Leeds United Association Football Club is the only professional association football club in the city of Leeds. The club was established in 1919, following the demise of Leeds City F.C.
Leeds United's predecessor club, Leeds City F.C., was formed in 1904, but was forcibly disbanded by The Football League in 1919 in response to allegations of financial irregularities regarding illegal payments to players during the First World War.
For further information visit The Leeds City years, The Leeds City Scandal and Leeds City expelled from the Football League.
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| Leeds United's original home colours |
Shortly after the disbanding of Leeds City a new club, Leeds United, was formed on 17 October 1919, under the management of former player Dick Ray. They began playing in the Midland League, taking the place vacated by Leeds City's reserve team. Yorkshire Amateurs, who occupied Elland Road, offered to make way for the new team.
In 1920 Leeds United were acquired by Huddersfield Town's chairman Hilton Crowther. Crowther planned to amalgamate Huddersfield Town and Leeds United, but a public outcry in the Huddersfield press prevented this; eventually, enough money was raised in Huddersfield to buy Crowther out, leaving him to concentrate solely on Leeds United.
On 31 May 1920 Leeds United were elected to the Football League; they polled 31 votes and entered the Second Division along with Cardiff City, who won 23 votes.
Due to the connection with Huddersfield, Leeds adopted the home colours of Huddersfield for their first home kit.[1]
Honours Won: Second Division Championship (1923/24)
Leeds first manager was former Leeds City player Dick Ray, but chairman Hilton Crowther wasted no time in enlisting the Huddersfield boss Arthur Fairclough as his replacement; Ray was appointed as Fairclough's assistant.
Leeds's first fixture after their election to the league was against Port Vale, the club who had taken up Leeds City's fixtures following their expulsion. Leeds lost the game 2-0, but seven days later recorded their first victory in the corresponding fixture at Elland Road, which ended Leeds United 3 Port Vale 1. However, Leeds made little impact in 1920-21, their first season, eventually finishing 14th. Following seasons saw them consolidate their position in the league, finishing 8th in 1921-22 and 7th in 1922-23, before winning the Second Division Championship in 1923-24 with 54 points. The championship winning team was a strong one, with Jim Baker, Bert Duffield and Ernie Hart featuring prominently.
Leeds struggled during their First Division debut season in 1924-25 and finished in 18th place. The following 1925-26 season was even more of a struggle, and the club only just avoided relegation. The 1926-27 season finally saw Leeds relegated to Second Division, and Fairclough resigned as manager. His replacement was his former assistant Dick Ray, who had left Elland Road in 1923 to manage Doncaster Rovers.
In 1927-28, Ray's first season, Leeds were promoted back to the First Division, finishing as runners-up to Manchester City. The team did well on its return to the First Division, eventually finishing 13th in 1928-29.
The following season, 1929-30, Leeds finished 5th - the club's best position before the arrival of Don Revie. The half-back line of George Reed, Willis Edwards and Ernie Hart provided a strong defensive backbone to an attacking side spearheaded by Tom Jennings. The side was further enhanced by Wilf Copping, who joined in the close season.
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| Leeds' famous home kit before the all white |
Leeds were inconsistent, to say the least; after their best ever finish, the club were relegated in the following 1930-31 season. The following 1931-32 season saw Leeds promoted back to the First Division, finishing runners-up to Wolverhampton Wanderers. On their return to the First Division, Leeds managed to finish 8th in the 1932-33 season, and 9th in 1933-34.
Wilf Copping left for Arsenal in 1934, and his absence made a big difference as Leeds slumped to 18th place in 1934-35. Dick Ray resigned as manager, and was replaced by Billy Hampson. Hampson went for experience and recruited former England internationals, such as Albert McInroy and George Brown. He also introduced promising youngsters Bert Sproston, Billy Furness and Eric Stephenson, who went on to play for England. In the 1934-35 season, Leeds adopted a half yellow-half blue strip, in tribute to the defunct Leeds City, and this kit stayed in place until 1948, with several variations on the colours being used between then and 1960-61. The club also adopted their first badge in 1934, using the city crest.
1935-36 saw the club achieve a respectable 11th place in the table, but 1936-37 brought another slump as Leeds finished 19th. 1937-38 saw an improvement and Leeds were even up amongst the title challengers in the early part of the season, with South African striker Gordon Hodgson scoring 25 goals in 36 League games. However, the side faded, and eventually finished 9th.
1938-39 was the last full season before World War II, and Leeds finished 13th.
In the 1946-47 season after the War, Leeds United won just 18 points - the equal lowest First Division total until Stoke City's performance in 1984-85. Once relegation to the Second Division was confirmed, manager Billy Hampson was replaced by former player Willis Edwards.
Edwards proved to be a poor manager, and the 1947-48 season was a struggle against relegation to the Third Division. After just a year in charge, Edwards was moved back to the post of assistant manager, and the Leeds board appointed Major Frank Buckley.
Buckley had previously managed Wolverhampton Wanderers to a runners-up position in the league, and to the FA Cup Final. However, his first season in charge of Leeds was another relegation battle, with Leeds eventually finishing 15th in the 1948-49 season that saw John Charles make his league debut.
