Leeds United Association Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Leeds United, or informally Leeds, are an English professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club's home is the Elland Road stadium in Beeston, where they have played since their foundation in 1919.

The club's most common nicknames are "Leeds", "United" or "The Whites". Another nickname is "The Peacocks", though this is virtually obsolete. This term stems from the former name of the Elland Road, The Old Peacock Ground, which was in turn named after The Old Peacock pub opposite Elland Road's South Stand.[2] Although the club name bears the "AFC" suffix,[3] the current badge displays "LUFC". However, previous badges have included the official suffix in its entirety.[4]

The club have competed at the top level of English football for the majority of their existence, following the disbanding of predecessor Leeds City. Under the management of Don Revie during the 1960s and 1970s, Leeds won a number of domestic and European trophies. After Revie's departure to manage the England team, Leeds were relegated to the Second Division in 1982, not returning to the top flight until 1990, when they were managed by Howard Wilkinson. Leeds were league champions two seasons later, in 1992. Following severe financial turmoil, Leeds were relegated to League One for the 2007–08 season. This was the first time the club had dropped below the top two tiers of domestic football in England.

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 to Division 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 the First 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 legend John 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: 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[5] 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 and 1971). 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 finalists in the European Cup Winners Cup. 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 Clough was appointed as Revie's successor. This was a surprise appointment, as Clough had been an outspoken critic of Revie and the team's tactics.[6] The team performed poorly under Clough, and after only 44 days[7] 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.[8]

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,[9] 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[10] 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.

1996–2001: Living the Dream

Leeds appointed George Graham as Wilkinson's replacement. The appointment was controversial[11] 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, 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. O'Leary introduced promising youngsters, and under the coaching of Eddie Gray Leeds secured 3rd place in the league, sending the club into the UEFA Champions League. Unfortunately, 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 courtcase took nearly two years to resolve; Bowyer was cleared, and Woodgate convicted of affray and sentenced to community service.

In the UEFA Cup, Leeds reached their first European semi-final in 25 years and were paired against Turkish champions Galatasaray 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.[12][13] Leeds were only able to draw the return leg at Elland Road, thus going out of the competition. A minute's silence[14] is held every year at the match closest to the anniversary of the incident to remember Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight.

2001-2004: Financial implosion

O'Leary's Leeds never finished outside of the top five, but following their appearance in the UEFA Champions League 2001 semi-final against Valencia 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.[15] However, Leeds narrowly failed to qualify for the Champions League, 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 whom Ridsdale had promised Venables would not be sold. Tensions mounted between the pair, eventually resulting in the sacking of Venables, who was replaced by Peter Reid. By this time Leeds were in danger of relegation, but Reid saved Leeds from the drop in the penultimate game of the season. During this time Ridsdale had resigned from the Leeds board, and was replaced by economics expert Professor John McKenzie[disambiguation needed]. An unsuccessful start to the 2003–04 season saw Peter Reid dismissed, and 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. Caretaker manager Gray was 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 best efforts, Leeds were relegated after 14 years in the top flight. Following relegation, Gray's reign as caretaker manager was terminated, and Kevin Blackwell was appointed manager. Most of the remaining players were sold or released on free transfers to further reduce the wage bill. Leeds were eventually forced to sell both their training ground, for £4.2 million,[16] and their Elland Road stadium[17] in the autumn of 2004.

2004–Present: The Lower Leagues

The board finally sold the club to Ken Bates for £10 million.[18] 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. In the 2005–06 season Leeds finished in the top 6 and made the promotion playoff final, which they lost to Watford. On 10 September 2006, Kevin Blackwell announced that within a year the club would be debt-free.[19] However, the 2006–07 season started badly and on 20 September 2006 Kevin Blackwell's contract as manager of Leeds United was terminated. Dennis Wise was eventually installed as his replacement after a month without a permanent manager, but was unable to lift the team out of the relegation zone for much of the season, despite bringing a number of experienced loan players 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.[20][21]

