‘When Eddie Gray plays on snow, he doesn’t leave any footprints,’ Don Revie once declared of his Leeds winger. In some respects and with hindsight he could have been talking about how his achievements in football have been criminally overlooked.
Despite the years passing there are still books, articles, and documentaries that fondly wax lyrically about the success and legacy of Bill Shankly, Matt Busby, Jock Stein, and Brian Clough.
Yet despite the success of Leeds and being the man who put the Yorkshire club on the map Revie’s achievements are now in the shadows. Even when Revie’s name is mentioned it has negative connotations that gloss over his talents.
When Don Revie took charge as player-manager in March 1961 of a struggling Leeds United side there was no indication or apparent ambition for the success that was to come. Rugby league and even cricket were the main sports of West Yorkshire with football not even coming into the equation. By the end of the decade this was to change with Leeds becoming one of the most feared and dominant sides of English football.
Don Revie was born in Middlesbrough although his playing career came with Leicester City with stints at Hull City, Manchester City, and Sunderland. He was by all accounts a gifted footballer with his successful years at Manchester City winning the FA cup in 1956 against Birmingham City. Revie’s performance earned him the man of the match whilst the year before he was named the football writers of the year award.
It was Bill Lambton the then Leeds Manager in 1958 that signed Revie but under the new manager Jack Taylor was part of the side that was relegated in 1960. A year later the job was offered to Revie. Not because they had seen something special with Revie simply because nobody was attracted to the job due to the financial problems of the club. Furthermore Don Revie was cheap although if Bournemouth had been prepared to pay the £6000 to sign Revie as player-manager then the history of Leeds could quite easily have been different.
One of the first things that Revie brought about was to bring about a family spirit with everyone from the cleaners to the club directors all pulling together. He personally ensured that he knew everybody’s name whilst having a daily chat.
The referee Jack Taylor once noted that Revie gave money to the cleaners to put on the horses. If they won they were twice as happy and even if they lost they were still happy at the gesture. It was something that Revie succeeded at as it made everybody feel part and proud of the club. Furthermore it brought a sense of togetherness and for Revie it was to bring about a family feeling to the place.
Another change that Revie instigated was that all players be it the first team, reserves, or B sides would all play the same system. Revie told the Yorkshire Post that ‘any players moving from one team to another will know just what is wanted.’
Bill Shankly’s Liverpool and Guardiola’s Barcelona operated a similar system in the belief it would be easy for players to step up when required.
Revie was left with a very poor side and a club that was in financial difficulties. Most of the side was compromised of journeymen footballers with the only players of exception being Billy Bremner who at seventeen had just broke into the first team, John McCole whose goals were important to Leeds and Jack Charlton. The latter was seen as more trouble than he was worth whose surliness and open objection to anything that annoyed him made supporters wonder if he would be the first to go.
The only other notable legacy from Jack Taylor’s time as manager was his backroom staff of Syd Owens and Les Cocker. Under Revie they would help Leeds to become one of the fittest teams in the league as well as analysing young players and helping them to improve. Both were hard task masters but the likes of Bremner and Eddie Gray would later appreciate their efforts.
Revie that year managed to keep Leeds up but it was still going to be another two tough years before the Yorkshire club would start to make any improvement. Even Revie admitted that towards the end of his first full season in charge that he half expected to be sacked.
With funds limited Revie was restricted with the players that he could bring in. Two of the most notable signings was Bobby Collins from Everton for £25,000 and Albert Johannsen. The latter was signed on the recommendation of a South African school teacher with Revie only having to pay his fare from Johannesburg.
Although Johannsen was to be inconsistent during his time at Leeds he did bring a touch of glamour and skill in those early days. Bobby Collins though was to be very influential. His dogged determination in never giving up or accepting second best seeped amongst Collins younger more impressionable teammates. It was to be this determination that would become part of Revie’s Leeds DNA.
There was no instant Midas touch with Revie even experimenting by using Jack Charlton as a centre-forward. It was more a case of hoping lightning would strike twice as the club legend John Charles had swapped defence for attack which had led to him being one of the most feared forwards in Europe. However Charlton was no Charles and although he scored twelve goals in twenty games he was quietly put back in defence by Christmas 1961. Most of the goals came from set-pieces but more importantly Charlton was like a fish out of water and didn’t know what he was doing.
One of the influences on Revie was Matt Busby who had advised that if possible to give youth a chance. It wasn’t just because coming through the ranks that they would show more loyalty and affinity (especially if they were from the local area) but that at a young age they would be more impressionable. Unlike seasoned pro’s they would be willing to listen, less likely to question, and not pick up bad habits from previous clubs.
