Biography of Leeds: The Story of the Whites

A warmly written, readable and intelligent history of this famous football club... published just as United have been promoted back to the Premier League. In The Biography of Leeds United, Telegraph journalist and lifelong fan, Rob Bagchi, chronicles a history that will educate, entertain and inform both old and new supporters. Packed with fresh stories about (and from) former players, managers and money men, the book is an affectionate, comprehensive and blackly humorous portrait of a club like no other. Leeds United were founded in 1919 to revive professional football in Yorkshire's biggest city following the expulsion of their fragile and bungling predecessors, Leeds City. Over a century on from their formation, a club that makes a virtue out of its many ups and downs in its own anthem, has endured a turbulent existence of extraordinary, often mercurial, success tempered by crushing disappointment and conflict. This book is a roar of defiance against the recent period of mediocrity served up prior to the past few seasons of revival and, as well as providing vivid recollections of their greatest days, the three league championships, FA Cup, League Cup and floodlit memories of nights of European glory, it offers a broad sweep of the club's often neglected early history. The Biography of Leeds United includes the voices and thoughts of Johnny Giles, Eddie Gray, Scott Sellars, Gordon Strachan, David O'Leary and Gary Kelly and uses them to look deep into the soul of the club and at the spirit that resides with in it. A passionate manifesto that captures the essence of a club that has for the past five decades been in it's own story of great adventures, fleeting splendour, relegation and defiant, hard battles against authority, owners and self-sabotage, this rousing and comprehensive book is written for the supporters and echoes their passionate cry - We Are Leeds! When United mark their centenary in October 2019, vivid recollections of their greatest days, the three league championships, FA Cup, League Cup, and floodlit memories of nights of European glory will be celebrated throughout the vast fanbase, local and international, such triumphs promoted. Elland Road icons John Charles, Billy Bremner, Jack Charlton, Peter Lorimer, Norman Hunter, Eddie Gray, Tony Currie, John Sheridan, Gordan Strachan, David Batty, Eric Cantona, Gary Speed, and Lucas Radebe played for teams that were both revered and reviled, contributing to the club's fame throughout the world. Don Revie's team of the 60s and 70s, that immortal line-up that rolls off the tongue of generations of football fans, propelled the club and city to unprecedented heights. But when they reached the top, they failed to plan and there was nowhere to go but down. The theme of the past five decades has been the struggle to get back, a story of great adventures, fleeting splendour, relegation, and defiant, hard battles against authority, owners, and self-sabotage. So, here we go with Leeds United, a club adorned by hall of fame managers from Major Frank Buckley to Don Revie, Brian Clough, Jock Stein, George Graham, and Marcelo Bielsa, is also an institution that has perennially toiled to pay its own way and in recent years has suffered as a vehicle for the greater good of Peter Ridsdale, Kenneth Bates, Massimo Cellino and others. Yet it survives and now thrives because of the millions of people who love it. In The Biography of Leeds United, Telegraph journalist and lifelong fan Rob Bagchi writes the story of this famous club and chronicles a century of history that will educate, entertain and inform both old and new supporters. Packed with fresh stories about and from former players, managers, and the money men, as well as the fans, this book is an affectionate and insightful portrait of a football club like no other, 'Super Leeds'.