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 & Customs challenged the CVA, a decision which could ultimately have resulted in the liquidation of the club.[22] 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.[23][24] Following the challenge by HMRC, the club was put up for sale by KPMG,[25] and once again Ken Bates' bid was accepted.[26] 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.[27] On 31 August 2007 HMRC decided not to pursue their legal challenge any further.[28] Wise guided Leeds to the play-off places at the start of 2008, despite the 15-point deduction. However, he controversially quit as manager on 28 January to take up a position in Kevin Keegan's new set-up at Newcastle United.[29] The following day former club captain Gary McAllister was appointed as manager of the club.[30] In spite of this mid-season managerial change, plus the well-publicised 15-point deduction, Leeds went on to secure a play-off place with one game to spare. They were however beaten 1–0 in the final by Doncaster Rovers in their first appearance at the new Wembley Stadium.

On 21 December 2008, manager McAllister was sacked after a run of poor results, including the club's first defeat to non-league opponents, Histon, in the 2nd round of the F.A. Cup. He was replaced by Simon Grayson, who controversially resigned from his post as manager of Blackpool FC to take the position, two days later.[31]

Colours and badge

In Leeds' first fifteen years the club kit was modelled on Huddersfield Town's blue and white striped shirts, white shorts and dark blue socks with blue and white rings on the turnovers,[32][33] because Huddersfield's chairman Hilton Crowther was attempting to merge the two clubs.[33] He eventually left Huddersfield to take over at Leeds.

In 1934 Leeds switched to blue and yellow halved shirts incorporating the city crest badge, white shorts and blue socks with yellow tops.[33] The kit was worn for the first time on 22 September 1934.[33] The club also adopted their first badge in 1934, using the city crest as Leeds City had. In 1950 Leeds switched to yellow shirts with blue sleeves and collars, white shorts and black, blue and gold hooped socks. In 1955 Leeds changed again to royal blue shirts with gold collars, white shorts, and blue and yellow hooped socks, thus echoing the original Leeds City strip.[33]

In 1961 Don Revie introduced a plain white strip throughout, in the hope of emulating Spanish side Real Madrid. A perching owl was added the strip in 1964 as the clubs emblem. The design was a surprise, given Revie's superstition about the symbolism of birds. The owl came from the city crest, which itself was based on the crest of Sir John Saville, the first alderman of Leeds. In the late 1960s and early 1970s Leeds used the LUFC script found running down the centre of the current badge, however this was presented in a diagonal fashion rather than the current vertical. In 1973 came the embodiment of seventies imagery with the iconic LU smiley badge. Revie's predilection for gimmicks was years ahead of its time, and done with the explicit intention of gaining acceptance from a public outside West Yorkshire.[33]

In 1977 the smiley badge was reversed from yellow with blue smiley to blue with yellow smiley and the following year it was back to yellow but enclosed in a circle with the words Leeds United Afc surrounding it.

In 1978–79 a new badge was adorned which was similar to the previous season's smiley but had the design of a peacock.

In 1984 a new club badge was introduced, lasting until 1998, making it the longest lived of the modern era. The rose and ball badge was distinctive, in the traditional blue, gold and white, incorporating the white rose of Yorkshire, together with the club's name.

Stadium and supporters

Elland Road was sold by the club in October 2004 with a 25-year sale-lease back deal being agreed. A commercial buy-back clause was also included for when the club’s finances improve. According to a recent Board of Directors statement, Leeds United should have become debt free in the 2006–07 season. However, the club went into administration at the end of the 2006–07 season.

Initially the ground was the home of the Holbeck Rugby Club who played in the northern rugby union, the forerunner of the rugby football league.[34] One of Leeds' first nicknames, 'The Peacocks', comes from the original name of Elland Road — 'The Old Peacock ground'. It was named by the original owners of the ground, Bentley's Brewery, after their pub 'The Old Peacock' which still faces the site.[2]

When Leeds United were formed, the council allowed the new club to rent the stadium until they could afford to buy it themselves. With the exception of periods from the 1960s until 1983, and from 1997 to 2004, the council has owned the stadium.[35] It is however owned by a leasing company at present. The stadium is currently the 10th largest football stadium in England.