The following 1949-50 season saw Buckley clear much of the dead wood from the side, replacing them with younger, fitter players. Buckley's new side finished a creditable 5th in the Second Division, and enjoyed a run to the 6th round of the FA Cup. The season also saw Leeds sign a 15 year old Jack Charlton.
The 1950-51 season was another period of transition for the club; Buckley continued to rebuild, with only seven original players remaining from the squad he had inherited in 1948, and Leeds eventually finished 5th.
The 1951-52 season saw Leeds finish 6th in the table. By this time, Buckley had grown steadily more frustrated with the inability of some players in the squad to fulfil their potential, whilst the lack of funds from the board made radical action impossible. Buckley's scouting and youth programmes were bringing talent through, but it was taking too long.
Buckley was 68 at the start of the 1952-53, and aware that the board was impatient for promotion. He switched Charles from his usual defensive position to a centre forward role, and was rewarded with 27 goals in 29 appearances. The season also saw Jack Charlton making his debut at centre back, replacing Charles. It wasn't enough; the previously tight defense missed Charles, and Leeds finished the season in 10th place. After five years as manager, Buckley resigned at the end of the season to take over at Walsall Town.
The Leeds board replaced Buckley with former England legend Raich Carter. Initially, the new manager caused unrest among the players; Carter was convinced of his abilities, but scathing and dismissive in his put downs of the players, whom he deemed lesser talents. Team spirit suffered as he lavished all his attention on John Charles, who rewarded his manager's devotion with 42 goals in 39 games. Despite the goals, Leeds were still erratic, and finished the 1953-54 season in 10th position.
The 1954-55 season saw the club settle down into a winning routine under Carter, eventually finishing 4th and missing out on promotion by just one point. However, Charles was unsettled by attention from First Division clubs, and submitted a written transfer request, which was rejected by the board.
Carter switched Charles back to defence for the 1955-56 season, and Leeds finished as Second Division runners-up - returning to the First Division for the first time since 1947. Team regulars included Charlton, Eric Kerfoot, Jimmy Dunn and Grenville Hair.
Leed's return to the First Division in the 1956-57 season saw them finish a creditable 8th, with John Charles playing a pivotal role. However, in September 1956, fire gutted the West Stand at Elland Road; the fire was so ferocious that large sections of the pitch were scorched by the heat. The blaze consumed the entire structure, offices, kit, club records, physiotherapy equipment, dressing rooms, directors' rooms and the press box. Damage was estimated at £100,000, and the club's insurance cover had been woefully inadequate. In order to raise funds to replace the stand, the clubs directors reluctantly listened to offers for Charles. Carter did his best to persuade his star player to stay, but Charles was hungry for success at the highest level, and Carter was unable to convince him that Leeds could satisfy his ambitions. Charles was sold to Juventus for a then world record of £65,000.
The loss of such a key player was reflected in the performances on the pitch, and the following 1957-58 season saw Leeds finish in 17th place. At the end of the season, the club directors decided not to renew Carter's contract after just one season in charge.
Bill Lambton took over as acting manager at Leeds for the 1958-59 season. Lambton had been hired by Carter the previous season, and had no experience of running a football club. He had not been a great success as coach and commanded little respect among the playing staff. A player rebellion saw the board sack Lambton in January 1959, and former manager Willis Edwards resumed the manager's chair on a temporary basis, aided by trainer Bob Roxburgh, and Leeds managed to avoid relegation, eventually finishing 15th. Lambton's main legacy was the signing of former England international Don Revie, who was then ending his playing career.
Lambton's eventual successor was Jack Taylor, who had managed Queens Park Rangers without conspicuous success and the club were relegated to the Second Division at the end of the 1959-60 season.
Taylor fared no better in the lower division, and resigned in March 1961, to be replaced by Revie.
Honours Won: First Division Championship (1968/69) (1973/74), FA Cup (1971/72), League Cup (1967/68), Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (1967/68) (1970/71), Charity Shield (1969/70), Second Division Championship (1963/64)
Runners Up: First Division (1964/65) (1965/66) (1969/70) (1970/71) (1971/72), FA Cup (1964/65) (1969/70) (1972/73), Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (1966/67), European Cup Winners Cup (1972/73)
Semi-Finalists: FA Cup (1966/67) (1967/68), Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (1965/66), European Cup (1969/70)
Under Revie, Leeds enjoyed their most successful period, yet his stewardship started in adverse conditions; the club was in financial difficulty, and in the 1961-62 season only a win in the final game of the season saved the club from relegation to the Third Division.
Revie developed a new team around Jack Charlton and Scottish midfielder Bobby Collins, whilst bringing through a crop of outstanding youngsters including Norman Hunter, Paul Reaney, Gary Sprake, Billy Bremner, and acquiring Johnny Giles from Manchester United. In 1964 this new team won promotion once more to the First Division.
Leeds made an immediate impact; they finished the 1964-65 season as runners up to Manchester United, losing the title on goal difference. They also reached the FA Cup Final but were beaten 2-1 by Liverpool in a dour game, best remembered for the appearance of Albert Johanneson, the first black player to play in an FA Cup final.
The 1965-66 season saw Leeds consolidate their place in the First Division, finishing as runners up in the league again, and progressing through to the semi-finals of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
The 1966-67 season saw Leeds finish 4th in the league, as well as reaching the FA Cup Semi-Finals and making an early exit from the League Cup. In addition, their European campaign ended as beaten finalists in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, losing 2-0 to Dinamo Zagreb.
