Don Revie

Donald George RevieOBE(10 July 1927 – 26 May 1989) was an Englishfootballerand manager. He is best known for managingLeeds Unitedfrom 1961 until 1974, winning theFootball League First Divisiontwice and theFA Cuponce, before being theEngland national football team managerfor three years.

Don Revie
OBE

Revie(left)withBilly Bremnerafter winning the1972 FA Cup final
Personal information
Full name	Donald George Revie
Date of birth	(1927-07-10)10 July 1927
Place of birth	Middlesbrough,Yorkshire,England
Date of death	26 May 1989(1989-05-26)(aged 61)
Place of death	Edinburgh,Scotland
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Position(s)	Deep-lying centre forward
Youth career
	Newport Boys' Club
	Middlesbrough Swifts
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1944–1949	Leicester City	96	(25)
1949–1951	Hull City	76	(12)
1951–1956	Manchester City	148	(35)
1956–1958	Sunderland	64	(15)
1958–1962	Leeds United	76	(11)
Total		460	(98)
International career
1953	The Football League XI	1	(3)
1954	England B	1	(0)
1954–1955	England	6	(4)
Managerial career
1961–1974	Leeds United
1974–1977	England
1977–1980	United Arab Emirates
1980–1984	Al-Nasr
1984	Al-Ahly
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Aforward,he began his career withLeicester Cityin August 1944, before a £19,000 move toHull Cityin November 1949. He was sold on toManchester Cityin October 1951 for a fee of £25,000, where he became the main focus of the "Revie Plan"which saw him named asFWA Footballer of the Yearin the 1954–55 season, after innovating the role of the first deep-lying centre forward in England. He won the FA Cup in1956,having finished on the losing side in the1955final. He was bought bySunderlandfor £22,000 in October 1956 before moving on to Leeds United in November 1958 for a £14,000 fee. In total, he scored 108 goals in 501 league and cup appearances in an 18-year professional career, also scoring four goals in sixEnglandappearances, as well as winning representative honours forthe Football League XIand theEngland B team.

In March 1961, Revie was appointed player-manager of Leeds United, then aSecond Divisionclub that had never won a major trophy. Under Revie's management, Leeds became a major force in English football, winning the Second Division in the 1963–64 season, the First Division in the 1968–69 and 1973–74 seasons, the FA Cup in1972,theLeague Cupin1968,theFA Charity Shieldin1969,and theInter-Cities Fairs Cupin1968and1971.Additionally, Leeds were First Division runners-up five times, three times FA Cup runners-up and runners-up in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and theEuropean Cup Winners' Cup.In July 1974, he accepted the job as the England manager. He had an unsuccessful three years in the role before quitting in highly controversial circumstances to take the management role with theUnited Arab Emirates.He later had spells in Middle Eastern club football withAl-NasrandAl-Ahly.

As Leeds manager, he was criticised for his teams' physical and often negative approach, though the period was noted for its highly physical football across the country. His resignation as England manager fuelled criticism of him as money-obsessed, and unproved allegations of bribery and financial misconduct tarnished his reputation. He retired in 1984 but was diagnosed withmotor neurone diseasein May 1987, which led to his death two years later. He remains a highly popular figure in Leeds and has a stand named after him atElland Roadand a statue outside the ground.

Early life

Revie was born inMiddlesbrough,North Riding of Yorkshire,on Sunday, 10 July 1927.His father, also named Donald, was a joiner who found himself frequently out of work during theGreat Depression.His mother, a washerwoman, died ofcanceron 27 November 1939, aged 50.He played youth football for Newport Boys' Club and then Middlesbrough Swifts, who were coached by influential manager Bill Sanderson.He learnt the rudiments of the game using a small bundle of rags in the tiny yard behind his home. This influenced his thinking in later life, and he argued that young players should learn using smaller footballs on smaller pitches so they would be more adept in control when progressing to a bigger football.

Club career

Leicester City

He signed as a professional footballer forLeicester Cityin August 1944, choosing them ahead of local clubMiddlesbroughprimarily due to the close links between Middlesbrough Swifts and Leicester City; he also worked as an apprentice bricklayer.Leicester originally thought he was not good enough to turn professional, but he was taken under the wing of Leicester playerSep Smith,who mentored Revie on many of his ideas about the game.Smith instructed Revie that "When not in position, get into position; never beat a man by dribbling if you can beat him more easily with a pass; it is not the man on the ball but the one running into position to take the pass who constitutes the danger; and the aim is to have a man spare in a passing move. Soccer would then become easy."He played in the wartime league before making his debut inthe Football Leagueon the opening day of the1946–47 season,a 3–0 defeat toManchester City,who would go on to win theSecond Divisionthat season.He showed good form atFilbert Streetbefore breaking his right ankle in three places after a tackle fromTottenham Hotspur'sRon Burgess;the injury could have ended his career, but he recovered to full fitness within 19 weeks.

