It’s eleven years today since Dom Matteo’s header sent Leeds United through to the Champions League’s lucrative second group stage.

Leeds had been drawn in an incredibly tough group alongside European giants AC Milan and FC Barcelona, and the start was all too predictable for everyone – Leeds battered 4-0 at the Nou Camp.

But victory over AC Milan and a 6-0 hammering of Besiktas at Elland Road, followed by draws at away to Besiktas and at home to Barcelona left little Leeds United needing only a point at the San Siro to secure a place in the next round.

Here’s the goal that secured it…

Very little unites Leeds United and Bradford City, but David Wetherall spent 18 years between the two clubs making over 500 appearances and winning a league title in the process. You’ll find few fans of either side with a bad word to say about him. 

Leeds United’s defensive frailties are well document and we’ve all reminisced on better days and compiled our greatest defensive combination for when genetic cloning becomes a reality and we can farm Lucas Radebe’s and Terry Cooper’s –  the last player who truly satisfied at left-back some would argue. But whenever I read and hear these dream-team defensive combinations, no one ever includes the legendary David Wetherall!

OK, so we’ve had some good central defenders and it’s understandable that Lucas Radebe, Norman Hunter and Jonathan Woodgate would be top of your list. But to include Rio “Plug” Ferdinand above a man who bled blue, white and yellow is sacrilege.

Rio Ferdinand isn’t fit to lace David Wetherall’s boots. In 202 appearances for Leeds, Wetherall achieved much more than Plug. He won the League title in 1992 and also played in the League Cup final in 1996 (not his greatest moment, I grant you). Rio, to his credit, played a massive part in our Champions League run, but he also played an equally important part in our implosion the following season. By then, the captain of the club, Rio was the man who we hoped would lift morale following the release of that ridiculous David O’Leary book – instead, Leeds United slipped from 1st at the start of the year to finish outside the Champions League places triggering a financial crisis we still haven’t recovered from.

Now I’m not saying we should hold Rio fully responsible for our financial meltdown, but he is a Scummer these days so I think it’s only fair we give him some of the blame…

I’d also argue that Jonathan Woodgate has nothing on Wetherall. Sure, he was good. But you wouldn’t catch the ever-reliable David Wetherall ethnic cleansing the Leeds nightclubs on a Saturday night! You also have to take into account that Woodgate will retire with a Worthless Cup to his name and tales of ‘what might have been’ whilst Wetherall retired having conquered England.

And David Wetherall did much more than help us win the title and take us to the League Cup final. He also scored a sensational goal in September 1997 that gave The Whites a rare win over Manchester United. That alone is enough to make him a legend in my eyes.

But Wetherall didn’t stop there. Even after he’d left Leeds United he was still doing everything in his power to ensure The Whites were successful. Clearly not a fan of travelling (Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds United and then…) Wetherall moved to Bradford City where he scored the winning goal against Liverpool to give Leeds United a place in the Champions League. Sure, the youngsters did their part in getting us there, but the old head was still on hand to provide assistance.

So next time you’re listing your perfect defensive line-up spare a thought for the man who won us a league title, humiliated the Mancs and sealed us a place in the Champions League. Even if you (quite rightly) decide the best central partnership is Lucas Radebe and Norman Hunter, save a place for the always reliable David Wetherall on your bench – it’s the very least he deserves.

Whilst yesterday was celebrated as the Golden Anniversary of Don Revie taking over Leeds United, it was 50 years today the deal was rubber stamped. With that in mind, and because Dan (lad who does the Live Matchdays) didn’t finish this in time to publish yesterday we bring you The Scratching Shed’s very own tribute to The Don’s Leeds United Generation.

As a side note, the ‘Pretty Shambolic Productions’ part was my idea but Dan seems to have missed the fact that I was joking and decided the purchase of some new video editing software was enough to make him a fully fledged producer. Felt I should get that in. Enjoy…

When Don Revie was made player manager of Leeds on the 16th of March 1961, few people expected much of a change in fortunes for an Elland Road club that had little to show for it’s 42 year existence.