Revie's first trophies were won in the 1967-68 season; although Leeds finished 4th in the league, and were beaten in the FA Cup semi-finals, they won the League Cup, with Terry Cooper's goal being enough to beat Arsenal 1-0. There was also European success; Leeds beat Ferencvaros over two legs in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, with Mick Jones scoring the deciding goal. Leeds were the first English team to win the trophy.
Leeds won the First Division Championship for the first time in the 1968-69 season; they lost only two league games, and were unbeaten at home which was the best record in the 20th century. The price of such consistency in the league was reflected in poor cup runs, as Leeds exited the FA, League and Inter-Cities Cup competitions in the early stages.
The 1969-70 season is best remembered as a glorious failure. Revie tried to win all three of the major competitions - the League, the FA Cup and the European Cup, and failed to capture any of them. In the League, Leeds were runners up to Everton, and in the European Cup they went out in the semi-finals to Celtic. Leeds also reached the FA Cup final and, despite a memorable performance from Eddie Gray, lost to Chelsea after a replay. Revie's Leeds were victims of their own success; FA rules at the time stipulated that a squad of only 20 players could be used, and as a consequence some of the Leeds players took part in 62 competitive games that season. Additionally, FA rules only allowed the use of one substitute, and even then only in case of injury. Other factors, such as fixture congestion and the FA's insistence that Leeds play 9 games in 22 days (the 1969-70 season was foreshortened by England's early departure to Mexico to defend the World Cup) meant that Revie was often forced to field tired players. In the end, the only trophy that Leeds captured was the Charity Shield.
In the 1970-71 season Leeds were runners up in the league again, in controversial circumstances. With four games to play, Leeds were two points clear at the top of the league. Whilst playing West Bromwich Albion, a Leeds pass was intercepted by West Bromwich player Tony Brown. Brown paused, as his team mate Colin Suggett was running back from an offside position - the linesman flagged for offside, and the majority of players stopped when they saw that the flag was raised. Referee Ray Tinkler overruled the linesman, allowing Brown to play the ball to Jeff Astle, who scored what proved to be the winning goal. Both Revie and the Leeds fans were so enraged at the decision that they invaded the pitch to protest, and consequently the FA banned Leeds from playing their first five home games of the following season at home. Leeds lost the title to Arsenal by 1 point. In addition, Leeds went out of the FA Cup in the 5th round in a shock 3-2 defeat by Colchester, who were in the Fourth Division at the time. There was consolation in Europe though; Leeds won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, beating Juventus over two legs, with Mick Bates, Paul Madeley and Allan Clarke scoring the winning goals.
As a result of the pitch invasion against West Bromwich Albion, Leeds were banned from playing their first five home games of the 1971-72 season at home, and only managed to pick up 2 points from those games. However, they still managed to mount a challenge for the Double; an Allan Clarke goal was enough as Leeds beat Arsenal 1-0 in the FA Cup Final, but once again fixture congestion and rigid FA regulations meant that Leeds had to play their final league game of the season less than two days afterwards. Leeds only had to draw their last game to win the League, but were beaten by Wolverhampton Wanderers. The league title went to Derby County - by 1 point. Based on their home record of previous seasons, if Leeds had been allowed to play their first 5 home games at Elland Road, it is likely that they would have won the league.
Leeds finished 3rd in the league during the 1972-73 season, and lost two cup finals. Sunderland beat Leeds 1-0 in a shock result in the FA Cup Final, and Leeds were beaten 1-0 by A.C. Milan in the European Cup Winners Cup final. The latter game was dominated by dubious refereeing decisions; Norman Hunter was sent off, and Leeds had two clear cut penalty appeals turned down. It was later discovered that Greek referee Christos Michas had been bribed by AC Milan. Michas was subsequently banned from refereeing for life by UEFA; AC Milan were not penalised.
Revie's final season in charge saw Leeds win the league at a canter; they went 29 games unbeaten from the start of the 1973-74 season, and lost just 4 league games all season. In 1974, Revie left Leeds to take up the role of managing the English national team.
In his thirteen years in charge, Revie guided Leeds to two Football League First Division titles, one FA Cup, one League Cup, two Inter-Cities Fairs Cups, one Football League Second Division title and one Charity Shield. He also guided them to three more FA Cup Finals, two more FA Cup Semi-Finals, one more Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Final and one Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Semi-Final, one European Cup Winners' Cup Final and one European Cup Semi-Final. The team also finished second in the Football League First Division five times, third once and fourth twice.
Leeds reputation was built on strong organisation, physical toughness (at a time when football was more physical than it is today) and skill. Most of Revie's team went on to become internationals; in 1970 the squad contained 17 full internationals. This was at a time when squads never had more than 20 players, when players from outside the British Isles were rare in English football, and international players correspondingly more rare.