ManagerJohnny Duncanidentified Revie as the player to build his team around for the1947–48and1948–49seasons, and though theFoxesfared poorly in the league they managed to reach the1949 FA Cup final.Revie scored the opening goal of the semi-final victory overFirst DivisionchampionsPortsmouth,having been told pre-match that opposition goalkeeperErnest Butlertended to palm the ball over the attacker's head before reclaiming possession Revie positioned himself to take advantage of the situation when teammateJack Leechallenged Butler for the ball, leaving Revie with a simple conversion.However Revie suffered a nasalhaemorrhagecaused by a burst vein one week before the final, and the condition became so severe it would threaten his life and see him miss his first chance to play atWembley.He could only listen on the radio as Leicester lost 3–1 toWolverhampton Wanderersin the final.Revie left Leicester after Duncan left the club, having already been dissatisfied with the club's lack of progress in the league.

Hull City

In November 1949, he joinedSecond DivisionclubHull Cityfor a transfer fee of £19,000.He chose to join theTigersahead of bigger clubs likeArsenalandManchester City,who had shown interest in signing him since Hull were managed byRaich Carter,who had been a great player before and afterWorld War II.Carter did improve Revie's game but was not a success as Hull manager, as City finished mid-table in the1949–50and1950–51seasons, before becoming involved in a relegation battle in the1951–52 season.TeammateAndy Davidsonlater said Revie failed to fulfil his potential atBoothferry Parkas he was not a tough player. The rest of the Hull team were not physically dominant enough to protect him and allow him to dictate play with his accurate passing.As at Leicester, Revie felt the time had come for him to move on and handed in a transfer request once Carter departed.

Manchester City

Revie was sold toFirst DivisionsideManchester Cityfor £25,000 (including a part-exchange forErnie Phillips,valued at £12,000) in October 1951.TheCitizensstruggled in the1951–52 seasonand then went on to finish just one place above the relegation zone in the1952–53 campaign.Revie was often isolated from the rest of the team due to his lack of pace.The sale ofIvor Broadisthen allowed Revie to drop deeper down the field and allowed managerLes McDowallto put Revie in what eventually proved to be a pivotal role, introducing to English football the position ofdeep-lying centre forward.This evolved into the so-called "Revie Plan",with Revie as the central figure.His role derived from the more traditionalinside rightposition and was based on the style of the successfulHungary national team,and in particularNándor Hidegkuti,who invented the role. Revie devoted 20 pages to analysing and explaining the plan in his autobiographySoccer's Happy Wandererwritten in 1955.

Revie had improved his goal tally to 13 in the1953–54 season,but only once the Revie Plan was implemented in the1954–55 campaignwere Manchester City able to fully make use of his abilities.The new tactic opened with a 5–0 defeat toPreston North End,but thenKen BarnesreplacedJohn McTavishat inside-forward and the team clicked.Though the tactic was named after Revie, it had initially been introduced at the reserve team level byJohnny Williamson.However, Revie's superior passing talents meant Williamson was overlooked for the position at first team level.City's league title campaign fell away, but they went on to reach the1955 FA Cup finalatWembley,where they were beaten 3–1 byNewcastle United;a first-half injury toJimmy Meadowsleft City down to ten men and unable to compete effectively.At the end of the season, Revie was named asFWA Footballer of the Year.

McDowall fined Revie £27 for missing two weeks of training for a family holiday inBlackpool,which infuriated him as he had received permission from trainerLaurie Barnettand had promised to train whilst on holiday.McDowall dropped Revie for much of the1955–56 season,preferring instead to playBobby Johnstone.Revie played only oneFA Cupmatch that season before being named in the team for the1956 FA Cup finalagainstBirmingham City,with Johnstone being moved to the wings.He provided the assist forJoe Hayes's opening goal and instructed Ken Barnes to deviate from the manager's instructions at half-time, with the result being a more dominant second half display and a 3–1 victory; Revie was named as Man of the Match.However the rift with his manager was not forgotten, and he was moved to right-half in the1956–57 campaign,leaving him to seek a move away fromMaine Road.

Sunderland

In October 1956,SunderlandmanagerBill Murraybought Revie for a £22,000 fee.Poor results left theBlack Catsfacing relegation towards the end of the1956–57 campaign,but a late seven-game unbeaten run lifted them to safety, just one place above relegatedCardiff City.A financial scandal over illegal payments to players resulted in harsh sanctions atRoker ParkfromThe Football Associationand forced Murray's resignation.His replacement,Alan Brown,preferred a more physical style of play that did not suit Revie.Sunderland suffered relegation from theFirst Divisionfor the first time in the club's history in the1957–58 season,and Revie was dropped for the1958–59Second Divisioncampaign in favour of a youth policy.In September 1958, he rejected the opportunity to sign for hometown club Middlesbrough – had he joined the club then he would have played alongside captainBrian Cloughand goalkeeperPeter Taylor.