It was just another day at Leeds United, a club whose name was met with similar indifference to that of Leyton Orient and Rushden & Diamonds today.

It’s difficult to put into words the transformation Leeds United underwent with Don Revie at the helm. He didn’t just change things at Elland Road, but his methods and ideas changed the course of football forever.

By the time Don Revie parted ways with Leeds United in 1974, he’d transformed the Whites into one of the most feared and successful teams in Europe. Putting Revie’s influence into words is a bit beyond my talents, but luckily the BBC’s Late Kick-Off show produced this touching tribute. Enjoy…

There’s been some memorable clashes between Sheffield United and Leeds United over the years, but for Leeds United fans, Sunday the 26th of April 1992 has to be the greatest.

Only two games remained to decide the title and before kick-off, Leeds had 76 points with Manchester United in second place on 75. What that meant, was that if Leeds United could beat Sheffield United, then Manchester United would need a win against Liverpool at Anfield to stay in the race – and Liverpool were unlikely to do their bitterest of rivals any favours. It was the kind of fixture list a Hollywood director would be proud of!

Here’s what happened next;

So, with Sheffield United disposed of in a nail-biting encounter it was over to Anfield for the late kick-off, where Liverpool knew they could deal the ultimate blow to their bitter rivals whilst Manchester United knew nothing less than a win would take it down to final day (Leeds had a vastly superior goal difference, so a draw wouldn’t have been good enough for Manu).

Liverpool kept up their end of the deal with a 2-0 win that was probably the most satisfying moment of the season for the Scousers; themselves ending in a disappointing sixth.

So, with a little help from the Scousers, Leeds United were crowned champions for the first time in eighteen years. All that was left was for a victory celebration at Elland Road as Norwich City made up the numbers for a 1-0 final day victory to the Whites.

To tie in with the launch of TSS’ new YouTube channel, we’re going to be taking a look back at some of the greatest games in the history of Leeds United Football Club.

In 1972, Leeds were flying high and Don Revie was keen to rid the club of the ‘Dirty Leeds’ tag that had cast a black cloud over the most successful period in the clubs history.

Don was keen to prove that The Whites weren’t just a team of hard-tackling, fearless and uncompromising footballers, but also one that was bursting with skill, flair and talent.

The 4th of March 1972 will be a day Saints fans don’t want too many reminders of, but for Don Revie’s Leeds United, it was a day where the footballing world was forced to take notice as the Whites mercilessly destroyed Southampton by seven goals to nil.

Despite the masterclass in football that Bremner and the boys put on, the press were still critical of Leeds United for what they decided was “show-boating” and being unsportsmanlike in victory!

I guess you just can’t please some people? The Leeds fans were pretty happy though! Enjoy…

As we nervously await tomorrow’s crucial clash at the Valley, I thought I’d take a look back at better days for Leeds United.

A little over 26,000 people attended one of the most one-sided matches ever witnessed at the Valley as three goals either side of the break, including a hat trick from Mark Viduka, led to an emphatic 1-6 defeat for Charlton and a great victory for Leeds.

It was a rare win for Peter Reid’s side, but did help Leeds United delay the inevitable as they eventually finished the season in 15th, only to be relegated the year after.

Final score: Charlton Athletic 1-6 Leeds United
5th April, 2003. The Valley, London.

Leeds United goals: Kewell (12, 76), Harte (34 pen), Viduka (42, 53, 56 pen)

City of Leeds crest

The first Leeds United badge, which actually began life in 1908 – 11 years before the formation of the club we know and love today - was originally used by Leeds City FC. The team that preceeded Leeds United. It was based on the city of Leeds’ coat of arms. The badge features three owls and in some variations it includes the Latin motto ‘pro rege et lege’, which translates to ‘for the king and the law’. The Leeds United team colours, blue and yellow also come from the city of Leeds’ crest.

In 1965 came ‘The Owl’ badge, which was considered by some to be more representative of Sheffield Wednesday (known as The Owls) than Leeds United FC, despite the fact that three Owls feature on the city of Leeds’ crest. The badge would have donned the shirt of a little known youngster by the name of Billy Bremner.