The likes of Eddie Gray, Peter Lorimer, Norman Hunter, Gary Sprake, Rod Johnson, and Paul Reaney to name but a few all came through the ranks and all were to play a major part in the future for Leeds. With Johnny Giles signed from Manchester United for £33,000 Leeds United were to become quite formidable.
Don Revie brought about another subtle difference to Leeds United by throwing a pre-season party with directors, staff, players, and wives. Aware of his wife Elsie’s and his own isolation as a player he sought again to bring everyone together and made them feel involved. Above all he wanted a family feeling about the place as he spoke of their importance to the club. Revie was aware that domestic harmony could help a player feel more settled and not disrupt his form if his house was an unhappy one.
Over the years Don Revie would in some respects become a Father figure. He would even make visits, give birthday and Christmas cards, flowers presents to the wives and children. All of this was appreciated and as they too were made to feel part of the club their devotion to Revie also grew. In many ways he was like the Godfather’s Vito Corleone. A man who showed and expected loyalty but equally be tough if required.
To show that this was a new Leeds United and one that would be very much moulded in Don Revie’s image he decided to ditch the yellow and blue strip with Leeds to play in an all white strip. That there was no dissent from supporters or the board about the change of colours showed the lack of interest within the West Yorkshire area. Nevertheless it was the start of Revie building Leeds to what we know now.
Although Leeds might have looked similar to Real Madrid that was as close as they got to the Spanish giants in Revie’s first two full seasons in charge. Slowly though things started to change especially as the youngsters like Bremner, Gray, Lorimer, and Norman Hunter started to shine. Also the 1963-64 season that they clinched promotion the signing of Manchester United Johnny Giles gave them that edge with the brutal determination of Bobby Collins.
There was also a different to approach with how Revie selected youngsters. Unlike other managers the size of a player did not bother him. So long as they had the ability, desire, and willingness to work then they would be given a chance.
Revie also had an eye to get the best out of players by changing their positions. Terry Cooper was converted from a winger to a left back, Eddie Gray from central midfielder to winger, with Bremner and Giles converting from wingers to central midfielders.
It was now a different Leeds in terms of talent, attitude, professionalism, and desire to be the best. Johnny Giles observed in Eamon Dunphy’s ‘A strange kind of glory,’ that ‘people were consciously thinking about the game, small things like throw-ins, free-kicks, and corner-kicks were discussed and planned. People were intent on doing something. Nothing was ever left to chance.’
Critics at the time may have derided and even mocked the infamous dossiers that Revie had drawn up about the opposition but he was ahead of his time. The reports drawn by Cocker, Owen, and Lindley were so meticulous that they would observe whether the goalkeeper was a flapper or a catcher or whether the right half could accurately pass the ball across his body to the left-wing whilst running right.
On the Friday the reserves would copy the style and formation of the opposition that Leeds were due to play on the Saturday. By the end of the session the selected XI would know by heart the movement and as a result be able to anticipate the moves of the opposition for real on match day.
In football today that is nothing new with the endless stats and coaching geared towards dealing with the opposition at the weekend that it would be expected at any professional club. Back in the 60’s it was more about putting out your XI and letting your rival worry about you.
The work on Leeds fitness was to also have an impact especially as Revie had them playing a high tempo pressing game. In the ‘Unforgiven,’ by Bagchi and Rogerson they quote Bremner saying how Collins would dictate the game by making ‘them go like bombs for a ten minute spell. Then he would tell them to tighten up again before going at them again.’
With teams not as fit and being unable to cope it was no surprise that Revie had managed to ensure that Leeds finally gained promotion in the 1963-64 season. As the good work started to pay dividends it was to be start of the glory years for Leeds United.
Leeds first season in the top flight unerringly summed up the Revie era in terms of being so close but yet so far. The West Yorkshire side almost won what would have been an incredible double but lost out to Manchester United who won the league due to having a superior goal difference to Leeds. A week later they lost 2-1 in extra time to Bill Shankly’s Liverpool who won the FA cup for the first time in their history. Nevertheless it was a fantastic season for a team that had spent most of its history in the doldrums.
It was though a season that Leeds started to earn their reputation as being ‘cynical cheats,’ who fouled, harassed the referee, and looked to gain any advantage by hook or by crook. George Best recalled walking down the tunnel at Old Trafford ‘I felt a terrific pain in my right calf as someone kicked me with brute force. I turned. It was Bobby Collins. ‘And that’s just for starters Bestie.’ He snarled.