Leeds United

Revie returned to theFirst Divisionwhen he joinedLeeds Unitedin November 1958 for a £14,000 fee.ManagerBill Lambtonhad hoped that Revie's creativity would help thePeacocksto turn their poor form around and appointed him as captain.Leeds avoided relegation in the1958–59 season,but new managerJack Taylortook Leeds down in the1959–60 campaignwith the division's worst defensive record.Revie recognised his playing days were coming to an end and relinquished the captaincy toFreddie Goodwin.

International career

In October 1953, he was called up toThe Football League XIto face theLeague of Ireland XIatMaine Road,and scored a hat-trick in a 9–1 victory.He went on to play for theEngland B teamin March 1954.He scored on hisEnglanddebut on 2 October 1954, in a 2–0British Home Championshipvictory overNorthern IrelandatWindsor Park.He also scored during his second appearance on 2 April 1955, a 7–2 victory overScotlandatWembley Stadium.He made three further appearances that year, playing in defeats toFranceat theStade Olympique Yves-du-ManoirandWalesatNinian Park,and scoring twice in a 5–1 win overDenmarkatIdrætsparken.His sixth and final cap came in a 1–1 draw with Northern Ireland on 6 October 1956.

He was one of many signatories in a letter toThe Timeson 17 July 1958, opposing "the policy of apartheid" in international sport and defending "the principle of racial equality which is embodied in the Declaration of the Olympic Games".

Management career

Leeds United

Revie was madeplayer-manageratLeeds Unitedin March 1961 following the resignation ofJack Taylor,who left after Leeds found themselves struggling in theSecond Division.He had initially applied for the vacant job atBournemouth & Boscombe Athletic,but they were unable to find the £6,000 Leeds demanded, and the Leeds directors decided to appoint Revie as manager instead.At the time the club was in debt and was located in arugby leagueterritory, with very little football tradition.Less than 7,000 turned out for the final home game of the1960–61 season,whileLeeds Rhinos' championship game of the1960–61 Rugby League seasonhad an attendance of over 50,000.He immediately began to institute radical changes, such as ensuring the players stayed at higher-quality hotels. He instilled a "family atmosphere" atElland Road,making sure to take an interest in the lives of everyone at the club, from the cleaning staff to the star players and ensuring there were no "bigegos"at the club.He showed trust in his players, leaving them mainly to their own devices, though he always made sure he was fully informed as to what they were up to off the pitch, even going so far as to tell them to dump their girlfriends if he viewed them as unsuitable.He also introduced lengthy dossiers on opposing teams to ensure his players knew every detail about the opposition and were able to exploit weaknesses and nullify threats.Other changes were based on some of his many superstitions, such as his belief that birds were bad luck which resulted in him getting rid of theowlon the club badge and the discontinuation of the "Peacocks" nickname in favour of the "Whites".

Leeds struggled in the1961–62 season,as aside fromBilly BremnerandJack Charlton,his playing squad was filled with journeymen pros; he did though inherit a good coaching staff that includedLes Cocker,Maurice LindleyandSyd Owenwho would all spend many years with Revie at Leeds.He developed a youth policy at the club, notable graduates of which would beEddie Gray,Norman Hunter,Peter LorimerandPaul Reaney.He had a difficult task in persuading young players to join Leeds over more glamorous clubs. Still, he made sure he put in extra effort to make the youngsters feel happy at Leeds, and in one instance, drove to Scotland to talk to Bremner's girlfriend to successfully persuade her to encourage Bremner to stay at Leeds rather than return to Scotland to be with her.Revie played his last game in March 1962 before concentrating entirely on management.

After new investment at board level, Revie was able to spend £25,000 onEverton'sScotlandinternationalBobby Collins,who he installed as captain.Other arrivals included formerManchester CityteammateBilly McAdams,forwardIan Lawsonand left-backCliff Mason.He spent £53,000 to bringJohn Charlesback fromJuventus.Though he proved not to be as effective as during his first spell at Leeds, Revie was able to sell him on toRomafor a £17,000 profit within just a few months.Leeds pushed for promotion in1962–63,but theharsh wintercaused many postponements and a backlog of games at the end of the season proved too much for Leeds, who fell away to finish in fifth place.

