Leeds United A.F.C.

Leeds United

Full name	Leeds United Association Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Whites, United, The Peacocks
Founded	1919
Ground	Elland Road (Capacity: 39,460[1])
Chairman	Ken Bates
Manager	Simon Grayson
League	League One
2008–09	League One, 4th (play-off semi-finalists)
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Leeds United Association Football Club (pronounced /ˈliːdz jʊˈnaɪtɨd/), commonly referred to as Leeds or Leeds United, are an English professional association football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. They currently play in Football League One, the third tier of the English football league system. 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 "The Whites" and "The Peacocks". The latter 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 two First Division titles, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup twice. 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. During the 1990s and early 2000s Leeds competed for places in Europe, reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Champions League in consecutive seasons. However, after severe financial difficulties and a mass sale of players, Leeds were relegated from the Premier League and subsequently from The Championship three years later.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Pre-Leeds United 1.2 1920–1960: Football League 1.3 1961–1975: The glory years 1.4 1975–1988: Legends fail as managers 1.5 1988–1995: The second golden era 1.6 1996–2001: Living the dream 1.7 2001–2004: Financial implosion 1.8 2004–2007: Play-off misery and relegation 1.9 2007–present: Third tier for the first time 2 Colours and badge 3 Stadium and supporters 4 Yorkshire Radio, LUTV and Leeds, Leeds, Leeds 5 Rivalries 6 Music 7 Players 7.1 Current squad 7.2 Out on loan 7.3 Reserve and youth team 7.4 Notable players 8 Backroom staff 8.1 Club officials 8.2 Coaching and medical staff 8.2.1 First team 8.2.2 Academy 8.3 Other staff 9 League history 10 Club honours 10.1 Domestic competition 10.2 European competition 11 Personnel honours 11.1 English Football Hall of Fame 11.2 Scottish Football Hall of Fame 11.3 Welsh Sports Hall of Fame 11.4 European Hall of Fame 11.5 Football League 100 Legends 11.6 FWA Player of the Year 11.7 PFA Players' Player of the Year 11.8 PFA Young Player of the Year 11.9 PFA Team of the Year 11.10 Football League Awards 11.11 Goal of the Season 12 Shirt sponsors and manufacturers 13 In popular culture 14 See also 15 References 16 External links

History

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. Leeds over this period were regarded as one of the finest teams in the world, and the Revie side is regarded to this day to have been one of the best sides to ever play football.

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.

One of the legacy's 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 waves of talented footballers for Leeds over the years.

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 such as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Michael Bridges and also helped blood in some youngsters from Leeds' successfull 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 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.

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 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. Leeds signed Robbie Fowler and Seth Johnson for large fees and big wages.^{[citation needed]} 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 Kewell were 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 Junior failing 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 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 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. Star 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,^[15] and their stadium^[16] in the autumn of 2004.

2004–2007: Play-off misery and relegation

The board finally sold the club to Ken Bates for £10 million.^[17] 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 Leeds legend 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 were massive favourites for the game, 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, many believed Leeds were back in form, but they lost 3-0 to Watford in the final. 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 many late goals in 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 a disaster with Leeds on the receiving end of some drubbings. Carver was relieved of his duties and Dennis Wise was eventually installed as his replacement after a month without a permanent manager. Matt Kilgallon, one of Leeds' star players, left in January to join Sheffield United. 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.^[18][19]

The relegation was the lowest point in Leeds' history as Leeds United had never played any lower than the second tier of English football, the summer saw a large amount of players leave such as David Healy and Robbie Blake, long serving Leeds player Gary Kelly retired after the relegation. Kelly had been at the club since the days of Howard Wilkinson, and was always a reminder of past glories. Leeds, like they had after Premiership relegation 3 years previously, were forced to build a squad almost totally from scratch; with the future of the club uncertain Leeds couldnt sign any players until a few days before the opening game of the season against Tranmere Rovers.

2007–present: 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 & Customs challenged the CVA, a decision which could ultimately have resulted in the liquidation of the club.^[20] 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.^[21][22] Following the challenge by HMRC, the club was put up for sale by KPMG,^[23] and once again Ken Bates' bid was accepted.^[24] 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.^[25] On 31 August 2007 HMRC decided not to pursue their legal challenge any further.^[26] 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.^[27]

The following day former club captain Gary McAllister was appointed as manager of the club with Steve Staunton brought in as his assistant.^[28] 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. This was regarded as a disaster as Leeds were favourites for the match but vastly underperformed, with many of the star players failing to play to their usual standards.

