ImagesPA; Getty ImagesImagesPA; Getty Images56 DOn REVIE
Perhaps the biggest compliment Don Revie
ever received was from his bitterest rival.
On the evening of Brian Clough’s sacking by
Leeds United after 44 days, the axed boss sat
awkwardly opposite his predecessor in an ITV
studio. Asked if he’d ever thought he was the
right man to continue Revie’s legacy, Clough
temporarily stopped trading barbs. “That’s
like saying if religion goes out of our life, who
takes over from religion?” he said.
Revie was a religion at Leeds, and one
that’s still worshipped today. Both he and
Clough hailed from Middlesbrough, but in
1974 Revie had achieved far more.
Since their formation in 1919, the Yorkshire
giants have finished in the top two eight
times – seven under Revie. They’ve reached
the FA Cup final on four occasions – all
under Revie. They’ve won one League Cup
– under Revie. Their two European triumphs?
You’ve got it...
FWA Footballer of the Year as a
Manchester City player in 1955, Revie had
joined Leeds at the end of his career and
was captain as they suffered relegation from
the top flight. When they meandered in mid-
table of the Second Division in 1961, Revie
was asked to take over with home crowds
dipping below 7,000.
He set about instilling his key values,
creating a healthy atmosphere without any
egos, and switching the team’s shirts from
blue to white. His preparation was
meticulous: Revie readied detailed dossiers
about Leeds’ opponents and held lengthy
meetings to explain his findings.
Placing focus on a youth system that
would soon produce Norman Hunter, Peter
Lorimer and Eddie Gray, he also talked Billy
Bremner out of returning to Scotland to be
closer to his girlfriend – even driving north to
speak to her.
Leeds were promoted in 1963-64, then
came second to Manchester United on
goal average in their first season back in the
top flight – their best finish at that point.
They also reached the 1965 FA Cup Final
with a pragmatic, physical approach that
spawned their ‘Dirty Leeds’ tag. But it was
also successful.
Runners-up again a season later, they then
made it to the 1967 Fairs Cup Final, losing
2-0 on aggregate to Dinamo Zagreb.
Exasperated that a major trophy was eluding
them, Revie summoned a gypsy to remove a
curse he felt had been placed on Elland
Road. It wasn’t his only quirk: Revie scrapped
the owl from Leeds’ badge because he
thought birds were unlucky, and had an odd
fear of ornamental elephants.
His gypsy trick worked: the next year,
Leeds won the League Cup and Fairs Cups,seeing off Ferencvaros 1-0 on aggregate
in the latter. In 1968-69, they didn’t lose
a league game from October, unbeaten in
28 outings to finally land their first top-
tier crown.
The Whites advanced to the semi-
finals of the European Cup in 1970, then
sunk Juventus to win the Fairs Cup again
a year later. In 1972 came their first-ever
FA Cup triumph; in 1973, the final of the
European Cup Winners’ Cup. In the
league, Leeds enjoyed 10 top-four
finishes in a row under Revie, and
celebrated a second First Division title in
his final season in charge before replacing
Alf Ramsey as England coach in the
summer of 1974.
He was a popular choice but never made
it to a major tournament, failing to qualify
for Euro 76. After a defeat in Italy left the
Three Lions’ hopes of reaching the 1978
World Cup in ruins, Revie started to
negotiate a deal with the UAE national
team. “Nearly everyone in the country wants
me out, so I’m giving them what they want,”
he said. The FA, furious that he’d gone
behind their backs, banned Revie from
football for a decade, although the decision
was later overturned in court.
His time in charge of the national team
hurt his legacy across England, but not in
Leeds. It was because of the team’s undying
loyalty to Revie that they drove out
successor Clough so quickly. Despite the
early-season turbulence, they still appeared
in the European Cup final later that
campaign. Jimmy Armfield was the
manager – but it was Revie’s team.FRUSTRATED THAT A TROPHY
WAS ELUDInG LEEDS, REVIE
SUMMOnED A GYPSY TO
REMOVE A CURSE
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