History
Main article: History of Leeds United A.F.C.
Pre-Leeds United
Leeds United's predecessor team Leeds City FC was formed in 1904, but was forcibly disbanded by The Football League in 1919 in response to allegations of illegal payments to players during the First World War. A new club, Leeds United, was formed and the club received an invitation to enter the Midland League from the league secretary, Mr. J Nicholson. Leeds United were voted into the Midland League on 31 October 1919, taking the place vacated by Leeds City Reserves. Yorkshire Amateurs, who occupied Elland Road, offered to make way for the new team under the management of former player Dick Ray.
The chairman of Huddersfield Town, Mr. Hilton Crowther loaned Leeds United £35,000, to be repaid when Leeds United won promotion toDivision One. He brought Barnsley's manager Arthur Fairclough to Leeds and on 26 February 1920, Dick Ray stepped down to become Fairclough's assistant.
1920–1960: Football League
On 31 May 1920, Leeds United were elected to the Football League.
Over the following few years, Leeds consolidated their position in the Second Division and in 1924 won the title and with it promotion to theFirst Division. However, they failed to establish themselves and were relegated in 1926–27. After being relegated Fairclough resigned which paved the way for Ray to return as manager. In the years up until the start of World War II Leeds were twice relegated, both times being instantly re-promoted the following season.
On 5 March 1935 Ray resigned and he was replaced by Billy Hampson, who remained in charge for 12 years. In the 1946–47 season after the war, Leeds were relegated again with the worst league record in their history. After this season, Hampson resigned (he stayed with Leeds as their chief scout albeit for only 8 months) and was replaced in April 1947 by Willis Edwards.
In 1948 Sam Bolton replaced Ernest Pullan as the chairman of Leeds United. Edwards was moved to assistant trainer in April 1948 after just one year as manager. He was replaced by Major Frank Buckley.
They remained in the Second Division until 1955–56, when Leeds once again won promotion to the First Division, inspired by Welsh legendJohn Charles. However, Charles was hungry for success at the highest level, and manager Raich 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 led to Leeds' decline, and the team was relegated to the Second Division in 1959–60.
1961–1975: Revie - the glory years
In March 1961 the club appointed Don Revie as manager. His stewardship began in adverse circumstances; the club was in financial difficulty[6] and in 1961–62 only a win in the final game of the season saved the club from relegation to Division Three. Revie turned the team around, winning promotion to the First Division in 1963–64. Between 1965 and 1974, Revie's Leeds never finished outside of the top four, won two League Championships (1968–69 and 1973–74), the FA Cup (1972), the League Cup (1968) and two Inter-Cities Fairs Cups (1968 and1971).
Set against the success was an unenvied record of second places; during the same period Leeds were runners up in the League five times, losing finalists in the FA Cup three times, runners up in the Fairs Cup once, and losing 1–0 to AC Milan in the European Cup Winners Cupfinal.
It was also during this period that Leeds picked up the Dirty Leeds tag, which has stuck to this day. This nickname is, in part, due to the tenacious never-say-die attitude that Revie instilled into his players which, at times, was perceived as crossing the line with regards to fair play. Revie admitted that during the first half of his tenure Leeds "played for results".[7]
1974 – The Three Fortnights of Brian Clough; Jimmy Armfield Replaces Him:
Revie's last season at Elland Road was in 1974, and he left Leeds to take up the role of managing the English national team. Brian Cloughwas appointed as Revie's successor. This was a surprise appointment, as Clough had been an outspoken critic of Revie and the team's tactics.[8] Beginning with the scandal ridden Charity Shield Match against FA Cup Champions Liverpool in which Billy Bremner and Kevin Keegan were both sent off at the hour for fighting and subsequently given large fines and 11 game suspensions, the team performed poorly under Clough in defending its 1973 League Championship title, and after only 44 days[9] he was dismissed and replaced by former England captain Jimmy Armfield. Armfield took Revie's ageing team to the final of the 1974–75 European Cup, where they were defeated by Bayern Munich under controversial circumstances.[10] The celebrated[11] Jonathan Peace novel The Damned Utd, (later made into a film directed byTom Hooper) is based on this episode.