McAllister made a few changes to the Leeds side and 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, Leeds however started to become fragile in defence, and leaked several late goals and the form drastically dropped. On 21 December 2008, McAllister was sacked after losing 3-1 to MK Dons and 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. Histon's goalscorer was working as a postman by day at the time.

McAllister was replaced by Simon Grayson, who resigned from his post as manager of Blackpool FC to take the position, two days later.^[29] Leeds' form improved under Grayson, who made a few loan signings to help strengthen the defence such as Richard Naylor and Sam Sodje, and they made the play-offs once again, also improving on the previous season's place 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. That summer Leeds lost one of their star players in Fabian Delph who joined Premier League side Aston Villa in a multi million pound move. Over the summer Grayson decided to strengthen the team by signing Patrick Kisnorbo, 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 accummulated 102 points, and scored 99 goals under his management. In the second round of the FA Cup, Leeds drew with Kettering Town before winning the replay 5–1. Leeds reached the Johnstone's Paint Trophy Northern Final, and face a two legged tie against Carlisle United in the hope of getting to the Final and having the chance to play at Wembley against either MK Dons or Southampton. In the third round of the FA Cup, Leeds then created an upset against old rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford on 3 January 2010, beating them 0–1. It was the first time Leeds had triumphed at the ground since 1981 and was also 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.^[30]

Leeds were then to face Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane in the 4th round of the FA Cup. Leeds earned a 2-2 draw against Spurs with goalkeeper Casper Ankergren saving a penalty from Jermain Defoe, and Jermaine Beckford scoring twice meaning the tie would go to a replay at Elland Road on the 3rd February. After the impressive run in the FA Cup, Leeds' league form took a turn for the worse with the Whites going down at Exeter and Swindon surrendering a 9-point lead at the top of League One to Norwich City. Tottenham finally got the better of Leeds in the FA Cup fourth round replay with a 3-1 victory despite a spirited performance from the home side and equaliser from Luciano Becchio just before half time. Leeds ended the blip in league form on the 30th January 2010 with a 2-0 home win over Colchester. The Whites currently lie 2nd in League One, two points adrift of leaders Norwich and four points ahead of third placed Charlton, having played two games less than both.

9th February, Leeds were knocked out of the Johnstones Paint Trophy. Leeds drew 4-4 on aggregate over two legs with Carlisle United in the JPT Northern Area final, but ended up crashing out of the tournament 6-5 on penalties when loanee Shane Lowry missed the desisive penalty for Leeds.

Colours and badge

Leeds' first home colours

Leeds' home kit before changing to all white. 1934–1950

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,^[31][32] because Huddersfield's chairman Hilton Crowther was attempting to merge the two clubs.^[32] 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.^[32] The kit was worn for the first time on 22 September 1934.^[32] 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.^[32]

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.^[32]

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.^[33] 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.^[34] 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. Elland Road was named in December 2009 as one of the contenders for the England 2018 World Cup bid, as a result of the bid Leeds have drawn up plans to re-develop parts of Elland Road and increase the capacity of the stadium. Ken Bates also revealed plans to take out the exectutive boxes out of the South Stand to increase the starting capacity by a further 2-3 thousand. More exectutive boxes would be built in the east stand.

Leeds' stadium Elland Road is an all-seater football stadium situated in the Beeston area of the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Elland Road has been the permanent residence of Leeds since the club's foundation in 1919 and it was previously occupied by their predecessors, Leeds City.^[35] The stadium is the 12th largest football stadium in England, and the third largest ground outside the Premier League.

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'.

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]

Leeds United fans also have a salute which is known as the 'Leeds Salute' ^[42]

Yorkshire Radio, LUTV and Leeds, Leeds, Leeds

Leeds United own their own radio station called Yorkshire Radio, its broadcasts on DAB Digital Radio and LUTV. Leeds also own their own internet television channel called LUTV, which is available through subscription to watch online. LUTV features a daily news programme, player and staff interviews, match highlights (both first team and reserve) and exclusive commentary of all Leeds matches which can otherwise only be obtained on Minster FM and Yorkshire Radio after BBC Radio Leeds failed to negotiate a package to continue broadcasting commentary of the club's matches.

The club also publish their own magazine called 'Leeds, Leeds, Leeds' which was first published in 1998. In recent years, the magazine was taken out of circulation in newsagents, supermarkets etc and was thus only available to official club members by mail or by purchase in the official club shop.

