LEEDS United midfielder David Norris firmly believes the npower Championship promotion race will have a more accurate look about it after the Christmas rush.

Tomorrow’s Elland Road clash with Ipswich, one of Norris’s former clubs, is the first of five League games in just over a fortnight for United, who also have a Capital One Cup quarter-final showdown against European champions Chelsea in that spell.

Said Norris: “We’ll have a clearer picture in January. If we can be in and around there we’ll start talking about it then.

“If you have three wins people talk about going up, but three losses and you’re looking at relegation.

“With the way this league is it’s difficult to go on a run like some teams have done in the past.”

Having lost at Derby last weekend, United are aiming to bounce back.

Added Norris, who made 100 appearances for Town: “We’ve always taken the games to teams and maybe we got a bit out-muscled.”