The course of Leeds United’s history was changed on this day in 1988 as the club made one of the most significant managerial appointments in its history.
After the golden age under Don Revie, the story of the 1980s for Leeds United is one of underachievement as the club struggled to live up to its past glories.
Daniel Farke and his Leeds side regularly play in front of packed crowds at Elland Road, and the size of the season ticket waiting list means that the Leeds board are planning to expand the stadium.
However, for much of the 1980s, the Whites played in front of sparsely populated stands as the club languished in the second tier, after being relegated in the 1981/82 season under club legend Allan Clarke.
Both Eddie Gray and Billy Bremner tried and failed to get Leeds back into the top flight before the club looked away from the players who achieved so much success under Revie.
Enter Howard Wilkinson, who left Sheffield Wednesday to join Leeds on the 10th October 1988 and changed the course of the club’s history in the process.
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Howard Wilkinson joined Leeds United on this day in 1988
Howard Wilkinson, known affectionately as Sergeant Wilko by the fans, had achieved success with Leeds’ Yorkshire rivals, Sheffield Wednesday, guiding them to promotion in the 1983/84 season.
However, despite steering Wednesday to a best finish of fifth in the First Division, Wilkinson was trapped in what he described as a “Catch 22” of low attendances and a lack of money to buy new players, which led him to believe he had taken the club as far as he could.
Leeds offered an intriguing escape route. Although it would involve taking a step down to the second tier, speaking in the Daily Telegraph at the time, Bill Fotherby stated his belief that Wilkinson could get Leeds “competing with the Liverpools and Manchester Uniteds” of the First Division, which was not possible in South Yorkshire.
The chance to transform Leeds back into a team capable of competing for honours was enough to convince Wilkinson, as he laid out his ambitions immediately, explaining: “My aim, of course, is to take Leeds back to the First Division but to do so by winning games as honestly and positively as we can.”
Wilkinson added the likes of Gordon Strachan, Mel Sterland, Lee Chapman and Chris Fairclough to his squad, and Leeds won promotion in the 1989/90 season.
He then revamped the Leeds squad further, adding the likes of Gary McAllister, Tony Dorigo and Eric Cantona to his team, as he steered the Whites to the First Division title two seasons later in 1992.
A succession of Leeds managers have tried and failed to win promotion from the second tier with Leeds. By lifting the league title at Elland Road, Wilkinson is in an exclusive club of two, alongside Revie.
David Batty joins fundraising efforts for lasting Wilkinson tribute
Leeds United fans are currently fundraising for a permanent tribute to Wilkinson, to commemorate the legacy of the title-winning manager.
The WILKO92 campaign is a supporter-led campaign to erect a life-size statue of the former Leeds manager, who revolutionised the club after arriving from Hillsborough.
According to an article in the Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds legend David Batty has now joined the effort, donating a limited run of signed prints to be sold as part of the campaign.
Batty was part of the midfield that won the title under Wilkinson in the 1991/92 season and remains a firm favourite at Elland Road.
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