Legendary ex-Leeds United manager Don Revie to be honoured in home town Middlesbrough — YEP 27/6/25
By Kyle Newbould
The Middlesbrough-born manager was in charge for some of
Leeds United's greatest ever years.
Legendary former Leeds United manager Don Revie will finally
be remembered in his home town of Middlesbrough 36 years after his death.
Revie’s name has become synonymous with the glory days of
Leeds, whom he managed to a pair of First Division titles and one FA Cup
triumph, among other honours, between 1961 and 1974. During that 13-year stint
in charge at Elland Road he coached some of the club’s most iconic players
including Billy Bremner, Jack Charlton, Norman Hunter and Eddie Gray, to name a
few.
The former forward’s playing days started at Leicester City,
with further stints at Hull City, Manchester City, Sunderland and Leeds. He
eventually retired from playing in 1962, shortly after becoming player-manager
for the Whites, and took on the manager’s role full time to great success.
But he was actually born in Middlesbrough and grew up just
two miles away from his ill-fated successor at Leeds, Brian Clough, who
famously lasted just 44 days in the Elland Road hot seat. And now Middlesbrough
and Thornaby East MP Andy McDonald, in collaboration with Fly Me To The Moon
football fanzine editor Robert Nichols, have seen that he is recognised with a
mosaic at his former school Archibald Primary.
Leeds United legend Don Revie to get Middlesbrough mosaic
“Don Revie was a pioneer in football and his achievements
were utterly remarkable,” Labour MP McDonald said. “In a very short space of
time he took a second division side in Leeds United to the top of the English
game and into Europe. But whereas others like Brian Clough and Bill Shankly,
who have had similar achievements, are hero figures across the nation, Don
Revie is forgotten somewhat outside of Leeds.
“That someone from Middlesbrough’s Newport area could rise
to be one of only 16 people to ever hold the permanent position of England
football manager and the story not be told seemed to us a crying shame. He is a
fascinating character who has divided opinion but someone who we should perhaps
look again at for the town of Middlesbrough and we hope in this piece of art
that we do just that and inspire the pupils of Archibald to know that they can
achieve anything they want to.”
Revie left Leeds to take the England job in 1974 but
struggled to enjoy similar levels of success, eventually leaving to take charge
of the United Arab Emirates three years later. The iconic manager does already
have a statue outside Elland Road, where he remains arguably the club’s
greatest ever manager, and he will now be remembered in his home town.