In 1971, the Owl badge was ditched as the notoriously superstitious, Don Revie deemed birds to be bad luck. It was replaced with my personal favourite badge known as ‘the script’. It simply featured the letters ‘LUFC’ printed diagonally downwards to the right. It was simple, but incredibly stylish. It made a return in the mid-90′s and has since been inserted vertically downwards on the clubs shield. The script is also used horizontally across the back of the collar on the 09/10 home shirt by Macron.

The smiley

1973 saw the first incarnation of the ‘smiley’ badge which would don the Leeds shirt in some form right uptil the 1981 season. It featured the letters ‘L’ and ‘U’ in bubble writing with the U sitting within the L. The original smiley had the lettering in blue with a yellow background. This was later inverted into yellow writing with a blue background, before a border was added with ‘Leeds United AFC’ written around it in 1977. The smiley remains a cult favourite amongst the Elland Road faithful and the club still offer ‘retro’ merchandise with the badge on.

The 1981 season brought us ‘The Peacock’ badge. Leeds United’s nickname at the time was ‘The Peacocks’ so it was apt that the badge should feature one. The badge was a blue and yellow circle with the clubs name encircling the outside. Within the name was a blue peacock on a yellow background. It wasn’t an overnight hit, but did grow on Leeds fans eventually. It served as the clubs badge from 1981-1984.

Rose & Ball

The Peacock was replaced with a badge that would serve us for the next fourteen years. Worn by Howard Wilkinson’s 1992 Championship winning side, the ‘Rose & Ball’ badge featured the white rose of Yorkshire wrapped in a blue border. Within the rose was a yellow and white football, with ‘Leeds United AFC’ encircling it across the roses petals. It remains one of the most identifiable Leeds badges to date.

In 1998 amidst our ‘living the dream’ era, Peter “fish-loving freak” Ridsdale commisioned a new badge for the club to signify our rise into Europe. The original shield badge featured the Yorkshire rose at the top, which was later replaced to include the rose & ball design from our previous badge. It also features the script logo running vertically down the centre. Despite having served the club for over a decade now, the badge is still critisised by many who feel it lacks history and carries with it the memories of the Ridsdale regime

Like the original Leeds United badge, the birth of Elland Road actually proceeds the formation of Leeds United Football Club. The ground was originally built in 1897 on a plot of land owned by Bentley’s Brewery. It was named after the pub which sits across from it and became known as ‘The Old Peacock Ground.’

The original occupants of the ground were Holbeck Rugby Club, who bought the stadium from the brewery for £1,100. They added a new stand to the stadium for the forthcoming season and the ground became known as Elland Road.

Football was introduced to Elland Road in 1902, when local side Leeds Woodville shared the ground with Holbeck Rugby Club. Sadly, Holbeck went under the following season after losing an important game against St. Helens and the ground was put up for sale.

A meeting was held to discuss the future of the ground and it was decided that a new team would be formed and the ground would be leased to them. This team was to be known as Leeds City FC, who signed the lease on the ground in 1904. The rent was £75 a year with an option to purchase the ground for £5,000. When they eventually did purchase the ground in November, this was reduced to £4,500.

It was during Leeds City FC’s tenancy that the ground began to expand. After their first season in the Football League, the club built a 5,000 capacity covered stand on the west side of Elland Road. The cost of the stand was £1,050. Attendances rose steadily (peaking at 22,500) and more improvements were made. In 1906, Leeds City FC purchased some land behind the North Stand where they would later expand the stadium to include a 4,000 seater grandstand. The improvements featured a new training track and dressing rooms. Work also began on a drainage system for the pitch.

Financial problems slowed the clubs rapid expansion though. After allegations of illegally paying players during the war, Leeds City FC were expelled from the football league and the club ceased to exist. In it’s place came Leeds United AFC.