1975–1988: Legends fail as managers
Assisted by coach Don Howe, Armfield rebuilt Revie's team, and though it no longer dominated English football, it remained in the top ten for subsequent seasons. However, the board was impatient for success and dismissed Armfield, replacing him with Jock Stein, who also lasted just 44 days before leaving to manage Scotland. The board turned to Jimmy Adamson but he was unable to stop the decline. In 1980 Adamson resigned and was replaced by former Leeds and England star Allan Clarke. Despite spending freely on players, he was unable to stem the tide and the club was relegated at the end of 1981–82. Clarke was replaced by former team-mate Eddie Gray.
With no money to spend on team building,[12] Gray concentrated on youth development, but was unable to guide them to promotion from the Second Division. The board again became impatient and sacked him in 1985, replacing him with another former Revie star, 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; Leeds got to the 1987 play-off final but were defeated by Charlton Athletic after extra time, a result which prevented Leeds from winning promotion and ensured that Charlton avoided relegation. Leeds also endured a near miss in the FA Cup, losing to Coventry City[13] in the semi-finals.
1988–1995: The second golden era
In October 1988, with the team 21st in the Second Division, Bremner was fired to make way for Howard Wilkinson, who oversaw promotion back to the First Division in 1989–90. Under Wilkinson the club finished 4th in 1990–91 and then won the title in 1991–92. However, the 1992–93 season was a poor one, with Leeds exiting the Champions League in the early stages, and eventually finishing 17th in the League, narrowly avoiding relegation. Wilkinson's Leeds were unable to provide any consistent challenge for honours, and his position was not helped by a poor display in the 1996 League Cup final which Leeds lost to Aston Villa. Leeds could only finish 13th in 1995–96, and after a 4–0 home defeat to Manchester United early in 1996–97, Wilkinson had his contract terminated.
One of the legacies of Wilkinson and youth coach Paul Hart was that they helped develop Leeds United's youth academy, and as a result, the academy has produced numerous talented footballers for Leeds over the years.
1996–2001: Living the dream
Leeds appointed George Graham as Wilkinson's replacement. The appointment was controversial[14] as Graham had previously received a one year ban from The Football Association for receiving illegal payments from a Football Agent. Graham made some astute purchases such as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and also helped blood in some youngsters from Leeds' successful youth cup winning side, and by the end of the season Leeds had qualified for the following season's UEFA Cup.
In October 1998 Graham moved on to become manager of Tottenham Hotspur, and Leeds opted to replace him with assistant manager David O'Leary. Star striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink left Leeds for Atletico Madrid after a new contract couldn't be agreed with chairman Peter Ridsdale. O'Leary introduced promising youngsters, and signed Mark Viduka as Hasselbaink's replacement and also French midfielder Olivier Dacourt who broke Leeds' transfer record at the time.
O'Leary was assisted by Leeds legend Eddie Gray and Leeds secured 3rd place in the league, sending the club into the UEFA Champions League. Leeds' image was tarnished when players Jonathan Woodgate and Lee Bowyer were involved in an incident which left an Asian student in hospital with severe injuries. The resulting court case took nearly two years to resolve; Bowyer was cleared, and Woodgate convicted of affray and sentenced to community service.
In the UEFA Cup during that season, Leeds reached their first European semi-final in 25 years and were paired against Turkish championsGalatasaray in Istanbul. Leeds lost the game, but the result was overshadowed by the death of two Leeds fans, Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight, who were stabbed to death before the game.[15][16] Leeds were only able to draw the return leg at Elland Road, thus going out of the competition. A minute's silence[17] is held every year at the match closest to the anniversary of the incident to remember Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight.