Earlier that season brutal challenges by the likes of Giles and Hunter caused outrage at Goodison that led to the Everton crowd making a pitch invasion. The crowd was cleared with Leeds winning 1-0 which later led to the Yorkshire Post’s Ian Guild description of the match as ‘a disgrace to football.’
The question and indeed suspicion was on whether Don Revie instructed his players to try to win at any cost even it meant fouling or cheating. There probably is some truth that Leeds pushed the rules with Johnny Giles admitting ‘I have certainly done things on the football pitch that I am embarrassed about now.’ But as he then stated ‘one has to put them into the football climate that existed then.’
Certainly in that period in the 1960s and 1970s it was a more brutal game. Going in hard and trying to intimidate your opponent was seen as fair game. Nearly every team had an enforcer whether it was Manchester United’s Nobby Stiles, Anfield Iron’s Tommy Smith who threatened to ‘break player’s backs,’ or Chelsea’s Ron ‘Chopper,’ Harris.
Despite the notoriety of these players they in many ways gained cult and legendary status of when football ‘was a man’s game.’ Yet with Norman ‘bites yer legs,’ Hunter and Leeds they were viewed as the villains of football.
In some respects there was always a suspicion that Don Revie embraced the dark arts a bit too much. That he was like a grand wizard who became bad in his pursuit of glory. From hiring a gypsy to eradicate an alleged curse that had been placed on Elland road to wearing his blue suit that became so threadbare that his underwear could be seen in bright light.
Revie himself openly admitted to being superstitious and following a routine that involved the ‘same lucky tie, one or two lucky charms in my pocket. I walk to the traffic lights every morning, turn round and walk back to the hotel.’
There was of course the famous bird phobia that saw Revie remove the club’s owl badge to the familiar LUFC, having three puffs on a cigar, before sucking on a mint for one minute, and then chewing gum for ten.
Again superstition although ridiculous is very much part of football. Being an unpredictable game it gives the person a feeling of control that by following a certain ritual that they will gain some good luck which may win the game.
However the dark shadow or the smearing of Revie’s achievements is that he was alleged to have offered bribes for teams to go easy. Bob Stokoe who managed Sunderland to a FA cup shock in 1973 against Leeds told the Daily Mirror that during his time as Bury manager in 1962 that Revie had offered him £500 to throw the match.
None of this has ever been proven and as Bagchi and Rogerson point out in the ‘Unforgiven,’ how did Revie on £38 a week with a club that was struggling financially find that amount? Furthermore why did Stokoe wait fourteen years to tell his story and then for the princely sum of £14,000?
The accusations didn’t stop there with Wolves Mike O’Grady claiming that he had been paid as a fixer in 1973 to offer his teammates £1000 a man to throw their game against Leeds and ensure that they won the title. Again none of this was substantiated with Revie being cleared by the Police and Bremner winning a libel case when accused of offering the bribes.
Again it all added to the media trying to paint Revie as some kind of super villain. Leeds achievements would be tarnished because of this despite being one of the best footballing sides in the mid-seventies.
Maybe it was because Leeds were insular with Revie encouraging ‘us against the world,’ mentality. This was no different to the tactics that Alex Ferguson encouraged at Manchester United. It brought a sense of unity and loyalty as well as a determination to knock their critic’s noses out of joint and enjoy the discomfort of the critics having to acknowledge that they were the best. Yet whereas Ferguson is lauded it is seen as another stick to beat Leeds with.
Revie’s man management was also second to none. He knew when to put an arm around a player and when they needed a proverbial kick up the backside. Nothing was left to chance as Revie ensured that he knew the character of all his players. Furthermore he only wanted players who would fit into the work ethic of the club.
Europe was another learning curve for Revie who quickly realised that discipline and organisation was a key to being successful. During the Inter Cities Fairs cup Leeds used their strength to hit teams on the break and in turn to be able to absorb the pressure. Their mental strength was also second to none with the Italian press admiring their character and not letting the awful leg break of Bobby Collins by Torino’s Poletti to affect them by seeing the game through and winning the tie.
Breaking your duck in winning your first trophy is always the hardest but despite a turgid match Leeds beat Arsenal 1-0 at Wembley to win the League cup. In a sense it gave Leeds a taste of victory and the belief that they could achieve more. Revie was more than aware of this as he showed a rare expression of delight by joining his celebrating team on the pitch.