Rivalries

Traditionally, Leeds' biggest rivalry has been with Manchester United, due to the traditional rivalry between the counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire (often described as a "War of the Roses", though the historical Wars of the roses had little to do with geographical counties).

Other rivalries exist with local clubs such as Bradford City, Huddersfield Town, Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday, as well as a rivalry with London clubs Millwall and Chelsea. The latter starting with the fierce on-pitch battles in the 1970s. Leeds also have a rivalry with Turkish club Galatasaray.

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.^[43] 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.

For many years, Strings for Yasmin by Tin Tin Out was played before kick off at Elland Road, however it was replaced in the 2008-09 season with Eye of the Tiger by Survivor and in the 2009-10 season with, Dance of the Knights, composed by Sergei Prokofiev. Nightmare by Brainbug is currently played before the start of the second half.

Players

Current squad

As of 25 January 2010.^[44]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Casper Ankergren 2 DF Jason Crowe 3 DF Patrick Kisnorbo 4 MF Michael Doyle (on loan from Coventry City) 5 DF Rui Marques 6 DF Richard Naylor (Captain) 8 MF Neil Kilkenny 9 FW Jermaine Beckford 10 FW Luciano Becchio 12 GK Shane Higgs 13 FW Mike Grella 14 MF Jonny Howson (Vice-Captain) 15 FW Gary McSheffrey (on loan from Birmingham City) 16 MF Bradley Johnson 17 DF Ľubomír Michalík

No. Position Player 18 MF Andy Robinson 19 DF Ben Parker 20 FW Trésor Kandol 21 DF Shane Lowry (on loan from Aston Villa) 22 MF Andy Hughes 23 MF Robert Snodgrass 25 GK Alan Martin 26 DF Leigh Bromby 27 FW Davide Somma 28 MF Max Gradel 30 MF Will Hatfield 32 DF Aidan White 34 GK Ryan Jones 36 GK David Martin (on loan from Liverpool) (Trialist) FW Paul Dickov

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 11 DF Alan Sheehan (on loan at Swindon Town) 29 FW Tom Elliott (on loan at Bury)

No. Position Player — DF Tom Lees (on loan at Accrington Stanley)

Reserve and youth team

Notable players

Backroom staff

Club officials

President	The Right Honourable Earl of Harewood KBE LLD
Chairman	Ken Bates
Directors	Ken Bates, Shaun Harvey, Mark Taylor
Chief Executive Officer	Shaun Harvey
Catering Director	Norbert Pinchler
Head of Commercial	Steve Lewis
Marketing Manager	Hayley Kelly
Head of Advertising Sales	Ian Smith
Ticket Services Manager	Katie Holmes Lewis
Access Systems	Mark Broadley
Membership/Customer Services	Lorna Tinkler
Retail Manager	Daniel Jeffery
Head of Media	Paul Dews

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

Coaching and medical staff

First team

Position	Staff
Manager	Simon Grayson
First Team Coaches	Ian Miller Glynn Snodin
Goalkeeping Coach	Andrew Beasley
Head Physio	Harvey Sharman
Fitness Coach	Matt Pears
Assistant Physio	Paul Perkins
Performance Analyst	Darren Mowbray
Match Assessor	Mick Walker

Last updated: 1 Oct 2009
Source: Leeds United A.F.C. 2009/10 Season Official Handbook

Academy

Position	Staff
Academy Manager, Reserve Team Coach	Neil Thompson
Assistant Academy Manager	Daral Pugh
Under 18s Coach	Neil Redfearn
Under 16s Coach	Phil Wilson
Under 14s Coach	Dennis Oates
Under 12s Coach	Chris Coates
Under 9s Coach	Alan Parkes
Under 8s Coach	Arthur Graham
Goalkeeping Coach	Ian Wilcox
Assistant Goalkeeping Coach	Rudi Coleano
Head Physio	Alan Sutton
Assistant Physio	David Schrivener
Head Physio's Assistant	Alan Scorfield
Academy Scout	Terry Potter

Last updated: 27 Oct 2009
Source: Leeds United A.F.C. 2009/10 Season Official Handbook, Leeds United Academy Outfield & Goalkeeping Belfast Open Trial

Other staff

Position	Staff
Head of Football Administration	Alison Royston
Technical Director	Gwyn Williams
Kit Man	Chris Beasley
Head of Recruitment and Development	Steve Holmes
Development and Recruitment Officer	Terry Potter
Education and Welfare Officer	Lucy Ward
Groundsman	Norman Southernwood