The following season, Leeds broke their transfer record by signing West Ham and England International defender Rio Ferdinand for £18 million. Ferdinand was then named Leeds captain, replacing Lucas Radebe. Leeds reached the semi-final of the Champions League, eliminated by Valencia. Leeds were regarded as one of the best teams in Europe.
2001–2004: Financial implosion
O'Leary's Leeds never finished outside of the top five, but following their defeat in the UEFA Champions League 2001 semi-final againstValencia their fortunes began to change. Under chairman Peter Ridsdale, Leeds had taken out large loans against the prospect of the share of the TV rights and sponsorship revenues that come with UEFA Champions League qualification and any subsequent progress in the competition. Leeds signed Robbie Fowler and Seth Johnson for large fees and big wages. However, Leeds narrowly failed to qualify for the Champions League losing out to 4th place to Newcastle United, and as a consequence did not receive enough income to repay the loans. The first indication that the club was in financial trouble was the sale of Rio Ferdinand to Manchester United for approximately £30 million. Ridsdale and O'Leary publicly fell out over the sale, and O'Leary was sacked and replaced by former England manager Terry Venables.
Leeds performed badly under Venables, and other players were sold to repay the loans, including Jonathan Woodgate, who Ridsdale had promised Venables would not be sold. Other star players such as Lee Bowyer, Nigel Martyn, Robbie Fowler, Robbie Keane and Harry Kewellwere also sold over time, with Kewell's departure under rather acrimonious circumstances.
Tensions mounted between Ridsdale and Venables. Although some players had left, the team was still underachieving given the quality of players remaining. Venables chose to leave out the likes of Olivier Dacourt and David Batty, who had been two of Leeds' star players in the years prior. After a string of poor results and Leeds in the bottom half of the table, and with relations between chairman and manager still strained, Venables was eventually sacked and replaced by Peter Reid. During this time Ridsdale had resigned from the Leeds board, and was replaced by existing non-executive director Professor John McKenzie. By this time Leeds were in danger of relegation, but Reid saved Leeds from the drop in the penultimate game of the season.
Reid was given a permanent contract at Leeds the following summer. Due to player sales, lack of funds, and the failure to land targets Paulo Di Canio, Patrick Berger and Kleberson, he brought in 8 players on loan. This policy was not a success, with players such as Roque Juniorfailing to live up to their reputations. An unsuccessful start to the 2003–04 season saw Peter Reid dismissed. Leeds were in turmoil with talk of dressing room unrest and poor performances on the pitch. Head coach Eddie Gray took over as caretaker manager until the end of the season.
Gerald Krasner, an insolvency specialist, led a consortium of local businessmen which took over Leeds and under his chairmanship oversaw the sale of the clubs' assets, including senior and emerging youth players of any value. Gray was perceived by many to be largely blameless for the performance of the team during the 2003–04 season as the majority of the squad was sold out from underneath him and despite his efforts, Leeds were relegated after 14 years in the top flight.
Following relegation, Gray's reign as caretaker manager was ended, and the then assistant manager Kevin Blackwell was appointed manager, his first managerial job in football. A mass exodus ensued as most of the remaining players were sold or released on free transfers to further reduce the high wage bill. Key players such as Mark Viduka, Dominic Matteo, Paul Robinson, Alan Smith and James Milner were all sold for relatively reduced fees. Blackwell was forced to rebuild almost the entire squad through free transfers. Leeds were eventually forced to sell both their training ground, for £4.2 million,[18] and their stadium[19] in the autumn of 2004.
2004–2007: Play-off failure and relegation
The board finally sold the club to Ken Bates for £10 million.[20] Blackwell stabilized the team by signing players on free transfers and low wages and Leeds finished the 2004–05 season mid-table in the Championship. At the end of that season defender Lucas Radebe retired after a series of injuries and promising young player Aaron Lennon joined Tottenham Hotspur.