United secured promotion as champions of theSecond Divisionin the1963–64 season,helped by the late signing of strikerAlan PeacockfromMiddlesbroughfor £53,000.However, the overly physical approach typified by captain Collins earned Leeds a reputation as "dirty" that would shadow the club throughout Revie's tenure as manager and continue to this day.Leeds adapted well to theFirst Divisionearly in the1964–65 campaignbut caused controversy in Collins's return toGoodison Parkas the game against Everton descended into a brawl. The referee ordered the players off the field after 35 minutes to prevent further violence.Leeds went on to maintain a strong title challenge, finishing second torivalsManchester Unitedon goal average after failing to beatBirmingham Cityon the last day of the season.They also reachedthe finalof theFA Cup,losing 2–1 toLiverpoolatWembleyafter extra-time.

Revie felt he did not have to strengthen his squad for the1965–66 campaign,and made no new signings.With Leeds in theInter-Cities Fairs Cuphe showed his gamesmanship, sending his team out against Italian clubTorinowearing unfamiliar numbers in an attempt to confuse the Italian club's tight man-marking system.However, Collins had his leg broken by Torino'sFabrizio Poletti,meaning Revie had to partner Giles and Bremner in central midfield and signHuddersfield TownwingerMichael O'Gradyfor £30,000.Although Collins would be missed, the partnership of Giles and Bremner would prove highly effective.Leeds again finished second in the league, trailing Liverpool by six points.They reached the semi-finals of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, losing on aggregate to Spanish sideReal Zaragozadespite Revie ordering the fire brigade to flood the pitch before the replay at Elland Road.

Leeds struggled at the start of the1966–67 season,though despite winning just three of their opening eleven games, they finished in fourth place.They reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, losing 1–0 toChelseaatVilla Park.They reachedthe finalof the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup againstYugoslaviansideDinamo Zagreb,but were unable to scout the opposition due to Syd Owen having his flight cancelled on him; Leeds lost 2–0 on aggregate and Revie was criticised for his negative tactics.

With his team coming close but failing to land a trophy, he brought in agypsyto lift acursehe believed had been placed on Elland Road so that there would be no bad luck for the1967–68 season.A more practical measure he took to increase United's fortunes was to nearly doublethe club's record transferto buySheffield Unitedcentre-forwardMick Jonesfor £100,000, who would replace the frequently injured Peacock as the main striker.Soon after the purchase, Leeds recorded a 7–0 victory over Chelsea, though ironically, Jones was not on the score sheet.Revie's first trophy would be theLeague Cup,as they eliminatedLuton Town,Bury,Sunderland,Stoke CityandDerby Countyto reachthe finalagainstArsenal;Terry Cooperscored the only goal of what was a dour and tense final as Revie told his players to "shut up shop" and defend their 1–0 lead.This success did not immediately translate into league and FA Cup success, however, as they finished in fourth place and were beaten in the FA Cup semi-finals by Everton.They instead reached a second successive Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final, beatingSpora(Luxembourg),Partizan(Yugoslavia),Hibernian(Scotland),Rangers(Scotland), andDundee(Scotland) to reachthe finalagainstHungarianclubFerencvárosi.Leeds won the first leg 1–0 and a month later defended their lead with a 0–0 draw inBudapest,by which timeJimmy Greenhoff,a substitute in the first leg, had been sold toBirmingham City.

Having found success in domestic and European cup competitions, Revie focused exclusively on the league for the1968–69 campaign.They went the rest of the season unbeaten in the league following a 5–1 defeat toBurnleyatTurf Mooron 19 October, and secured the title with a 0–0 draw with challengers Liverpool atAnfield;after the game Revie led his team back out onto the pitch to applaud the Liverpool supporters, who in turn applauded the Leeds team.His team set several records: most points (67), most wins (27), fewest defeats (2), and most home points (39); a still-unbrokenclub recordis their 34 match unbeaten run that extended into the following season.

Revie strengthened his front line by breaking theBritish transfer recordwith a £165,000 purchase ofAllan ClarkefromLeicester City,who would partner Mick Jones up front.This allowed him to sell O'Grady toWolverhampton Wanderersfor £80,000 and move Lorimer to a more attacking role.He targetedthe treblein1969–70and came close to achieving his aim only to fail on all three fronts in a congested close season, finishing second in the league to Everton, losing the1970 FA Cup finalto Chelsea (after a replay), and exiting theEuropean Cupwith a semi-final defeat toCelticin front of acompetition recordcrowd of 136,505 atHampden Park.

Rejecting a £100,000 four-year contract offer to manage Birmingham City, Revie elected to remain at Leeds and stick with the same squad for the1970–71 campaign.Leeds and Arsenal soon pulled away from the rest of the pack, though it would be the Gunners who would claim the league title, finishing one point ahead of Leeds after the latter lost toWest Bromwich Albionfollowing a controversial offside goal in front of theMatch of the Daytelevision cameras late in the season.United were embarrassed in the FA Cup, being knocked out byFourth DivisionsideColchester Unitedin a famous "giant-killing".Leeds again found success in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup though, beatingSarpsborg(Norway),Dynamo Dresden(East Germany),Sparta Prague(Czechoslovakia),Vitória(Portugal) and Liverpool to reach the final against Juventus.They drew 2–2 at theStadio Olimpico di Torinobefore claiming the trophy on away goals after a 1–1 draw at Elland Road.

