Leeds United

Nicknamed both The Whites and The Peacocks, Leeds United were founded in1919. There was a Leeds City team in Leeds starting in 1904 and playing in the Football League.

The league forced them to disband and sell off their players after making illegal payments during World War I. 

In the wake of his controversy, Leeds United was formed in October 1919 with Dick Ray as their first manager.

They were elected into the Football League in May 1920, and Arthur Fairclough took over, assisted by Ray. Leeds United played in the Second Division and won a title in 1923-24 to earn promotion. 

First Divison

Life in the First Division was tough, and Leeds was relegated back in 1926-27. Fairclough resigned, and Ray took over.

The team went back and forth between the top two tiers over the following seasons, and Billy Hampson took over in 1935.

Leeds were in the First Division when World War II postponed several seasons, and they were relegated upon return to league play in 1946-47. 

Leeds didn’t go back up until 1955-56, but when star player John Charles was sold to Juventus for a world record £65,000, they were relegated again in 1959-60.

Don Revie, a former Leeds player, took over in March 1961 and started what still stands as the best era in team history.

Second Division

It started slowly as Leeds needed a win on the final day of the season to stay in the Second Division in 1961-62. But then they won the Second Division to return to the top tier. 

In 1964-65 they nearly won the title but finished second to Manchester United on goals average, the first tiebreaker.

This started a stretch of 10 seasons where Leeds United finished first or second seven times. They lost the 1965 FA Cup Final to Liverpool in extra time and lost the final of the 1966-67 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup to Dinamo Zagreb.

League Cup

Revie brought in Mick Jones in 1967, and the team won the League Cup over Arsenal. They also won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, beating Ferencvarosi in the finals.

Leeds won their first League Championship in 1968-69, clinching the title with a 0-0 draw at Anfield. They set a record for most points, most wins, and a 34-match unbeaten streak. 

Leeds finished as league runners-up in:

• 1969-70
• 1970-71
• 1971-72

They won the FA Cup in 1972, beating Arsenal 1-0, and also won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup with a win over Juventus.

They fell to A.C. Milan in the 1973 European Cup Winners’ Cup final and returned to win the 1973-74 League Championship. 

Revie left in 1974 to manage England, who had failed to qualify for that year’s World Cup. Brain Clough took over, but he lasted just 44 days, losing the Charity Shield to Liverpool.

Jimmy Armfield led the team to the final of the European Cup and a loss to Bayern Munich. Three managers followed in the next four years, none finding league success.

Allan Clarke took over in 1980, and the team was relegated at the end of 1981-82 and was also in financial distress. 

Leeds reached the playoffs in 1987 but didn’t earn a promotion. Howard Wilkinson took over with the team in 21st place in the Second Division in October 1988. In 18 months, he had Elland Road celebrating a Second Division title and promotion.

Leeds returned to the First Division in 1990-91 and finished fourth. They took the next step and won the league in 1991-92, their third title in English football.

They also became founding members of the Premier League and reached the Champions League for 1992-93. 

They surprisingly went from first to 17th in the league and didn’t win a single road game. Wilkinson stayed on until the 1996-97 season when he was sacked and replaced by George Graham.

Leeds qualified for the UEFA Cup before Graham left and David O’Leary took over. Leeds finished in the top five in the Premier League and returned to Europe for the rest of the 1990s. 

The new century brought trouble and another financial crisis that resulted in the selling of top players. Leeds struggled to compete under Peter Reid and Eddie Gray and were relegated in 2003-04. 

New ownership didn’t help, and Leeds continued to sell off talent. They also sold their training ground and Elland Road in 2004. The spiral continued until Leeds entered administration in 2007 with a 10-point penalty and were relegated to League One.

They had another 15-point deduction in League One but made the playoffs before losing to Doncaster Rovers. It took until 2009-10 before Leeds won promotion as runners-up in the third tier. 

Ownership changed a couple of times in the 2010s, with sales falling through at the last minute. The team was middle of the pack and had another failed owner in Massimo Cellino.

50% of the Team

Andrea Radrizzani purchased 50% of the team in 2017 and finally took over in May of that year. He invested in talent and bought back Elland Road as well. 

Marcelo Bielsa was hired in June 2018 as the highest-paid manager in team history. They made the Championship playoffs in 2018-19 but lost to Derby County.

They were running away with the league in 2019-20 when COVID paused English soccer. When the league resumed, Leeds rolled to a first-place finish and automatic promotion. 

Back in the Premier League for the first time in 16 years, Leeds finished ninth in 2020-21 with 59 points. But they struggled mightily in 2021-22, and Bielsa was fired with the team facing relegation.

Leeds First American Manager

Jesse Marsch, the first American manager in team history, was hired in February 2022 and guided the team to safety on the last day of the season. 

No matter the records or spot in the Premier League standings, the matches between Leeds United and Manchester United always have a heightened atmosphere, with animosity between the regions dating back centuries.