In the 2005–06 season Leeds finished in the top 6 and made the play-off final. Leeds had been favourites for automatic promotion, but after being in the top 3 for most of the season and pushing Sheffield United for second place, Leeds' form drastically dipped in the last quarter of the season. Following an impressive performance away to Preston in the playoff semi final, Leeds lost the final 3–0 to Watford. Striker Rob Hulse was sold in the pre season to Sheffield United and was replaced by loan striker Geoff Horsfield.
The 2006–07 season started badly with Leeds conceding late goals in several matches, and in September 2006 Blackwell's contract as manager of Leeds United was terminated. Leeds hired John Carver as caretaker manager but his spell was not a success. Carver was relieved of his duties and Dennis Wise was eventually installed as his replacement after a month without a permanent manager. DefenderMatt Kilgallon left in January to join Sheffield United, and Wise was unable to lift the team out of the relegation zone for much of the season, despite bringing a number of experienced loan players and free transfers on short term deals into the squad. With relegation virtually assured, Leeds entered a Company Voluntary Arrangement (administration) on 4 May 2007, thus incurring a league imposed 10 point deduction which officially relegated the club to the third tier of English football.[21][22]
The relegation was the lowest point in the club's history, as Leeds United had never played any lower than the second tier of English football. The summer saw players such as David Healy and Robbie Blake leave, whilst long serving Gary Kelly retired after the relegation. Leeds, as they had after Premiership relegation three years previously, were forced to build a squad almost totally from scratch; with the future of the club uncertain Leeds could not sign any players until a few days before the opening game of the season against Tranmere Rovers.
2007–2010: Third tier for the first time
The CVA was due to end on 3 July 2007, which would have allowed Bates to regain full control of the club. However HM Revenue & Customschallenged the CVA, a decision which could ultimately have resulted in the liquidation of the club.[23] Under league rules, if the club were still in administration at the start of the next season, Leeds would have been prevented from starting their campaign by the Football League.[24][25]Following the challenge by HMRC, the club was put up for sale by KPMG,[26] and once again Ken Bates' bid was accepted.[27] The league eventually sanctioned this under the "exceptional circumstances rule" but imposed a 15 point deduction due to the club not following football league rules on clubs entering administration.[28] On 31 August 2007 HMRC decided not to pursue their legal challenge any further.[29] Wise and his assistant Gus Poyet guided Leeds to a play-off place at the start of 2008, despite the 15-point deduction, which seemed to galvanise the Leeds players and fans and helped Leeds maintain an unbeaten start in the first quarter of the season. Assistant Manager Gus Poyet left to join Tottenham, and he was replaced by Dave Bassett. Wise controversially quit as manager on 28 January to take up a position in Kevin Keegan's new set-up at Newcastle United.[30]
The following day former club captain Gary McAllister was appointed as manager of the club with Steve Staunton brought in as his assistant.[31] In spite of this mid-season managerial change and a spell of poor form before Wise departed, plus the well-publicised 15-point deduction, Leeds went on to secure a play-off place with one game to spare. McAllister's loan signing Dougie Freedman had been instrumental in helping Leeds into the playoffs. They were however beaten 1–0 in the final by Doncaster Rovers in their first appearance at the new Wembley Stadium. Leeds had been favourites for the match but underperformed, with many of their players failing to play to their usual standards.
McAllister signed Andy Robinson, Luciano Becchio and Robert Snodgrass during the summer period. Leeds started the next season in fine form, playing attractive passing football and the emergence of Fabian Delph was an indication that the Leeds youth policy was still in rude health. However, the team became fragile in defence, leaking several late goals, and form drastically dropped. On 21 December 2008, McAllister was sacked after a run of poor results (5 defeats in a row), including the club's first defeat to non-league opponents, Histon, in the 2nd round of the F.A. Cup. At the time, Histon's goalscorer was working as a postman by day.
