Leeds United

Three years to the day after contesting the semi-final of the Champions League Leeds 
United slipped out of the Premier League, with a whimper, when their struggle to avoid 
relegation ended with another heavy defeat, 4–1 at Bolton. In fairness the rot had set in 
two years earlier when, in an attempt to build on success in Europe’s premier competition, 
the club had not only spent recklessly, up to £100 million is the conservative estimate, but 
also mortgaged future attendances at Elland Road to subsidise the dream of conquering 
Europe.

Unfortunately the vicious circle moved full cycle and the players that were brought in 
weren’t good enough to bring the success necessary to sustain their salaries and 
administration loomed. When that was avoided, at the ‘eleventh hour’ in 2002–03 Peter 
Ridsdale, who as chairman had sanctioned David O’Leary’s spending spree, which made up 
the bulk of that nine-figure debt, had long gone. So too was Professor John McKenzie and 
the consortium that took over at Elland Road couldn’t stem the tide that was to sweep 
Leeds into the First Division.

It was a far cry from 2001 when Leeds ‘odyssey’, from established Premier League club to 
a top six rating, began. With a fantastic blend of youth and experience under one of the 
game’s up and coming young managers, David O’Leary, the future looked bright at Elland 
Road. O’Leary’s tenure had started following the shock departure of George Graham for 
Spurs and in that first season, after picking up the reins, he guided the team to a 
Premiership best finish, fourth.

Leeds had managed a couple of fifth-place finishes, under Howard Wilkinson and another 
under George Graham, in 1998, but under O’Leary Leeds fans salivated at the prospect of 
mounting a serious challenge to Manchester United and Arsenal.

The start of 1998–99 did not bode well and the team were unable to recover from eight 
draws in the first 11 games, which saw a slide down to 9th place. But five wins out of six, 
with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink scoring six goals in five matches, pushed Leeds back up to 
third. An erratic turn-of-the-year spell turned into seven successive victories that by April 
earned fourth place but three draws prevented further progress and although only one 
game was lost in the last eight, four draws did the damage and fourth was the end result.

It was an exciting tussle between Leeds and Manchester United, at the head of the 
Premiership, from the start of 1999–2000 and up to January it was fairly even. But the Reds 
were without the handicap, as they saw it, of defending their FA Cup, and were fresher 
going into the second half of the campaign. Leeds were top until the end of January when 
United took over. 20 February saw the critical 1–0 defeat at Old Trafford and the slow 
decline to a commendable third place began.

After an inconsistent first half of the following campaign Leeds suddenly clicked, after the 
turn of the year. Four points came from two games before they lost to Newcastle but a run 
of 13 unbeaten games, which included 10 wins, six of them in a row, elevated the team 
from 12th to third but defeat by Arsenal stopped the title surge. The last two matches 
were won to claim fourth place.

Leeds then managed that rarest of rare feats in carrying their form over to the start of the 
next season and by 16 September they were top and only a draw at Old Trafford, at the 
end of the month, dropped them down to second. But then off-the-field events came into 
the equation and affected the players. Jonathan Woodgate, Lee Bowyer and Michael 
Duberry, plus the ill-timed publication of David O’Leary’s book, with its ‘inside-track’ on the 
court case, took concentration away from the football. But three successive wins saw in 
the New Year with the team occupying pole position, unfortunately a run of seven games 
without a win, including three defeats, meant sixth place and an end to title dreams though 
a last day victory over Middlesbrough edged Leeds up to fifth.

2002–03 proved to be a pivotal season. Financial problems proved to be too heavy a 
burden, increased by compensation packages for David O’Leary and his successor Terry 
Venables, and try as he did, valiantly, Peter Reid, who was also to benefit when he was 
sacked, couldn’t arrest an alarming slide. The team won the opening two fixtures to go top 
but six defeats in 10 games plunged Leeds to 13th. A narrow win over West Ham was but a 
brief ‘pit stop’ and four consecutive defeats dropped the team to just above the relegation 
zone. Leeds rallied and reeled off three successive wins but only managed another five 
victories from the final 16 games of the season but they proved enough to ensure the team 
finished safe, but only five points above the final relegation place.

Leeds ‘Legend’ Eddie Gray struggled valiantly to maintain Premiership survival but the plain 
truth is that the team were not good enough to stay up. Goals were conceded too easily 
and leads could not be held and so relegation was confirmed, with one game to go, to end 
Leeds 14 year stay in the top flight. The worry for Leeds fans was the future because, as 
the club slid into the First Division, that future was shrouded in financial uncertainty that 
threatened the very existence of Leeds United.

Managers

Howard Wilkinson          1988–1996

George Graham             1996–1998

David O’Leary               1998–2002

Terry Venables              2002–2003

Peter Reid                    March 2003

Eddie Gray                   2003–2004