The most recent stand at Elland Road is the East or Family Stand, a cantilever structure completed during the 1992–93 season, and which can hold 17,000 seated spectators. It is a two tiered stand which continues around the corners, and is the largest part of the stadium. The Don Revie Stand was opened at the start of the 1994–95 season, and can hold just under 7,000 seated spectators.[specify] The roof of the West Stand holds a television commentary gantry and walkway for TV personnel.

The supporters are renowned for singing signature song 'Marching On Together' during matches, other notable songs Leeds fans sing during games are 'We Are The Champions, Champions Of Europe' (more commonly known as WACCOE) in reference to the 1975 European Cup final when dubious refereeing decisions cost Leeds the title, and also the chance to defend the title, meaning Leeds would technically still be "Champions of Europe". Other popular chants commonly used by Leeds fans are 'Leeds, Leeds, Leeds' and 'Glory, Glory, Leeds United'.

Supporters also have a traditional salute. Known as the 'Leeds Salute'. This is when they bang one of there clenched fists across the heart area on their chest.

Alex Ferguson has said that Elland Road has one of the most intimidating atmospheres in European Football.[36] Leeds are 10th in the all time average attendance figures for the Football League and Premier League.[37] They have the third most rivalries in the English League[38] but however are the most hated club in English football as of the start of the 2008-09 season.[39] Peter Reid commented after being relieved of his managerial duties at Elland Road that "In 30 years I've never seen support like I did at the Arsenal game [at Elland Road] a couple of weeks ago. The fans at Leeds are fantastic."[40] Reid was also joined by two other previous managers on the eve of Leeds' first appearance in the third tier. Reid said that "the support is fantastic" and "incredible", Blackwell said "fans will follow them everywhere" and O'Leary commented "There is an immense fan base and they are still with the club".[41]

Music

In April 1972 the Leeds squad released a single, "Leeds United" with the b-side being "Leeds! Leeds! Leeds!" (commonly known as "Marching On Together"). It was issued to coincide with the team reaching the 1972 FA Cup Final; the vocals on the original recording were by the Leeds team. The record reached number 10 in the UK singles chart.[42] Whilst it is not officially the club anthem, "Marching On Together" is played before every home game. Unlike many football songs that are just new words set to existing music, "Leeds Leeds Leeds" is an original composition by Les Reed and Barry Mason, purposely written for Leeds United. The song Strings for Yasmin by Tin Tin Out is played before kick off at Elland Road, whilst Nightmare by Brainbug is played before the second half.

Current squads

Current squad

Out on loan

Reserve and youth team

Notable players

Personnel

Club officials

Last updated: 8 Sep 2008 Source: Leeds United: The Next Chapter - Official Handbook 2008/09

Coaching and medical staff

Last updated: 2 Mar 2009 Source: Leeds United: The Next Chapter - Official Handbook 2008/09

Honours

Domestic honours

[44]

• First Division (Tier 1)
  • Winners (3) 1968–69, 1973–74, 1991–92
  • Runners-up (5) 1964–65, 1965–66, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72
  • Second Division (Tier 2)
    • Winners (3) 1923–24, 1963–64, 1989–90
    • Runners-up (3) 1927–28, 1931–32, 1955–56
    • Play-Off Runners-up (1) 1986–87
    • Championship (Tier 2)
      • Play-Off Runners-up (1) 2005–06
      • League One (Tier 3)
        • Play-Off Runners-up (1) 2007–08
        • FA Cup
          • Winners (1) 1972
          • Runners-up (3) 1965, 1970, 1973
          • League Cup
            • Winners (1) 1968
            • Runners-up (1) 1996
            • FA Charity Shield
              • Winners (2) 1969, 1992
              • Runners-up (1) 1974
              • FA Youth Cup
                • Winners (2) 1993, 1997

                European honours

                [44]