In a survey of leading football writers, historians and academics by Total Sport magazine, Revie's Leeds United were voted as one of the fifty greatest football teams of all time.[2]
Runners Up: Charity Shield (1974/75)
Don Revie had recommended Johnny Giles as his replacement; however, the club's board appointed the biggest name in management at the time, rather than bowing to Revie's demands. Brian Clough was at the time one of the most successful and outspoken English managers, having recently resigned his post at Derby County, where he had won the league championship in 1972. This was a surprise appointment, as Clough had previously criticised Revie and his players for their poor disciplinary record and perceived lack of sportsmanship; additionally, his passionate management style was in complete contrast to Revie's. At Clough's first team talk, he told the Leeds players that they had won all their medals by cheating, and antagonised several senior players - famously telling the injury-prone Eddie Gray that if he had been a horse, he would have been shot years ago. Clough also purchased players who he felt could turn the dressing room such as John O'Hare and John McGovern from Derby County, and thrust them into the team ahead of the established players who were lukewarm to his appointment. Given the large number of first team injuries and the six-week suspension of Billy Bremner, his start at the club was unsurprisingly poor, with just one league victory from his first five games in charge.
Some players such as Johnny Giles recognised the need to rebuild Revie's ageing side, and thought Clough should be given more time. Others - notably Paul Madeley - felt differently, and said so during an extraordinary gathering called by uneasy club directors to gauge the players feelings about the new manager and his methods. Shortly after, an emergency board meeting was held, and in September 1974 Clough was sacked after only 44 days in charge. Clough went on to greater things with Nottingham Forest; of his signings for Leeds, only Duncan McKenzie flourished at the club.
Runners Up: European Cup (1974/75)
Semi-Finalists: FA Cup (1976/77), League Cup (1977/78)
Clough was replaced in October 1974 by former England captain Jimmy Armfield, who stabilised the team - Leeds finished 9th in the league - and took Revie's team to the European Cup Final, where they were defeated 2-0 by Bayern Munich in controversial circumstances. Peter Lorimer had a goal disallowed due to a dubious offside decision given against captain Billy Bremner, and referee Michel Kitabdjian also turned down two Leeds claims for penalties, firstly when Franz Beckenbauer handled the ball inside the penalty area, and then when the Bayern Munich captain clearly tripped Allan Clarke in the box. In response to the poor refereeing and losing the game, Leeds fans ripped out seats at the Parc des Princes stadium, which resulted in Leeds receiving a three-year ban from European football. Kitabdjian never officiated in Europe again.[3]
Assisted by Don Howe, Armfield was responsible for rebuilding Don Revie's ageing but formidable side, a task which he achieved with some success. He retained a core set of players - Frank Gray, Terry Yorath, Gordon McQueen and Joe Jordan - and complimented them with shrewd purchases such as Tony Currie, Arthur Graham and Brian Flynn. In the four years under Armfield, Leeds played in a European Cup Final, qualified for the UEFA cup, reached FA and League Cup semi-finals, and never finished outside of the top ten. However, the board was impatient for greater success and in July 1978 the board dismissed him, replacing him with Celtic legend Jock Stein.
Semi-Finalists: League Cup (1978/79)
Stein remained as Leeds manager for just 44 days before taking up an invitation to manage the Scottish national team. In October 1978 the board turned to Jimmy Adamson, a long-time manager at Burnley, who took Leeds back into Europe and reached a League Cup semi-final in his first season in charge. However, some wretched sales in the transfer market - notably Tony Currie and Frank Gray - caused a rapid decline in Leeds' fortunes, with the team winning just four of their first seventeen league games during the 1979-80 season. With the fans calling for him to be dismissed, Adamson resigned in September 1980.
Adamson was replaced by former Leeds and England star Allan Clarke. Clarke shored up the defence, ensuring that Leeds survived the 1980-81 season, but in the first game of the 1981-82 season Leeds lost 5-1 to Swansea City, and the team never seemed to recover. The previously watertight defense started to ship goals, and the team seemed unable to score. Clarke spent freely in the transfer market, notably purchasing Peter Barnes, but his impact was slight - between 12 December 1981 and 6 April 1982, the team scored just five goals in fourteen league games. Leeds were relegated at the end of the 1981-82 season; Clarke was sacked and replaced by former team-mate Eddie Gray.
It was during this time that Leeds United fans gained an unwanted reputation across the country which tarnished the club's names. Incidents of football hooliganism were rife, and there were regular instances of British National Front members and supporters peddling their literature to spectators on their way and in and out of the stadium.[1]
Runners Up: Second Division Play Off Final (1986/87)
Semi-Finalists: FA Cup (1986/87)
Clarke's spending had left Leeds in a precarious financial situation, and Gray was forced to concentration on youth development to rebuild the team. Most Leeds supporters would give Gray the benefit of the doubt during this period as he had no money to spend on team building, and those players he developed were often sold off as well. Young players to emerge during this period included Neil Aspin, Denis Irwin, John Sheridan, Scott Sellars and Bob Taylor - who all enjoyed considerable success at other clubs after leaving Leeds. The 1984-85 season saw Leeds take the promotion battle to the final game, but lost 1-0 away to Birmingham City. However, that game will be remembered for all the wrong reasons by both clubs due to a high profile hooliganism incident at St Andrew's stadium. Leeds fans rioted at the game, causing a wall to collapse and crushing a 14-year-old boy to death. 96 policemen were injured, hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage was caused by vandalism and graffiti, and the collapsed wall also crushed several parked motor vehicles beyond repair. [2]
However, Leeds started the 1985-86 badly and relegation to the Third Division became a real possibility, causing Gray to be sacked in favour of another Revie legend, former Leeds and Scotland captain Billy Bremner. Bremner carried on where Gray had left off, but found it just as difficult to achieve promotion, though he did bring the club close to success. Under Bremner, the club were defeated 2-1 in the 1987 play-off final, after extra time, against Charlton Athletic and, in the same year, were beaten 3-2 (after extra-time) in the FA Cup semi-final, losing to eventual winners Coventry City. In October 1988, with the team standing at 21st position in the Second Division, Bremner was fired to make way for Howard Wilkinson.
