side and take the club to the next level. 

What are you favourite memories of your time at Leeds?

I was fortunate to play some big games whilst at Liverpool like the European Cup Final, won the league and cup double, so it was a little bit of a wrench for me leaving the club.

I knew I had to, in order to try and improve things for my career after I suffered a serious injury, but I was really delighted with how I was received in Leeds.

Everyone was really good to me, I was trying to give it all I had but the injuries just kept piling up and I can remember the fans were really grounded and lovely, they treated me very well. I will always respect that.

One thing I will always remember was, for the run in during the 1989/90 campaign, I had went out on loan with Plymouth, got fit and came back and managed to get into the team. Every away game was delayed because there were so many Leeds fans, trying to get there. A police sergeant would walk into the dressing room and we'd say 'Ah here we go again, we're going to have a delay', but it was great. 

I always remember the noise. I'm not just saying this or making it up, but I played in some of the biggest games at club and international level, but Elland Road and the noise that was being generated was second to none.

Gordon Strachan scoring the winner against Leicester, that was a big win for us, a massive goal. What it did for the club, it gave us the belief that we could actually go on and take this to the end, was quite incredible. I remember their striker David Kelly turning to me at one stage saying, 'Have you heard this noise?' because he was taken aback by it. I'll always be fond of my time here.

The club has been out of the Premier League for 16 years, as a commentator what would you say is the biggest difference from 2004 to now?

It's unrelenting. I've worked on the Premier League for many years now and I've seen lots of teams come up with great expectations, but I think the quality is better than ever before. If you look across the whole of the Premier League, there's a strength that wasn't there before.

With the finance involved, and the quality teams are able to buy all around the globe, they're able to bring in great talent. I think even in teams that people might consider average or ordinary, they'll still have two or three players of serious quality that can do you damage on any particular day. Looking at what Leeds have been doing, they look well equipped, they look like they could be great entertainers, it will be an exciting ride.

Putting you on the spot now. Where do you think Leeds will end up?

I'm probably going to get called for this, but I already see Leeds staying in the Premier League. I think they have enough, I'm thinking mid-table. No matter what you achieve at Championship level, the Premier League is another step up, you've got to start all over again and you've got to hit levels early on. He needs the side to deliver from day one and if they do that, I think they'll be very comfortable.