More success was to come as Leeds went a step further by clinching the Inter City Fairs cup by beating the Hungarian Ferencvaros 1-0 over two legs. There was a significant delay due to the Warsaw pact invasion of Czechoslovakia with the possibility of the game being called off. Again the professionalism and organisation was enough to see Leeds through against a team whom Shankly and Busby viewed as one of the best teams in Europe.
The league championship with its long, arduous season that decided the best team in England now sauntered into view for Leeds. They had finished runners-up to Liverpool in the 1965-66 season but wanted to go that one step further. By now Leeds had firmly established themselves as a difficult team but needed a title to show that they were not pretenders.
It was to the 1968-69 season when Revie’s Leeds would clinch the clubs first championship in their history. The team was now maturing with the average age of the squad being around twenty-five. Besides which Leeds with the two cup wins now had a taste for trophies. Something that Revie wanted to encourage.
Billy Bremner recalls how Don Revie ensured that the desire and fire to keep winning trophies and not to rest on their laurels was to continually set new challenges. That was to win the league. ‘When you haven’t won anything, you’re delighted to win something; but as soon as a new challenge is offered, you have to climb higher. And so we climbed that bit higher in going for the league.’
It was to be a culmination of Leeds gaining experience and knowing how each other played. There was in some respects a communal style to Leeds play. For example Hunter, Cooper, and Gray formed the left side, working the ball in triangles and quadrilaterals between them before seizing on any space given to initiate an attack. Charlton, Reaney, Bremner, and O’Grady replicated this on the right.
Bremner and Giles having the ability to hit the killer pass once the opposition had committed themselves too far forward.
All season Leeds had stretched the opposition and with their superior fitness that the West Yorkshire side were easily the best side in the league that season.
The title was clinched at Anfield after a 0-0 draw against Liverpool. It was to be a night were Leeds also felt that they had finally achieved the recognition that they deserved.
Revie had instructed his team that if they won the league on the night then they were to go forward and acknowledge the Kop. Bremner was unsure but duly led his players towards the goal with the crowd becoming silent. There was a slight pause before the crowd chanted ‘Champions,’ and applauded the Leeds team for their achievements for that season.
With Shankly declaring them worthy champions it felt for Leeds that they were finally being recognised for their footballing abilities. After so many years of being branded villains they were now being hailed for their football.
The following season Leeds didn’t let their laurels slip as Leeds chased a unique treble of the league, European, and FA cup. Bagchi and Rogerson in ‘the unforgiven,’ believe fixture congestion and the lack of help from the league authorities in terms of re-arranging fixtures meant that Revie had to prioritize which trophies they wanted to go for.
In what seems strange in this Premier league obsessed era, Leeds had made winning the European and FA cup more of a priority as these were not only trophies that they had never won but were also equally prestigious.
Leeds with seven games remaining was top of the league but decided that in order to boost their chances of success had to rest players. For the remaining six games the Leeds team were a mixture of reserves and experienced players which earned the club a five thousand pound fine from the football league.
Sadly for the West Yorkshire club they were to fall short. It didn’t help that it took three games to beat Manchester United to reach the 1970 FA cup final in order to play Chelsea. The semi-final against Celtic was to see Leeds comprehensively beaten 3-0 over two legs with the Glaswegian side to later lose 2-1 to Feyenoord in extra time in the final.
That was to be a fate that Leeds would suffer in a replay at Old Trafford as Webb snatched the winner to lift the cup for Chelsea. It was to be a final remembered for two things. A poor pitch due to allowing the horse of the year show prior to the final and the brutal tackling and fouling from both sides.
Due to picking up only three points from the final six games the league had duly been surrendered to Everton who were proclaimed the football league champions for the 1969-70 season.
It was a disappointing season but Leeds maturity and confidence in their own abilities as Revie allowed the shackles off showed that Leeds were one of the top footballing sides who would be favourites for all the major honours in the years to come.
Yet they would become more known for choking at the crucial moments. Some of it was down to appalling decisions made against Leeds whilst other times the West Yorkshire failed to play to their ability.
A fifth round tie away to fourth division Colchester should have not really posed any problems for Leeds. Instead they found themselves three-nil down and despite pulling two goals were unable to snatch an equaliser. Sprake was held responsible for the three goals and indeed was seen as the weak link of the team.