Honours Won: First Division Championship (1991/92), Second Division Championship (1989/90), Charity Shield (1992/93)
Runners Up: League Cup (1995/96)
Wilkinson set about building a team capable of promotion. Key acquisitions included Gordon Strachan from Manchester United, Vinnie Jones, Mel Sterland, Lee Chapman and Chris Fairclough. He also began to bring players through from the youth team, including David Batty (actually a product of the Bremner era) and Gary Speed. In the 1989-90 season Leeds finally won promotion back to the First Division after an absence of eight years. Leeds were promoted as Second Division Champions.
Wilkinson continued to rebuild the team, discarding players such as Jones who had been brought in specifically to deal with the physicality of second division football, and bringing in John Lukic (the club's first £1m signing), Chris Whyte and Gary McAllister. The club finished the 1990-91 season in 4th place in the First Division, and the board continued to make money available to Wilkinson, allowing the signings of Tony Dorigo, Steve Hodge, Rod Wallace and Eric Cantona.
The following 1991-92 season saw Leeds win the final old First Division championship; Wilkinson's side boasted arguably the finest midfield in the League in the form of Strachan, Batty, McAllister and Speed.
The 1992-93 season started promisingly, with Leeds beating Liverpool 4-3 in the Charity Shield. Wilkinson had set his sights on winning the UEFA Champions League but progress was halted by Rangers, who beat Leeds in both legs of a clash labelled the "Battle of Britain". Controversially, Eric Cantona was sold to rivals Manchester United for £1.2 million, and Leeds seemed incapable of any consistency - the team failed to win an away game all season (the only defending League champions ever to achieve this dubious record). Leeds eventually finished 17th in the League - three places above relegation.
The following 1993-94 season saw a much improved Leeds side finish 5th in League. The subsequent 1994-95 season again saw Leeds finish 5th, this time qualifying for the UEFA Cup. The previously erratic defence was shored up by Lucas Radebe, who proved to be an astute purchase. Unfortunately Wilkinson also made a number of suspect signings, notably Carlton Palmer for £2.6m and Tomas Brolin for £4.5m; the latter made only 19 appearances for the club.
Wilkinson's team failed to gel, and the 1995-96 season saw Leeds finish in 13th position. Leeds did reach the League Cup final, but were beaten 3-0 by Aston Villa in a disappointing performance.
Despite the arrival of Nigel Martyn and Lee Bowyer, Leeds made a poor start to the 1996-97 season, and after a 4-0 home defeat by Manchester United, Wilkinson had his contract terminated. Under Wilkinson Leeds won the First Division Championship, the Second Division Championship, the Charity Shield and reached the League Cup Final. To this day Howard Wilkinson remains the second most successful manager of the club behind Don Revie.
Leeds controversially appointed George Graham; Graham had been out of a job since being accused of accepting illegal payments at his former club Arsenal. When Graham arrived, he stepped into a club where the players' morale was low; he started work immediately by sorting out the team's defence and Leeds became "bore draw" specialists, finishing the 1996-97 season in 11th place. He made some astute purchases, notably Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Bruno Ribeiro, and also introduced Australian youngster Harry Kewell from the youth team. Under Graham, Leeds finished the 1997-98 season in 5th place, qualifying for the following season's UEFA Cup. However, within a few weeks of the 1998-99 season, Graham left Leeds to manage Tottenham Hotspur.
Semi-Finalists: UEFA Cup (1999/00), Champions League (2000/01)
The Leeds board wanted Martin O'Neill to take the job; however pressure from Leicester City fans meant O'Neill stayed on as their manager. Leeds opted for David O'Leary, George Graham's assistant manager.
O'Leary introduced promising youngsters like Jonathan Woodgate, Alan Smith and Stephen McPhail to complement the likes of Harry Kewell and Ian Harte, who were already established in the first team. Leeds finished the 1998-99 season in 4th place, qualifying for the UEFA Cup once again.
The following 1999-2000 season saw a superb run in the UEFA Cup complemented by good form in the league, with Leeds finishing 3rd place and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.
Unfortunately, Leeds image was tarnished by an incident in January 2000 involving Jonathan Woodgate and Lee Bowyer, which left an Asian student in hospital with severe injuries. The trial of Bowyer and Woodgate took nearly two years to resolve before the start-stop court case came to a close (a prejudicial Sunday Mirror article in 2001 caused the original trial to collapse and a re-trial was scheduled several months later). Bowyer was cleared, and Woodgate convicted of affray and sentenced to community service. Bowyer played some of the finest football of his career during the trial and would often drive straight from court to play for Leeds; however, Woodgate’s form deteriorated, and he had to sit out games due to pressure.
