Leeds United are a club who have spent a considerable amount of their history trying to emulate others.  When Don Revie took over he changed their predominantly blue kit to all white so that they looked like Real Madrid.  They changed their name during the lean times in their past as they thought Leeds City might be misheard as something else. 

Leeds United arose out of the shameful ashes of the old Leeds City club.  City were disbanded in 1919 because of a decision that found them guilty of illegal payments to players and the sentence was expulsion from the League, where their place was taken by Port Vale.  The first idea the club's staff had was to merge with already successful, but cash-strapped Huddersfield Town, but they were barking up the wrong tree with the Terriers.  So they came back as the United club everyone knows and loves.

In 1920, they went into Division 2 and four years later were champions, but then came a long, long period of no success - something that would be familiar to them in the future.  The only bright spot of this era was the emergence of the Jolly Gentle Giant - John Charles, who at centre-forward or centre-half towered over most players in height and ability.  The low point being in 1946-47 when the club suffered 30 defeats and gained only 18 points from 42 games.

The Sixties saw the club become a force in English football under Don "The Don" Revie, starting with a Div. 2 championship in 1964.  Now up with the big boys, they won the League Cup in 1968 and the Fairs Cup for that year, even though the final was carried over to the next season, because the club didn't want to appear too successful by doing a "double" of sorts.  This season saw them play 66 matches (another 600 would have made it an apt figure).

The next season 1968-69 was Revie's men's greatest triumph.  Always being accused of being "nearly men", they finally won the League title, suffering only two defeats along the way, after coming second in 1965,1966 and then again in 1970, 1971 and 1972.  They won the 1972 FA Cup, but were also losers in the finals of 1965, 1970 and 1973.  Their reserves even came runners-up in the Pontins League for five successive seasons.  Their players were running up medals like nobody's business, but they had been pipped at the post for the real Double on a couple of occasions. Consolation came in another Fairs Cup win in 71, although their big challenge on the European Cup faltered in 1970 at Celtic in the semi and in 1975, they disgraced the whole country with their hooligan antics in Paris where they had lost to Bayern Munich in the final of the same competition.  That got them a 3 year ban from Europe.

It was during this period of their history that they gained the reputation for being a thoroughly "professional team, who resorted to cynical and sometimes brutal (thanks to Norman "Bites Yer Legs" Hunter and the nasty midfield duo of Bremner and Giles) tactics to ensure that they won matches.  This tag stuck with them, just like the frilly thngs that kept their socks up.  The niggly shirt-pulls, ankle-taps and late tackles were not quite the order of the day, but Leeds adopted the approach of many continental sides to make them a success.  They (along with their fans) became one of the most despised teams across the country.

Revie had left to manage England to play bingo and golf and the obvious choice for such a big job was Brian Clough.  However, he faced an old guard of players who resented him (because he wasn't Revie) and he was out of there in 44 days.  They did win the First Division in 1974, but by 1982 they were in Div. 2 and their old friend money troubles was back to haunt them.  The fans also gained a well-earned reputation for violence and racism, which the club has worked hard to deal with.

Relief came in the shape of Howard Wilkinson, Who took them through Div 2 in 1990 and to the First Division championship in 1992.  Since then, there has been little in the way of silverware, but the team now consists of a lot of younger players who reached the UEFA semi in 2000 and seem set to go on to better things (in Italy, Spain, England, etc).  Unfortunately, some of the players exhibit tendencies of the club's 1970's fans, which might cost them dearly on and off the pitch.

In more recent years, Leeds have suffered at the hands of the money men and have sold off some of their prize assets and have plunged from the heady heights of Champions League semi-finals to the team who denied Arsenal the title.  Hold on, that's not so far to fall !!

But a long way to fall was into League One, which was what happened with a money fuelled problem, that almost saw the club go to the wall.  However, they survived financially, but went into administration that cost them 15 points going into the 2007-08 season.  They fought the deduction on and off the pitch, winning more points back in open play than open court and reached the play-off final, disappointingly losing 0-1 to Doncaster Rovers at Wembley to mean another season in the third flight of English football.

FAMOUS PLAYERS : - Gary Sprake, Alex Sabella, John Charles, Eric Cantona, Kevin Bird, Jackie Charlton, Norman Athletic, Paul and Richard Madeley.

FAMOUS FANS : - Miranda Burrows (Actress - "Emmerdale"), Mel B (Singer - the Spice Girls), Chumbawumba (Pop group), Chris Moyles (Radio and TV Presenter), Kelly Jones (Musician - Stereophonics), Jeremy Paxman (TV Presenter - Newsnight, University Challenge), Terrorvision (Pop group), Colin Montgomerie (golfer), Kelly Jones (Singer - Stereophonics)