The previous season's defeat to West Bromwich Albion led to Revie criticising refereeRay Tinkler.As punishment, Leeds were forced to play their first four home games of the1971–72 seasonat a neutral venue; they played at Huddersfield'sLeeds Roadand boasted four wins and two draws from the opening seven matches.Leeds played good football, particularly winning praise for their 7–0 and 6–1 wins overSouthamptonandNottingham Forestrespectively, but again could only finish as runners-up after a late collapse and final day defeat at Wolves, allowing Derby County to claim the title by a single point.Revie had attempted to strengthen his squad before the final run-in with a £177,000 bid forAsa Hartford,but the deal was cancelled by the medical team who spotted a heart defect in the attacker's medical records.United reached the1972 FA Cup finalafter beatingBristol Rovers,Liverpool,Cardiff City,Tottenham Hotspurand Birmingham City, and lifted the trophy after a 1–0 victory over Arsenal in the final.

The1973 FA Cup finalwhich Leeds surprisingly lost to Second DivisionSunderland.

Looking for a successor to Jack Charlton, early in the1972–73 season,he signedGordon McQueenfromSt Mirrenfor £30,000.He also spent £100,000 on defenderTrevor Cherryand £35,000 on centre-halfRoy Ellam,both from Huddersfield Town, and started playing young Scottish forwardJoe Jordanmore regularly.Leeds again came close to a Treble, but their league title campaign tailed off and they finished third, some seven points behind champions Liverpool.They did reach the1973 FA Cup finalto face Second Division Sunderland, but despite manager turned punditBrian Clough's remark that "there is no way Sunderland can beat Leeds", United lost 1–0.Leeds also reachedthe finalof theEuropean Cup Winners' Cupagainst Italian clubA.C. Milanat theKaftanzoglio Stadium,where they were beaten 1–0. The match saw a controversial refereeing performance fromChristos Michas,which eventually saw Norman Hunter get sent off after he reacted badly to being consistently fouled by pushingGianni Riverato the ground.In 2009,Yorkshire and the HumberMEPRichard Corbettunsuccessfully petitioned theEuropean Parliamentto reverse the result of the match over allegations that Michas accepted a bribe from the Italian side.

Revie was offered a five-year £100,000 contract (plus £50,000 signing-on fee) by Everton in the summer, but remained with Leeds after the move broke down due to a new law introduced inParliamentthat prevented wage rises to curbinflation.He chose to continue with largely the same line-up for the1973–74 season.He told his squad that the aim for the season would be to go unbeaten throughout the campaign.Though Leeds failed to achieve this as they lost three successive games in February/March, they did secure the title with a five-point lead over Liverpool.Completely focused on the league, and finally accepting that he was asking too much of his players to try and win every competition he played weakened teams to allow an early exit from theUEFA Cup.He chose to take the job ofEngland national football team managerahead of leading a European Cup challenge at Leeds and breaking up the ageing team he had stuck with for many years, and though he was well loved at the club he was not popular with the Leeds boardroom members, who appointed Brian Clough, a fierce critic of Revie as his successor.Despite lasting just 44 days in the job, Clough spent more in transfer fees than Revie had in his 13 years at the club.

England

In July 1974, Revie accepted the offer of theEnglandmanager's job, succeedingAlf Ramseyand caretaker-managerJoe Mercer.The Football Association,particularlyTed Croker,were impressed with Revie's personality and ideas.He was a popular appointment with the press and supporters; noted journalistBrian Glanvillewrote that "Revie was the obvious choice".Revie attempted to build a relationship with the media, and also invited 81 prospective and established England players to a meeting inManchesterto make everyone feel included, where he announced that he would establish extra pay for international players as well as bonus payments for wins and draws.He held a meeting withAlan Hardaker,chairman of theFootball League,but Hardaker had long resented Revie and was very reluctant to accept his proposal to rearrange league fixtures to benefit the England team.He also had difficult relationships with figures within the FA, most notoriously with chairmanSir Harold Thompson,who allegedly attempted to influence Revie's team selections and undermine him publicly.As well as this he found difficulty in his attempts to introduce the Leeds traditions into the England camp, such ascarpet bowlsandbingo,which were met with resentment and disdain by some England internationals.Colin Toddstated that Revie was ill-suited to the England job, with his strengths lying in the day-to-day contact found only in club management rather than the politics and committee meetings of international management.