McAllister was replaced by Simon Grayson, who resigned from his post as manager of Blackpool FC to take the position, two days later.[32]Leeds' form improved under Grayson, who made a few loan signings to help strengthen the defence such as Richard Naylor and Sam Sodje. Leeds made the play-offs once again by finishing 4th; however, this time they did not make the play-off final, after being beaten over the two legs of the semi-finals 2–1 on aggregate by Millwall. In the summer Fabian Delph was transferred to Premier League side Aston Villa in a multi million pound move. Over the summer Grayson decided to strengthen the team by signing Patrick Kisnorbo, Max Gradel, Shane Higgs,Jason Crowe, Michael Doyle and Leigh Bromby. Richard Naylor was signed on a permanent deal and was made Leeds United captain on a full time basis, after having the armband whilst on loan previously.
The club opened the 2009–10 season with eight consecutive victories, thus recording the best start ever to a season by a Leeds side. Leeds lost 1–0 to Premier League team Liverpool in the League Cup. In the league, Leeds were top at the halfway point in the season with 56 points. On 26 December 2009, manager Simon Grayson celebrated a year in charge of Leeds. In his 46 league games in charge of Leeds, Leeds had accumulated 102 points, and scored 99 goals under his management.
In the third round of the FA Cup, Leeds created an upset against old rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford on 3 January 2010, beating them 1–0. It was the first time Leeds had triumphed at the ground since 1981; it was Alex Ferguson's first defeat in the FA Cup third round as Manchester United manager and the first time ever his side had fallen to a lower division side in the competition.[33] Leeds then facedTottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Leeds earned a 2–2 draw against Spurs after Jermaine Beckfordscored from an injury-time penalty, but lost the replay 3–1 at Elland Road.
After the impressive run in the FA Cup, Leeds' league form suffered with the Whites taking just 7 points from the next 24 available and surrendering an 8-point lead at the top of League One to Norwich City. The poor run of form included a 2–1 home defeat to Walsall on 16 February; the match was the first home league game Leeds' had lost for 26 games, which stretched over a year. After a 1–1 home draw withBrentford on 6 March, Leeds were still in 2nd place, but with only a 2-point advantage over third-placed Charlton. On 9 March, Leeds won their first away league match of 2010 with a convincing 4–1 victory over Tranmere Rovers, giving them breathing space of five points from third place with 11 games remaining.
However on 22 March, Leeds lost 2–0 against Millwall at Elland Road, closing the gap between the two teams to just 3 points. Two further losses left Leeds in 4th place. Leeds also lost regular first-team player Patrick Kisnorbo for the rest of the season with a serious achilles injury and Preston defender Neill Collins was brought in on loan to replace him.
Leeds finally ended their winless run with a 2–1 win over Yeovil at Huish Park and a 2–0 home win over Southend. Leeds then made it three wins on the bounce with a comfortable 3–1 away win over Carlisle United despite Grayson deciding not to start with top scorer Jermaine Beckford, and instead opting for Max Gradel. The win moved Leeds back into second place and an automatic promotion spot; they were unable to continue the winning momentum in the next fixture as they went down 3–2 away at Gillingham, but still kept 2nd place. On 24 April Leeds responded with a 4–1 home win over MK Dons. In the penultimate league game Leeds lost the chance to be promoted as Millwall lost 2–0 away at Tranmere Rovers while Leeds lost 1–0 away at Charlton Athletic to a late own goal from captain Richard Naylor. A win would have seen Leeds promoted but the defeat still kept them in 2nd place, with their fate resting in their own hands going into the final game on 8 May. Leeds lay one point ahead of both Millwall and Swindon, two points clear of Charlton and three points ahead of local rivals Huddersfield.
Leeds' final match of the season at home to Bristol Rovers appeared to be going against them as Max Gradel was sent off and they went a goal down just after half time. Meanwhile Millwall were leading at home to Swindon, but Leeds responded with two goals in four minutes fromJonny Howson and Jermaine Beckford to turn the game around. Leeds held on to win 2–1, confirming promotion to The Championship, and sparking scenes of jubilation as fans ran onto the pitch. Beckford finished the season as Leeds' top scorer with a total of 31 goals in all competitions whilst Patrick Kisnorbo took both Fans' Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year awards.
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