In the UEFA Cup Leeds reached their first European semi-final in 25 years, and were paired against Turkish champions Galatasaray. The first leg of the semi-final was played in Istanbul, with Leeds losing the game 2-0. However, the result was overshadowed by the death of two Leeds United fans, Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight, who were stabbed to death in rioting the night before the game.[4][5] Leeds were only able to draw the return leg at Elland Road and went out of the competition. A minute's silence[6] is held every year at the match closest to the anniversary of the incident to remember Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight.[3] [4]
The 2000-01 season saw Leeds enjoy a spectacular run in the Champions League, playing the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, S.S Lazio and AC Milan . They eventually lost in the semi-finals to València. Leeds could only finish in 4th place in the league, narrowly missing on qualification for the Champions League.
The 2001-02 season saw a downturn in Leeds' fortunes, despite heavy investment in the team - the likes of Robbie Fowler and Seth Johnson signing for a combined £18million. O'Leary's team could only finish 5th in the league (due in part to a two-month winless streak at the start of the new year), missing out on qualification for the Champions League again. This was despite an excellent first half of the season, and as late as New Year's Day 2002 Leeds topped the league. Although the general public were unaware, chairman Peter Ridsdale had taken out large loans against the prospect of gate receipts from Champions League games. As Leeds had failed to qualify for the competition, there was simply not enough money coming in to repay the debt.
The first indication that the club was in financial trouble was the sale of Rio Ferdinand to Manchester United. O'Leary and Ridsdale publicly fell out over the sale; O'Leary was sacked despite guiding Leeds to four consecutive top five finishes and UEFA Cup and Champions League Semi-Finals, he was replaced by former England manager Terry Venables.
In the January 2003 transfer window Robbie Keane, Robbie Fowler, Olivier Dacourt, Lee Bowyer and Jonathan Woodgate were sold to repay the debt, and to reduce an unsustainable wage bill. The sale of Woodgate particularly upset Venables, who had been promised by Ridsdale that the player would not be sold. Tensions mounted between the pair, eventually resulting in the sacking of Venables, who was replaced by Peter Reid. By now Leeds were in danger of relegation, but Reid saved Leeds from the drop with a 3-2 win away to Arsenal in the penultimate game of the season - a result which won the title for rivals Manchester United. During this time the now reviled Peter Ridsdale resigned from the Leeds board and was replaced by Professor John McKenzie whom had to try and turn around a club with debt in excess of £100m.[7] Leeds reported a British record loss of £49.5m in October 2003, which on-top of their already existing £78m debt set the clubs total debt at £127.5m.[7][8][9]
During the summer of 2003 Harry Kewell - who was nearing the end of his contract - joined Liverpool for £5 million; controversially, Leeds received just £3 million for the player, while £2 million went to Kewell's manager Bernie Mandic.
An unsuccessful start to the 2003-04 season saw Leeds collect just 8 points from the club's first 12 Premiership fixtures, and after a 6-1 defeat at Portsmouth Reid was dismissed. Former manager Eddie Gray was appointed as caretaker manager until the end of the season.
Gray continued the trend of recent years in rebuilding with young players, including James Milner and Aaron Lennon. A period of serious financial difficulty resulted in takeover offers, including a £60 million bid by Ugandan property tycoon Michael Ezra,[10] but the team was eventually sold in early 2004 to a consortium led by new chairman Gerald Krasner. The team continued to struggle on the field, and Leeds were relegated to the Championship at the end of the 2003-04 season. Following confirmation of the club's relegation, Gray's reign as caretaker manager was terminated. His former assistant, Kevin Blackwell, was appointed caretaker manager for the final match of the season, and afterwards as permanent manager.
At the end of the season, other members of the team - Paul Robinson, Dominic Matteo, Mark Viduka and Alan Smith - were transferred, and even Milner, who Leeds had been intent on keeping, had to be sold. In their place Leeds began signing players prepared to accept lower wages. The club were eventually forced to sell both their training ground, for £4.2m,[11] and their Elland Road stadium[12] in the autumn of 2004.
Runners Up: Championship Play Off Final (2005/06)
On 21 January 2005, Krasner announced the sale of a 50% stake to Ken Bates for £10m and Bates became the club's new Chairman, replacing Krasner.[13] This investment effectively saved Leeds United from going into administration. Bates had previously headed three other league football clubs, most famously Chelsea.
Blackwell was forced to sell most of the remaining players, including Aaron Lennon; somehow he managed to build a team using loan players and experienced professionals nearing the end of their careers. Despite a promising opening day win against Derby County, Leeds's form at the start of the 2004-05 Coca-Cola Championship was little better than in the previous season, and they spent the first half of the campaign looking in serious danger of a second successive relegation. Their form gradually picked up after the club was taken over by Bates and Leeds finished in a relatively safe 14th place.
With new players brought in over the summer, the club's goal during the 2005-06 season was promotion. Blackwell's shrewd tactics away from Elland Road and attacking style at home proved highly effective, and by the end of February he had guided Leeds to 3rd place in the Championship. However from that point onwards Leeds slumped, gaining just 4 points from a possible 18, and eventually had to settle for a play-off place. In the first round of the playoffs against Preston North End, Leeds drew 1-1 at Elland Road, but then won the return leg 2-0 to advance to the Play-Off final. The playoff final was played on 21 May 2006 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. However in a dismal performance Leeds crashed to a 3-0 final defeat to Watford. While some fans predicted that Leeds would go one better and finally return to the Premier League the following year, others were concerned by the fact that with the exception of the bottom four teams, Leeds's form going into the play-offs was the worst of any team in the Championship, their only two wins in the final months of the campaign being the play-off victory against Preston and a narrow 1-0 victory against relegated Crewe Alexandra.