ForUEFA Euro 1976,England were drawn in a toughqualification groupincludingCzechoslovakia,PortugalandCyprus,with only the winner progressing to the finals. England began the campaign well with a 3–0 victory over Czechoslovakia at Wembley,Mick ChannonandColin Bellscoring the goals.However, a 0–0 home draw with Portugal was a minor setback, despiteMalcolm Macdonaldscoring all the goals in a 5–0 win over Cyprus following a morale-boosting 2–0 friendly win over1974 FIFA World CupchampionsWest Germany.Kevin Keeganscored the only goal of the game at theTsirion Stadiumto secure maximum points in Cyprus and leave England in a strong position going into the two tough final group games in Czechoslovakia and Portugal.Though only drawing withWalesandNorthern Ireland,a 5–1 victory overScotlandsecured England the1974–75 British Home Championshiptitle and left England in confident mood for the crucial qualifying games.However, despite Channon opening the scoring, they fell to a 2–1 defeat to the Czechoslovakians inBratislavaafter playing with what was for Revie uncharacteristic attacking tactics.A 1–1 draw inLisbonthen allowed Czechoslovakia to clinch the group with a win over Cyprus. Czechoslovakia then went on to win the whole tournament.Revie was criticised for his constant changing of players during the qualifying group, particularly his decision to drop captainsEmlyn HughesandAlan Ballfrom his squad entirely, his mistrust of flair players likeCharlie GeorgeandAlan Hudson,and his willingness to play players out of position.

With England unseeded, Revie was handed opponents forqualifyingfor the1978 World CupofItaly,FinlandandLuxembourg.Only the winner would progress to the finals. Just before the campaign began, England suffered a 2–1 defeat to Scotland to finish second in the1975–76 British Home Championship.England made heavy work of both Finland and Luxembourg, winning 4–1 away and 2–1 at home against the Finns and 5–0 at home and 2–0 away against the Luxembourgers.The failure to inflict heavier defeats on these sides was ultimately the reason why Italy qualified for the finals on goal difference alone. England fell to a 2–0 defeat inRome,where Revie was criticised for his previously untested back four selection of Emlyn Hughes,Dave Clement,Roy McFarland,andMick Mills;he also playedTrevor Brookingout of position and surprised many by selectingStan Bowlesahead ofStuart Pearson.Sensing that he was disliked by FA chairman Sir Harold Thompson, and with further criticism coming his way after England could only finish third in the1976–77 British Home Championship,Revie began to look for a way out.He missed a friendly withBrazilinRio de Janeirofor what he claimed was a scouting assignment on the Italians, when in fact he had travelled toDubaifor contract negotiations with theUnited Arab Emirates.Revie asked for his contract with England to be cancelled but the FA refused although they offered Revie their full support despite having already approachedBobby Robsonto replace him.The game with Brazil ended in a 0–0 draw, and their tour ofSouth Americaconcluded with draws withArgentinaandUruguay.On 12 July 1977, Revie revealed in an exclusive to theDaily Mailthat he was quitting the England job to become manager of the UAE.The FA suspended Revie from football for ten years on a charge of bringing the game into disrepute; Revie contested his suspension in a lawsuit against the FA, and the court overturned the suspension after ruling that the FA had overreached its powers.

"I sat down with my wife, Elsie, one night and we agreed that the England job was no longer worth the aggravation. It was bringing too much heartache to those nearest to us. Nearly everyone in the country wants me out. So, I am giving them what they want. I know people will accuse me of running away, and it does sicken me that I cannot finish the job by taking England to the World Cup finals in Argentina next year, but the situation has become impossible."

— Revie's revelation to theDaily Mailunder the headline "Revie Quits Over Aggro".

When Revie departed, England were three points behind Italy in the qualification group, with two matches remaining, including an encounter with the Italians at Wembley. Revie's replacementRon Greenwoodled the national team to victory in both remaining matches. England thus finished level with the Italians on points but behind them on goal difference. Since only the winner of the group qualified for the finals, England missed their second consecutive World Cup tournament.

Middle East

His contract at theUnited Arab Emiratesensured him a £340,000 four-year contract, though caused irreparable damage to his reputation in England.Selling the story to theDaily Mailalso earned him £20,000, but only furthered the criticism that he was a "mercenary".UAE finished sixth in the seven team5th Arabian Gulf CupinIraq,but it was his work in helping to improve the footballing facilities in the country in the long-term that were more important, helping the UAE qualify for the1990 FIFA World Cup.He left the UAE coaching role in May 1980 as the UAE searched for anArabicspeaking manager.He returned to club management withAl-Nasrof theUAE Arabian Gulf League,but was sacked in 1984 with the club sitting third in the league.The next year he had a brief stint withEgyptian Premier LeagueclubAl-AhlyofCairo,but did not settle inEgyptand returned home to England.He was approached to replaceAlan MulleryasQueens Park Rangersmanager by chairmanJim Gregory,but the deal was not completed and Revie never worked in football again.