Last updated: 1 Oct 2009
Source: Leeds United A.F.C. 2009/10 Season Official Handbook

League history

1920 – 1924: Division 2 1924 – 1927: Division 1 1927 – 1928: Division 2 1928 – 1931: Division 1 1931 – 1932: Division 2 1932 – 1947: Division 1 1947 – 1956: Division 2 1956 – 1960: Division 1

1960 – 1964: Division 2 1964 – 1982: Division 1 1982 – 1990: Division 2 1990 – 1992: Division 1 1992 – 2004: Premier League 2004 – 2007: Championship 2007 – Present: League One

Club honours

Domestic competition

League titles

^[45]

• First Division
  • Winners (3) 1968–69, 1973–74, 1991–92
• Second Division
  • Winners (3) 1923–24, 1963–64, 1989–90

Cups

• FA Cup
  • Winners (1) 1972
• League Cup
  • Winners (1) 1968
• FA Charity Shield
  • Winners (2) 1969, 1992
• FA Youth Cup
  • Winners (2) 1993, 1997

European competition

Inter-Cities Fairs Cup/UEFA Cup

• Winners (2) 1968, 1971

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

Managers Brian Clough

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) 2009 Fabian Delph (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

Year	Kit Manufacturer	Main Shirt Sponsor	Secondary Sponsor
1972–73	Umbro	none
1973–81	Admiral
1981–83	Umbro	RFW
1983–84		Systime
1984–85		WKG
1985–86		Lion Cabinets
1986–89		Burton
1989–91		Top Man
1991–92		Evening Post
1992–93	Admiral	Admiral
1993–96	Asics	Thistle Hotels
1996–00	Puma	Packard Bell
2000–03	Nike	Strongbow
2003–04		Whyte & MacKay
2004–05	Diadora		Rhodar
2005–06	Admiral
2006–07		Bet 24	Empire Direct
2007–08		Red Kite	OHS
2008–10	Macron	NetFlights.com
2010–11
2011–12

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.
• English: Own Goal - A BBC Schools Drama set in and around Elland Road based around a group of children who tackle criminals forging fake shirts and tickets. [1]
• Since the club's dramatic demise in the 2000s, the phrase "doing a Leeds" has entered English football terminology to refer to the potential pitfalls faced by any club due to over-spending or failing to qualify for the UEFA Champion's league.^{[46][47][48][49]}

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Leeds United A.F.C.

• Football in Yorkshire
• Sport in Leeds
• Square Ball – a Leeds United fanzine

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Leeds United A.F.C.

• Leeds United A.F.C. on BBC Sport: Club News – Recent results – Upcoming fixtures – Club stats

• Official Website
• Sky Sports
• Soccerbase
• ESPNsoccernet
• Leeds Fans
• Leeds Utd Mad
• 'Loiners of Leeds United' A complete list of all Leeds born Leeds Utd players.

v • d • e Leeds United Association Football Club Honours · Europe · Players · Managers · Personnel · Reserves & Academy History History of Leeds United Seasons In Europe · 2007–08 · 2008–09 · 2009–10 Home stadium Elland Road Training ground Thorp Arch Rivalry Manchester United rivalry Leeds United songs Marching On Together · Glory, Glory Leeds United Related articles Limited company · LUTV · Leeds City F.C. · Leeds Carnegie

v • d • e 2009–10 Football League One Brentford · Brighton & Hove Albion · Bristol Rovers · Carlisle United · Charlton Athletic · Colchester United · Exeter City · Gillingham · Hartlepool United · Huddersfield Town · Leeds United · Leyton Orient · Millwall · Milton Keynes Dons · Norwich City · Oldham Athletic · Southampton · Southend United · Stockport County · Swindon Town · Tranmere Rovers · Walsall · Wycombe Wanderers · Yeovil Town

v • d • e Football in England The Football Association National teams England · B · C · U-21 · U-20 · U-19 · U-18 · U-17 · U-16 League system Premier League · The Football League (Championship • League One • League Two) · Football Conference (National • North • South) · Northern Premier (Premier Division • Division One North • Division One South) · Southern League (Premier Division • Division One Midlands • Division One South & West) · Isthmian League (Premier Division • Division One North • Division One South) Domestic cups FA Cup · Football League Cup · FA Community Shield · Football League Trophy · FA Trophy · Conference League Cup · FA Vase · FA NLS Cup List of clubs · Venues (Listed by capacity) · Competitions · Trophies and Awards · Records

strip

stock | retire | vm
Why are we here?
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License
This page is cache of Wikipedia. History