Mighty Leeds Weblog

SUPER LEEDS Written by: Rob Conlon The nature of supporting Leeds United encourages us to find bad omens. Earning eight points from our opening five games in 2022/23 gave us a 96% chance of avoiding relegation, we were told, which only left us worrying about the remaining 4%. When it comes to being drawn against lower division Cardiff in the FA Cup, you don’t need to be a mathematician to understand the bad juju: we hate going to Cardiff, particularly in the FA Cup. It’s justified pessimism, based on over half a century’s worth of gloom. Between 1956 and 1958, Leeds were drawn away at Cardiff for three consecutive years in the FA Cup third round, losing each tie 2-1. Fast forward to 2002, United were top of the Premier League when they were drawn away at the third-tier side at the same stage of the competition. Naturally, we lost 2-1 again in a game stirred into a violent hysteria by Cardiff’s own chairman Sam Hammam. Our entire club subsequently fell apart. But it doesn’t alwa...

YorkshireSquare A fifth round FA Cup tie against Mansfield town fifty years ago may not seem like it should be one of the most important in Leeds United’s history, but it stands out for one reason. Everyone can name the great Revie era team can't they? The one that trips off the tongue; Sprake, Reaney, Cooper, Charlton, Hunter, Bremner, Giles, Lorimer, Gray, Clarke and Jones. Well those eleven were only at the club together for four years between 1969 when Allan Clarke joined and 1973 when Jack Charlton left. Saturday, 7th February 1970 at Elland Road against Mansfield was the only occasion that famous eleven started a game together. It was one of the few games missed by Don Revie’s Rolls-Royce, Paul Madeley. A near ever present during those four seasons, Madeley was most versatile player ever to wear the Leeds shirt. He made 724 first team appearances, spread over an incredible 17 year span at Leeds, scoring 34 goals, playing in every position except goalkeeper. Perhaps the Ma...

James Lawton Chief Sports Writer Ken Bates last night spelled out his improbable dream for Leeds United. "It's quite simple really," the 73-year-old maverick of English football said, "I'm going to do for Leeds United what I did for Chelsea. "You know what that was," Bates said. "I bought them for £1 and left them with the best ground in the country and £150m worth of players. Obviously, it's not going to happen overnight but I know what I can do - and I know what I've done before. I'll sell Leeds off when I'm 94 and then sit back and enjoy the rest of my life." Bates said it was time for Leeds to turn their back on the recent past, when the former chairman Peter Ridsdale tried to buy his way into the élite of European football, then watched the financial foundations of the club break apart. Details revealed yesterday showed the extent of past misadventures, with still unresolved debts to players like Danny Mills (approaching £...