Personal life

Revie married Elsie, the niece ofLeicester City's Scottish managerJohnny Duncan,on 17 October 1949. They had a son and a daughter. Elsie died of cancer on 28 March 2005 at the age of 77.

He published an autobiography,Soccer's Happy Wanderer,in 1955. He was appointed anOBEfor his services to football.In April 1974, shortly before departing from Leeds for the England job, Revie was a special guest on the TV guest showThis Is Your Life.Revie was an activefreemasonattending Leodiensis Lodge No. 4029 from 1965 until his death.

Illness and death

After living in Surrey for two years, Revie moved toKinross,Scotland, in 1986, where he intended to spend his retirement. He was diagnosed withmotor neurone diseasein May 1987.He publicly announced his illness in August of that year and made his final public appearance on 11 May 1988 atElland Roadin a wheelchair, at a charity football match held to raise money for research into the disease.He died inMurrayfieldHospital inEdinburghon 26 May 1989, aged 61,and was cremated four days later atWarriston Crematoriumin Edinburgh.Though his funeral was well attended by representatives of Leeds United and many others involved in football such asKevin Keegan,Brian Moore,Lawrie McMenemy,Denis LawandAlex Ferguson,The Football Associationdid not send any representatives.

Legacy

Statue of Don Revie outside Elland Road

The family atmosphere Revie instilled atElland Roadensured that manyLeeds Unitedplayers remained friends and fiercely loyal to Revie long after their playing days had ended; his players also generally avoided financial, addiction or family problems, enjoying largely stable lives even after retirement.In May 2012, a statue of Revie was unveiled outside Elland Road.The North Stand of Elland Road is formally known as the Revie Stand.

In a survey of leading football writers, historians and academics byTotal Sportmagazine, Revie's Leeds United was voted one of the 50 greatest football teams of all time.James Corbett of the Guardian wrote that Revie "had been the most innovative manager of his generation" and "not untilAr sắc ne Wengerwould a manager exert such a profound influence on his club - and the English game as a whole ".

Criticism

"Dirty Leeds"

The combative nature of his teams earned United the moniker of "dirty Leeds", as key playerEddie Grayadmitted that "it was brutal stuff and, definitely win-at-all-costs".Alan Peacocksaid that one of the attractions for joining Leeds was that he would not have to play against them and "then they won't be kicking me".In 1963 Leeds were labelled bythe Football Association's ownFA Newsas "the dirtiest [team] inthe Football League".On more than one occasion referees had to order Leeds players off the pitch for a break mid-match to break up mass brawls.His teams were notorious for dour play and playing to defend 1–0 leads, though he allowed a more attacking style later in his career.Nevertheless, the unpopularity and poor reputation stuck with Leeds throughout Revie's time as manager and afterwards.George Bestsaid that he "hated playing against them" and that the only time he needed to wear shinpads was when he was playing against Leeds.

One of Revie's most notable critics wasBrian Clough,who initially gave some degree of praise to Leeds following the 1969–70 season, commenting that "they have made the season".However, Clough's attitude soon changed as the competition between their clubs intensified and for subsequent seasons, he would use his newspaper columns to attack Revie and Leeds, particularly in August 1973 in which he branded the Leeds players "cheats" and called for the club to be relegated to the Second Division on disciplinary grounds, though Clough would surprisingly succeed Revie as Leeds manager in an ill-fated tenure that lasted only 44 days. In 2009, Revie was portrayed byColm Meaneyin the filmThe Damned United,which focused on Clough's reign as manager of Leeds United.

"When people talk about Leeds being dirty, they forget that was the culture back then. You had to look after yourself. There were so many players around who would now be suspended all season long. We just made sure nobody ever managed to bully us."

— Johnny Gilesdefending Leeds' approach to games.

Allegations of financial misconduct

Revie's reputation suffered in the late 1970s after his highly controversial England resignation.Both theDaily MirrorandThe Sunday Peopleclaimed that Revie had attempted to bribeWolverhampton Wanderersplayers to lose a crucial match in May 1972. The papers quoted Wolves midfielderDanny Heganand former Leeds United goalkeeperGary Sprake's claims that Revie's captainBilly Bremnerhad tried to arrange a bribe. Bremner sued for libel and won £100,000 libel damages and legal costs after both Hegan and Sprake refused to repeat their allegations under oath in court. Wolves playerDerek Dougan,who had scored against Leeds in the match, testified that he had heard no mention of the alleged bribes.Neither the police nor FA investigations found any evidence of wrongdoing.