On 10 September 2006, Kevin Blackwell announced that within a year the club would be debt free. Just over 2 years before, Leeds United had been £121 million pounds in debt.[14]
On 20 September 2006, after a poor start to the season, Kevin Blackwell's contract was terminated. John Carver was appointed Caretaker Manager, but after winning his first match against Birmingham City, the club went on a run of five straight defeats with 17 goals conceded before Carver was dismissed after just three weeks in charge that saw Leeds crash to the foot of the Championship table. From this point, despite occasional improvements in form, Leeds would never escape the relegation zone. David Geddis took over the responsibilities for the League Cup match against Southend United. Dennis Wise eventually took charge on 25 October 2006. It was announced on 20 November 2006 that Kevin Blackwell was suing the club for wrongful dismissal after it was confirmed he was sacked for gross misconduct, on the grounds of "negative comments made in the press about the club's finances".[15]
Wise started by improving the fitness of the side, and by bringing in a number of loan players, notably Alan Thompson. Unfortunately, he was unable to bring any consistency to the side (not helped by injuries to Thompson and fellow new signing Tore André Flo after playing just 3 and 2 games respectively; Flo did not play again that season), and by May 2007 Leeds were relegated from the Championship after entering voluntary administration.
Leeds entered voluntary Administration on 4 May 2007, thus incurring a 10 point deduction which confirmed the clubs relegation to League One. .[16] Administration had been predicted for some time, due to crippling debts created during Peter Ridsdale's chairmanship. For his part, Ridsdale denied any of the current situation was his fault,[17] only days after having admitted it was a mistake to allow David O'Leary to spend so lavishly on players.[18] Ken Bates, however, blamed Leeds financial situation firmly on Ridsdale and his board.[19] KPMG were appointed as administrators and within minutes of entering administration sold the club to Leeds United Football Club Limited, owned by Ken Bates, Shaun Harvey and Mark Taylor.[20] On 1 June 2007 75.20% of the creditors voted in favour of Ken Bates' bid.[21] With just minutes remaining of the 28 day period during which creditors could challenge the buyback by Ken Bates, HM Revenue & Customs lodged a formal challenge,[22] and the club was put up for sale again.[23] After due deliberation, on 11 July 2007 KPMG revealed that once again they had chosen Ken Bates' bid.[24]
During the weekend of 21 July 2007, Leeds United fans decorated the statue of Billy Bremner outside the Elland Road stadium with flowers, Leeds United shirts and scarves, and notes bearing messages of support for their team, as uncertainty over the future of the club grew amid legal disputes between owners, football authorities, administrators and HMRC. Certain sections of the press predicted (or even called for) Leeds's expulsion from the Football League, but this was considered a difficult matter for the League, since there had never been any precedent for expelling a club outside of the bottom division.
The league eventually sanctioned the sale to Bates without the club going through a CVA under the "exceptional circumstances rule", but imposed a 15 point deduction due to Leeds not following football league rules on clubs exiting administration.[25] On 31 August 2007 HMRC decided not to pursue their legal challenge any further, accepting Bates' final offer.[26]
Runners-up: League One Play Off Final (2007–08)
Semi-Finalists: League One Play Off Semi-Final (2008–09)
Promotion From League One (2009–10)
After waiting most of the summer for the league-imposed transfer embargo to be lifted, Leeds were eventually allowed to sign players on 7 August 2007. They immediately set about re-signing players whose loan or permanent contracts had expired during the summer including the experienced Alan Thompson, Tore André Flo[27] and Casper Ankergren.[28] Some new faces were also brought in such as the previous England under-21 star David Prutton.[29] Thompson was awarded the captain's arm-band due to his previous high-level experience.[27] Leeds won their first match in the third tier 2–1 away at Tranmere Rovers with a goal from Tresor Kandol sealing the victory in the 89th minute,[30] and won their next six league games to equal the club's best ever start to a season, last achieved 34 years ago in the 1973–74 season).[31] In recognition of the outstanding start to the season, Wise was named as League One's Manager of the Month for August[32] and September 2007.[33] However, after guiding Leeds to the play-off places despite the 15-point deduction, Wise controversially quit the club to take up a position in Kevin Keegan's new set-up at Newcastle United.[34]
The following day former club captain Gary McAllister, who had been captain the last time Leeds won the League Championship, was appointed as the club's new manager[35] with Steve Staunton his assistant. After the New Year, Leeds's form began to slump badly, the team going seven games without a win at one stage, and by the end of March the team had fallen to mid-table, and their promotion hopes looked to be in tatters. However, an excellent run of seven wins from their last eight games saw them secure fifth place and a play-off spot; without the well-publicised points deduction they would have finished second and earned automatic promotion. The deduction was heavily appealed, but this ultimately failed on 1 May 2008 when an independent arbitration panel ruled that the Football League were right to give Leeds this deduction.