                • European Cup
                  • Runners-up (1) 1975
                  • UEFA Champions League
                    • Semi-finalists (1) 2001
                    • Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
                      • Winners (2) 1968, 1971
                      • Runners-up (1) 1967
                      • Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Trophy Play-Off (1971) – Runners-up
                      • UEFA Cup
                        • Semi-finalists (1) 2000
                        • European Cup Winners' Cup
                          • Runners-up (1) 1973
                          • UEFA coefficient Top Club
                            • 1966–70, 1967–71, 1968–72

                            Records

                            Personnel honours

                            English Football Hall of Fame

                            The following have either played for or managed Leeds and have been inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame :

                            Players

                            • Eric Cantona (2002 Inaugural Inductee)
                            • John Charles (2002 Inaugural Inductee)
                            • Billy Bremner (2004 Inductee)
                            • Jack Charlton (2005 Inductee)
                            • Ian Rush (2006 Inductee)

                            Managers

                            • Brian Clough (2002 Inaugural Inductee)
                            • Don Revie (2004 Inductee)
                            • Terry Venables (2007 Inductee)
                            • Jimmy Armfield (2008 Inductee)

                            Scottish Football Hall of Fame

                            The following have either played for or managed Leeds and have been inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame :

                            Players

                            • Billy Bremner (2004 Inaugural Inductee)
                            • Joe Jordan (2005 Inductee)
                            • Gordon Strachan (2007 Inductee)

                            Managers

                            • Jock Stein (2004 Inaugural Inductee)

                            Welsh Sports Hall of Fame

                            The following have played for Leeds and have been inducted into the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame :

                            Players

                            • John Charles (1993 Inductee)
                            • Ian Rush (2001 Inductee)

                            European Hall of Fame

                            The following have played for Leeds and have been inducted into the European Hall of Fame :

                            Players

                            • John Charles

                            Football League 100 Legends

                            The following have played for Leeds and were included in the Football League 100 Legends :

                            • Wilf Copping
                            • John Charles
                            • Johnny Giles
                            • Billy Bremner
                            • Norman Hunter
                            • Ian Rush
                            • Eric Cantona

                            FWA Player of the Year

                            The following have won the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year award whilst playing for Leeds :

                            • 1965 Bobby Collins
                            • 1967 Jack Charlton
                            • 1970 Billy Bremner
                            • 1991 Gordon Strachan

                            PFA Players' Player of the Year

                            The following have won the PFA Players' Player of the Year award whilst playing for Leeds :

                            • 1974 Norman Hunter

                            PFA Young Player of the Year

                            The following have won the PFA Young Player of the Year award whilst playing for Leeds :

                            • 2000 Harry Kewell

                            PFA Team of the Year

                            The following have been included in the PFA Team of the Year whilst playing for Leeds :

                            • 1999 Nigel Martyn (Premiership)
                            • 2000 Ian Harte, Gary Kelly, Harry Kewell, Nigel Martyn (Premiership)
                            • 2002 Rio Ferdinand (Premiership)
                            • 2006 Gary Kelly (Championship)
                            • 2008 Jermaine Beckford (League One)

                            Football League Awards

                            The following have won the Football League's Player of the Year whilst playing for Leeds :

                            • 2008 Jermaine Beckford (League One)

                            The following have won the Football League's Young Player of the Year whilst playing for Leeds :

                            • 2009 Fabian Delph

                            Goal of the Season

                            The following have won the Goal of the Season award whilst playing for Leeds :

                            • 1993–94 Rod Wallace
                            • 1995–96 Tony Yeboah

                            Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

                            In Popular Culture

                            • The Damned Utd - A fictional bestselling novel by David Peace based on Brian Clough's tenure as manager of Leeds United.
                            • The Damned United - A 2009 film based on the above novel.
                            • The Penalty King - A 2006 film about a Leeds United fan whom goes blind after an accident and uses the Legend of Billy Bremner as inspiration to take up Football again.
                            • Leeds United - A Song by Amanda Palmer.
                            • Paint It White: Following Leeds Everywhere and Leeds United: The Second Coat - Bestselling books by Gary Edwards, a man who has missed only one game, including friendlies, since he started watching Leeds United in 1968.
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