Despite the shock cup exit the league was still on. However another infamous game against West Bromwich Albion with the referee Ray Tinkler’s poor performance to have repercussions’ on Leeds title challenge. Albion’s Colin Suggett was quite clearly offside with Brown looking for the decision only to continue and square the ball to Astle who put the ball into the back of the net and winning the two points for West Brom.
Barry Davies the match of the day commentator was incredulous and declared that ‘Leeds will go mad and they have every right to be.’ It provoked a reaction from the Leeds players which also ignited crowd trouble who were outraged at the decision.
Arsenal would go on to clinch the league by one point with Ray Kennedy netting the winner against Spurs at White Hart lane. Again Leeds would be the bridesmaid in terms of the league although they didn’t end that season empty ended as they won the Inter Cities fairs cup on away goals after drawing 3-3 on aggregate but crucially drew 2-2 away in Turin.
It was becoming a familiar occurrence as Leeds once again blew the chance of winning the double in the 71-72 season. They played some scintillating that year with the highlight being Leeds torturing Southampton with keep ball after being 7-0 up. As Barry Davies said in admiration it was ‘cruel,’ but at the same time it was breath-taking football with the flicks and back heels as Leeds played a match version of ‘piggy in the middle,’ by keeping hold of the ball.
Leeds it seemed was head and shoulders above everyone else. The FA cup was lifted for the first time in their history as they beat Arsenal 1-0 who hoped to retain the trophy. The double it seemed was a certainty as Leeds only needed a point away to Wolves. However two days after the cup final Leeds were to be denied and frustrated by the referee yet again. There were three penalty shouts with a blatant handball to deny Allan Clarke. Wolves won the game 2-1 and with Liverpool failing to beat Arsenal at Highbury with a Toshack goal ruled out for offside, Brian Clough’s Derby County won the league whilst on the beach in Majorca.
Heartache seemed to be the Leeds way and the 1972-73 season was to be no different. Although they were not in any contention to win the league that season Leeds again reached the FA cup final against second division Sunderland and the European Cup Winners Cup against AC Milan.
Critics assumed that Sunderland had no chance and that Leeds would triumph over the North East side. It was a case of how many would Leeds would win by. Instead Leeds failed to deal with the corner with Porterfield gaining legendary status by striking the ball into the back of the net.
Leeds would put the pressure on Sunderland with Cherry’s diving header which was parried away by Montgomery straight to Lorimer who almost equalised only to be thwarted by Montgomery who parried it against the crossbar. Yet again it was not be Leeds day and to be remembered for all the wrong reasons as David beat the unpopular Goliath.
A 1-0 defeat to AC Milan in the Cup Winners Cup final meant that Leeds ended the season empty-handed. There was a feeling that Leeds had been cheated following the Greek referee Christos Michas being suspended by UEFA and his own federation due to some dubious decisions against Leeds.
There are numerous theories as to why Leeds United kept falling short at the crucial moments. Some cited poor refereeing decisions and Hardaker of the football league who was believed to have disliked Leeds due to their reputation. With fixtures piling up due to replays or poor weather and the football league refused to accommodate or assist Leeds in order to give them enough recovery time between games.
At times with the matches piling up there were key players who were injured and in the case of the Wolves game both Clarke and Giles had pain killing injections certainly couldn’t have helped. With so many irons in the fire so to speak it meant that the Leeds players were on their last legs and just couldn’t carry themselves over the line when required.
Some even questioned whether Revie thought too much about the opposition and whether that anxiety transmitted to the players. Dave Watson the Sunderland centre-half stated that he thought the Leeds players were very subdued in their interviews prior to the Cup final. It could also be said that at times Revie brought the squad for big matches too early and rather than be distracted by every day life were left to brood on the game.
Perhaps it was a mix of all and more than likely being involved in so many big competitions stretched the squad to their limit. Revie certainly knew his players and he had managed to channel that comradeship amongst the team and supporters.
The 1973-74 season was to be Revie’s last as he left Leeds to take the job of England manager. However Leeds ended it as champions after going twenty-nine games unbeaten.
Some wondered if Revie took the England job on as he couldn’t bear to break up his ageing Leeds team. The fact of the matter is that Revie had already got itchy feet and had got caught going for possible talks to become the Everton manager in 1973 when he had got lost and had to ask directions. Money was another insecurity of Revie with the attraction of more money at Everton whetting his initial interest before deciding to stay at Leeds.
The England job was not to be a success as he was unable to replicate the team and family spirit that he harnessed at Leeds United. Some players mocked his carpet bowls and ideas. Revie himself seemed uncomfortable in dealing with the politics of International football and seemed to miss the day-to-day coaching that club football brought.