Victory over Gillingham on the final day of the season saw Leeds finish fifth in the final table and book themselves a play-off semi-final tie with Carlisle United.[36] After losing 2–1 with a poor performance in the first leg at Elland Road,[37] Leeds beat Carlisle 2–0 at Brunton Park[38] to book their first appearance at Wembley in 12 years, and their first ever appearance at the new Wembley Stadium. Leeds lost the Play-Off Final 1–0 to Doncaster Rovers.[39]
Leeds seemed unable to maintain any consistency; they started the 2008/09 season well, but lost momentum and a series of poor performances saw them slip out of the play-off positions. In the cups, Leeds were beaten in Johnston's Paint Trophy by Rotherham, and struggled to the quarter finals of the Carling Cup, where they were beaten 2–1 by Derby. McAllister was sacked on 21 December following a run of 6 defeats in a row, including an embarrassing defeat to non-league Histon in the FA Cup,[40] and replaced by Blackpool manager Simon Grayson.[41] Blackpool subsequently reported Leeds United to the Football League, claiming that they rejected five approaches from Leeds to talk to Grayson, and that they had not accepted Grayson's resignation.[42]
Once Grayson established himself, the club began to turn around its performances and following a defeat to Hereford United on February 17, 2009, went unbeaten until April 13 when they were finally defeated by League One Champions Leicester City. Despite this setback, Leeds bounced back five days later to win their 10th home game in succession, a record not matched since the days of Don Revie. The win secured Leeds a place in the League One Play-offs for the second successive season. Leeds faced Millwall in the Play Off Semi-Finals after finishing the League One season in 4th place, but lost 2–1 on aggregate.
The 2009–10 season saw Leeds finally promoted to the Championship as they finished 2nd in League One with 86 Points. In the Carling Cup they gave an excellent performance against Premiership opposition Liverpool, narrowly losing 1–0. In the FA Cup Leeds caused a major upset in the 3rd round, beating then Premiership Champions Manchester United 1–0 at Old Trafford. In the 4th round the team claimed a 2–2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur, before losing the replay at Elland Road. Leeds also advanced to the Northern Area Final of the Johnstones Paint Trophy; however, after drawing with Carlisle United over two matches, Leeds lost in a penalty shoot-out. The end of the FA Cup run saw a serious dip in form, with the team falling as low as fifth at one point. However, their form improved again as the season drew to a close, leaving Leeds back in second place going into the final match of the season. Leeds United beat Bristol Rovers 2–1 in their final league game of the season and clinched promotion back to the Championship after a 3 year exile in League One.
On 27 November 2008 it was revealed that in their first 14 months of operation under the guidance of Leeds United Football Club Limited the club had made an operating profit of £902,000 before the inclusion of player trading from a turnover of £23,249,000.[43] Once player trading had been included this profit rose to £4.5 million. This was in stark contrast to the financial year to June 2006 from the previous club owners Leeds United Association Football Club Limited, who lost £4.5 million and had debts approaching £25 million.
Leeds United are set to begin the 2010-11 season in the Championship, with the new fixtures being released on 17 June. Long serving players such as Rui Marques and Casper Ankergren were released, whilst Alan Sheehan, Andy Robinson, Lubomir Michalik and Tresor Kandol were transfer listed.[44] Jermaine Beckford, Leeds' top scorer in the last three seasons, had his contract cancelled[45] before he joined Premier League club Everton after being hotly tipped to move to the Premier League for several months previously. Leeds however did have something of a transfer coup when they signed highly rated goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel,[46] son of legendary keeper Peter Schmeichel. Leeds moved for a replacement for Jermaine Beckford when they signed Swindon Town striker Billy Paynter on a three year deal after his contract had expired.[47] Paynter had scored 29 goals in the previous season and one more than Beckford in last season's League One campaign. Leeds brought in right back and former Derby County captain Paul Connolly[48] and made their fourth signing of the summer by bringing in Swansea City left back Fede Bessone[49] who, like Luciano Becchio, had trained at FC Barcelona earlier in his career. Leeds brought in their 5th and 6th signings of the summer when they firstly re-signed Neill Collins from Preston North End for an undisclosed fee,[50] he was then followed by Leeds-born Charlton Athletic winger Lloyd Sam who joined Leeds on a free transfer.[51] Alex Bruce has since joined the club on a two-year deal with the option of a third year from Championship rivals Ipswich Town.[52] Leeds made a decent start in the first 3 games of the new Championship season, despite an opening day loss to Derby County, Leeds gained a good point at Nottingham Forest and then defeated rivals Millwall 3-1 at Elland Road. Despite a Carling Cup exit to Leicester, Leeds won their first away game at Watford 1-0. After this the team's form slumped somewhat, and they spent the first few months of the campaign just outside the Championship relegation zone. At the start of November however, a vast improvement in form saw them surge towards the top of the table. Leeds spent much of the second half of the season in the play-off zone, even looking like strong competitors for an automatic promotion place at one point. However, the team's form slumped again starting in March and this time it did not improve, resulting in any promotion hopes being extinguished in the second-last match of the season. Nonetheless the club beat divisional champions Queens Park Rangers in the final match of the season, thereby ensuring a finish of 7th place, their second-highest finish since being relegated from the Premership.
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