Additionally,Bob Stokoewould later claim that while managingBuryon Good Friday 1962, Revie had offered him a bribe of £500 to "go easy" on his Leeds side who were at the time struggling against relegation to theThird Divisionand that he had become enraged when Revie responded to his refusal to accept the bribe by asking "in that case, may I speak to your players?".Alan Ballalso alleged that Revie made an illegal approach for him, and despite pocketing the £300 bribe, he signed forEvertoninstead of Leeds; both men were charged with bringing the game into disrepute.The allegations of corruption earned him the nickname of "Don Readies".ThoughMr Justice Cantleylifted the FA's ten-year ban on Revie, during his conclusion of the case the judge said that Revie "lacked candour", was "greedy" and "prickly", focused on "imagined wrongs" and his resignation as England manager showed a "sensational, outrageous example of disloyalty, breach of trust, discourtesy and selfishness".

Career statistics

Club

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Leicester City	1946–47	Second Division	32	7	6	0	—		38	7
	1947–48	Second Division	15	2	0	0	—		15	2
	1948–49	Second Division	36	16	8	4	—		44	20
	1949–50	Second Division	13	0	0	0	—		13	0
	Total		96	25	14	4	—		110	29
Hull City	1949–50	Second Division	22	0	3	1	—		25	1
	1950–51	Second Division	41	8	3	0	—		44	8
	1951–52	Second Division	13	4	0	0	—		13	4
	Total		76	12	6	1	—		82	13
Manchester City	1951–52	First Division	26	5	2	1	—		28	6
	1952–53	First Division	32	6	3	0	—		35	6
	1953–54	First Division	37	12	2	1	—		39	13
	1954–55	First Division	32	8	6	2	—		38	10
	1955–56	First Division	21	4	2	0	—		23	4
	Total		148	35	15	4	—		163	39
Sunderland	1956–57	First Division	16	2	0	0	—		16	2
	1957–58	First Division	39	12	2	0	—		41	12
	1958–59	Second Division	9	1	0	0	—		9	1
	Total		64	15	2	0	—		66	15
Leeds United	1958–59	First Division	20	2	1	0	—		21	2
	1959–60	First Division	35	7	0	0	—		35	7
	1960–61	Second Division	14	1	0	0	3	1	17	2
	1961–62	Second Division	7	1	0	0	0	0	7	1
	Total		76	11	1	0	3	1	80	12
Career total			460	98	38	9	3	1	501	108

International

Source:

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
England
	1954	1	1
	1955	4	3
	1956	1	0
Total		6	4

Scores and results list England's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Revie goal.

List of international goals scored by Don Revie

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	2 October 1954	Windsor Park,Belfast,Northern Ireland	Northern Ireland	2–0	2–0	British Home Championship
2	2 April 1955	Wembley Stadium,London,England	Scotland	3–1	7–2
3	2 October 1955	Idrætsparken,Copenhagen,Denmark	Denmark	1–0	5–1	Friendly
4				4–0

Managerial statistics

Team	From	To	Record
G	W	D	L	Win %
Leeds United	March 1961	July 1974	741	395	197	149	053.31
England	July 1974	11 July 1977	29	14	8	7	048.28
UAE	August 1977	9 February 1980	15	2	7	6	013.33
Total			785	411	212	162	052.36

Honours

Don Revie statue outsideElland Road.

Player

Manchester City

• FA Cup:1955–56;runner-up:1954–55

England

• British Home Championship:1954–55,1955–56(shared),1956–57

Manager

Leeds United

• Football League First Division:1968–69,1973–74
• FA Cup:1971–72
• Football League Cup:1967–68
• FA Charity Shield:1969
• Football League Second Division:1963–64
• Inter-Cities Fairs Cup:1967–68,1970–71

England

• British Home Championship:1974–75

Individual

• FWA Footballer of the Year:1954–55
• Officer of the Order of the British Empire:1969

See also

• List of longest managerial reigns in association football

References

Further reading

• Revie, Don (1955).Soccer's Happy Wanderer.Museum Press.
• Bagchi, Rob; Rogerson, Paul (2003).The Unforgiven: The Story of Don Revie's Leeds United.Aurum Press.
• Brown, Geoff; Hogsbjerg, Christian (2020).Apartheid is not a Game: Remembering the Stop the Seventy Tour campaign.Redwords.ISBN9781912926589.
• Hermiston, Roger (2011).Clough and Revie – The Rivals Who Changed the Face of English Football.Mainstream Publishing.
• Mourant, Andrew (2003).Don Revie: Portrait of a Footballing Enigma.Mainstream Publishing.
• Sutcliffe, Richard (2010).Revie – Revered and Reviled.Great Northern.ISBN978-1905080-78-6.
• Hart, Simon (2 January 2011)."In defence of Don Revie; a damn good manager".The independent.Retrieved14 August2019.
• Corbett, James (25 November 2007)."The king of the damned".The Guardian.Retrieved14 August2019.

External links

• Don Revie player profileat EU-Football.info
• Don Revie manager profileat EU-Football.info
• Don Revie management career statisticsatSoccerbase