With England performing poorly and unlikely to qualify for the world cup qualifiers Don Revie decided to quit the job and took up a post offered by the UAE. Despite the FA having approached Bobby Robson in order to replace Revie they suspended him for ten years. Although Revie won on a Court appeal he was never to work in English football again with only coaching stints at other middle-east countries.
Due to the manner of Revie’s England resignation and the money being offered to manage the UAE national side he was branded a mercenary with his reputation never 
recovering.
Leeds too was never to be the same side that they were under Revie. In what was a bizarre decision they appointed Revie’s arch critic and nemesis Brian Clough to re-build the team. With Clough’s brash manner and telling the players ‘to put all their medals in the bin as they had won them through cheating,’ it was never going to end well. After forty-four days in charge Brian Clough was sacked as manager.
It was to be an end of an era despite reaching the European cup final in 1975 and losing to Bayern Munich. Again there was to be much controversy and crowd trouble after the referee disallowed a Lorimer goal after initially pointing to the centre circle to indicate that a goal had been given.
As the years go by the achievements of Don Revie seem to fade into the background. Nothing is mentioned of Don Revie physically building the Leeds United that we all know of now even if the past ten years or so have seen them back in the second tier. It was Revie with hardly any resources that dragged and moulded Leeds United to be one of the most feared teams in English football. Prior to his appointment Leeds were seen as a joke and in the shadow of rugby league. Even Leeds current all white strip is down to Revie who decided to change the colours.
In terms of coaching and preparation Don Revie was ahead of his peers. In today’s game in-depth analysis and preparation is all part of the game. Revie in his dossiers and gearing training towards the opposition was so way ahead that at the time it was mocked by others within the English game.
Ironically in this day and age of mass marketing Revie was to be a pioneer by agreeing that Leeds became commercially involved with Paul Trevillion an illustrator more known for you are the ref. There were track suits with player’s names, sock tags, and the Leeds wave as the players ran out two minutes early before kickoff and wave to each part of the ground who would shower them in applause and cheers.
Revie also encouraged youth and brought a collective spirit right throughout the club. Everybody was part of this inner family that in turn brought about that resilience required to dig in and snatch a result no matter how badly they were playing. In short everybody looked after each other.
Of course there was the cynicism and the intimidation that Revie’s Leeds did dish out. There is no question that they rubbed up the opposition but other teams could just be as physical. Leeds did push it to extremes and cynicism can be seen in the game today from the little clip, dive, time-wasting or harassing the referee. Not that it makes it right but from a professional point of view it is about testing the boundaries in order to gain an advantage.
Maybe it’s because Revie didn’t have the statesman like aura of Matt Busby and Jock Stein or the charisma of Bill Shankly. Neither did he have the soundbites of Brian Clough that the media lapped up.
In front of the cameras Revie always looked uneasy and seemingly shifty. With the physical approach of Leeds it was easy to throw mud at Leeds with the unsubstantiated claims by Stokoe of offering bribes to go easy casting more dirt. Revie with his superstition was all too easily cast as dabbling in the black arts of football.
It could be argued that there was an element of snobbery with Leeds not having the glamour of a London team or a charismatic star like Manchester United’s George Best. They also equally refused to be in awe of anyone’s reputation and gave as good as they got. Revie certainly showed this from a story given in the Unforgiven. At an official FA dinner in 1976 Revie objected to the pompous Sir Harold Thompson referring to him by his surname. Thompson haughtily replied ‘when I get to know you better Revie, I shall you call Don. Quick as a flash Revie’s response was ‘when I get to know you better Thompson, I shall call you Sir Harold.’
Despite all the knocks and whether you think Don Revie’s reputation is deserved or not Revie’s Leeds United played attractive football. Yes they could dish it out but they could play with aggression, skill, and pace which many teams of the time couldn’t cope with. It was Revie who installed that discipline and ideas onto his team in the belief that it would get results.
Don Revie made and was Leeds United that even now his legacy still exists. Furthermore he was also a pioneer and forward thinker who knew how to build and get the best out of his team. It is for these reasons that Don Revie should be remembered alongside the greats of Shankly, Stein, and Busby.
Credit where its due even if it is through gritted teeth, Allardyce got his tactics spot on last Sunday as Palace beat Liverpool for the third year running at Anfield. It was a game that was always going to be difficult given the erratic performances and results against the so-called lesser lights. Even so with the finishing line and a top four spot in sight it was a home game that Liverpool needed to make it count.
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