During the 1920’s the shape of the ground changed further as Leeds United began to make their mark on Elland Road. The terraced area on the South Stand was covered with a curved, wooden roof and became known as ‘The Scratching Shed’. The North Stand became a huge terraced structure that would become known as the ‘Spion Kop’ or the ‘Kop’ for short. The name derives from an hill in South Africa where many English soldiers lost their lives during the Boer War. The East Stand was also redeveloped and became known as ‘the Lowfields’.

The 1930’s and 40’s saw little change to Elland Road but the club did record some impressive attendances. Most notably against eventual champions Arsenal in December 1932 when 56,988 (this figure varies from source to source) people crammed into Elland Road to see a thrilling 0-0 draw. This remained the clubs record attendance for over 30 years and could have been beaten as 1000’s of fans were left locked out and the local newspaper observed the ground wasn’t “uncomfortably full”. In contrast though, the final game of the season saw a mere 9,000 fans turn up for the visit of Middesborough.

The most expensive floodlights of the time came to Elland Road in 1953 costing £7,000. The first floodlit game was against Hibernian where approximately 31,500 fans came to bask in their warming glow. The game ended in a 4-1 win to Leeds with John Charles netting two.

Tragedy hit Elland Road in 1956 when the West Stand was totally anialated by fire. The entire structure – including offices, the press box and club records – was consumed by the blaze. The total damage was estimated to be in the region of £100,000. The clubs insurance turned out to be totally inadequate and after a crisis meeting of the board, a public appeal was launched for funding. £60,000 was raised from the appeal and with a little help from Leeds City Council a £180,000, 4,000 seater structure would be unveiled at the start of the following season.

The new stand had additional room to hold an estimated 6,000 people standing. Just two years later another fire threatened the life of the West Stand, but the clubs directors were on hand to stop the blaze getting out of hand and eventually extinguished the fire with minimal damage caused.

Large scale improvements were made during the reign of Don Revie. The North Stand was redeveloped at a total cost of £250,000 after which it became known as ‘The Gelderd End’. The North-West and North-East corners were also added early in the 1970’s at a cost of £200,000 each. ‘The Scratching Shed’ was dismantled and rebuilt during the 70’s too, to be replaced by a new state-of-the-art structure featuring a standing paddock at the front with seats behind it. It also included several executive boxes. It gradually became known as ‘The South Stand’ thereafter.

The floodlights were the next thing to be replaced and Leeds United broke records in the process, building the largest ones in Europe at an impressive 79 metres tall. 3 were originally built in 1974, with a fourth added the following year.

It wasn’t until 1991 that the next major development of Elland Road took place when the South-East corner was opened. Now nicknamed the ‘cheese wedge’ on account of it’s distinctive yellow seats, it most commonly houses the away fans nowadays but was originally used as the family stand. Our title-winning season of 1992 saw the opening of the banqueting suite behind the West Stand which came complete with it’s very own conference centre.

The most impressive improvement came in 1993 when the new two-tier East Stand was opened. With a capacity of 17,000, it became the biggest cantilever stand in the world. It included 25 extra-executive boxes and became home to Elland Road’s family stand.

The final modification to Elland Road came in 1994 when Elland Road became an all-seater stadium following the findings in the Taylor Report. The final redevelopment was that of the ‘Gelderd End’ or ‘Kop,’ which was officially reopened by the widow of Don Revie and named in honour of our greatest ever manager. The North Stand would hereafter be known as ‘The Don Revie Stand’.

There has been numerous plans to extend the current stadium over the past 15 years, including those set-out by Peter “f-ing” Ridsdale. He proposed a complete demolition of our stadium and a move to a 50,000 seater identi-kit bowl nearby. A ballet was sent out by the chairman outlining two options for the future of the stadium. One would be to improve the current stadium, whereas the other would incur a move. The letter was heavily biased towards the move and unsuprisingly, 87% voted in favour of it. However, the Ridsdale regime crumbled along with the clubs fortunes and things have gone downhill ever since.

Future improvements planned for the East Stand of the stadium include a ‘Chelsea village’ style complex by Ken Bates, which would feature bars, shops, an hotel, museum and nightclub. Stage One of this work which will see improved facilities in the upper part of the East Stand and new executive boxes built began at the end of the 2010-11 season.