 Revie(left) withBilly Bremner after winning the1972 FA Cup final | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Donald George Revie[1] | ||
| 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)[2] | ||
| 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 | |||
Donald George RevieOBE (10 July 1927 – 26 May 1989) was an Englishfootballer and manager. He is best known for managingLeeds United from 1961 until 1974, winning theFootball League First Division twice and theFA Cup once, before being theEngland national football team manager for three years.
Aforward, he began his career withLeicester City in August 1944, before a £19,000 move toHull City in November 1949. He was sold on toManchester City in 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 Year in 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 the1955 final. He was bought bySunderland for £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 sixEngland appearances, as well as winning representative honours forthe Football League XI and theEngland B team.
In March 1961, Revie was appointed player-manager of Leeds United, then aSecond Division club 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 Cup in1968, theFA Charity Shield in1969, and theInter-Cities Fairs Cup in1968 and1971. 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-Nasr andAl-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 disease in 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 Road and a statue outside the ground.
Revie was born inMiddlesbrough,North Riding of Yorkshire, on Sunday, 10 July 1927.[3] His father, also named Donald, was a joiner who found himself frequently out of work during theGreat Depression.[3] His mother, a washerwoman, died ofcancer on 27 November 1939, aged 50.[4][5] He played youth football for Newport Boys' Club and then Middlesbrough Swifts, who were coached by influential manager Bill Sanderson.[6] 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.[7]
He signed as a professional footballer forLeicester City in August 1944, choosing them ahead of local clubMiddlesbrough primarily due to the close links between Middlesbrough Swifts and Leicester City; he also worked as an apprentice bricklayer.[8] 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.[9] 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."[10] He played in the wartime league before making his debut inthe Football League on the opening day of the1946–47 season, a 3–0 defeat toManchester City, who would go on to win theSecond Division that season.[11] He showed good form atFilbert Street before 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.[11]
ManagerJohnny Duncan identified Revie as the player to build his team around for the1947–48 and1948–49 seasons, and though theFoxes fared poorly in the league they managed to reach the1949 FA Cup final.[12] Revie scored the opening goal of the semi-final victory overFirst Division championsPortsmouth, having been told pre-match that opposition goalkeeperErnest Butler tended to palm the ball over the attacker's head before reclaiming possession Revie positioned himself to take advantage of the situation when teammateJack Lee challenged Butler for the ball, leaving Revie with a simple conversion.[13] However Revie suffered a nasalhaemorrhage caused 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.[14] He could only listen on the radio as Leicester lost 3–1 toWolverhampton Wanderers in the final.[13] Revie left Leicester after Duncan left the club, having already been dissatisfied with the club's lack of progress in the league.[15]
In November 1949, he joinedSecond Division clubHull City for a transfer fee of £19,000.[15] He chose to join theTigers ahead of bigger clubs likeArsenal andManchester 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.[16] Carter did improve Revie's game but was not a success as Hull manager, as City finished mid-table in the1949–50 and1950–51 seasons, before becoming involved in a relegation battle in the1951–52 season.[16] TeammateAndy Davidson later said Revie failed to fulfil his potential atBoothferry Park as 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.[17] As at Leicester, Revie felt the time had come for him to move on and handed in a transfer request once Carter departed.[17]
Revie was sold toFirst Division sideManchester City for £25,000 (including a part-exchange forErnie Phillips, valued at £12,000) in October 1951.[17] TheCitizens struggled in the1951–52 season and then went on to finish just one place above the relegation zone in the1952–53 campaign.[18] Revie was often isolated from the rest of the team due to his lack of pace.[19] The sale ofIvor Broadis then allowed Revie to drop deeper down the field and allowed managerLes McDowall to 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.[20] His role derived from the more traditionalinside right position 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 Wanderer written in 1955.[21]
Revie had improved his goal tally to 13 in the1953–54 season, but only once the Revie Plan was implemented in the1954–55 campaign were Manchester City able to fully make use of his abilities.[22] The new tactic opened with a 5–0 defeat toPreston North End, but thenKen Barnes replacedJohn McTavish at inside-forward and the team clicked.[23] 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.[24] City's league title campaign fell away, but they went on to reach the1955 FA Cup final atWembley, where they were beaten 3–1 byNewcastle United; a first-half injury toJimmy Meadows left City down to ten men and unable to compete effectively.[25] At the end of the season, Revie was named asFWA Footballer of the Year.[25]
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 Barnett and had promised to train whilst on holiday.[26] McDowall dropped Revie for much of the1955–56 season, preferring instead to playBobby Johnstone.[26] Revie played only oneFA Cup match that season before being named in the team for the1956 FA Cup final againstBirmingham City, with Johnstone being moved to the wings.[27] 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.[28] 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.[29]
In October 1956,Sunderland managerBill Murray bought Revie for a £22,000 fee.[30] Poor results left theBlack Cats facing 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.[31] A financial scandal over illegal payments to players resulted in harsh sanctions atRoker Park fromThe Football Association and forced Murray's resignation.[32] His replacement,Alan Brown, preferred a more physical style of play that did not suit Revie.[33] Sunderland suffered relegation from theFirst Division for the first time in the club's history in the1957–58 season, and Revie was dropped for the1958–59Second Division campaign in favour of a youth policy.[34] 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 Clough and goalkeeperPeter Taylor.[35]
Revie returned to theFirst Division when he joinedLeeds United in November 1958 for a £14,000 fee.[36] ManagerBill Lambton had hoped that Revie's creativity would help thePeacocks to turn their poor form around and appointed him as captain.[37] Leeds avoided relegation in the1958–59 season, but new managerJack Taylor took Leeds down in the1959–60 campaign with the division's worst defensive record.[38] Revie recognised his playing days were coming to an end and relinquished the captaincy toFreddie Goodwin.[39]
In October 1953, he was called up toThe Football League XI to face theLeague of Ireland XI atMaine Road, and scored a hat-trick in a 9–1 victory.[40] He went on to play for theEngland B team in March 1954.[40] He scored on hisEngland debut on 2 October 1954, in a 2–0British Home Championship victory overNorthern Ireland atWindsor Park.[25] He also scored during his second appearance on 2 April 1955, a 7–2 victory overScotland atWembley Stadium.[25] He made three further appearances that year, playing in defeats toFrance at theStade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir andWales atNinian Park, and scoring twice in a 5–1 win overDenmark atIdrætsparken.[41] His sixth and final cap came in a 1–1 draw with Northern Ireland on 6 October 1956.[41]
He was one of many signatories in a letter toThe Times on 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".[42]
Revie was madeplayer-manager atLeeds United in March 1961 following the resignation ofJack Taylor, who left after Leeds found themselves struggling in theSecond Division.[39] 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.[39] At the time the club was in debt and was located in arugby league territory, with very little football tradition.[43] Fewer than 7,000 turned out for the final home game of the1960–61 season, whileLeeds Rhinos' championship game of the1960–61 Rugby League season had an attendance of over 50,000.[44] 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.[45] 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.[46] 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.[47] 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 theowl on the club badge and the discontinuation of the "Peacocks" nickname in favour of the "Whites".[48]
Leeds struggled in the1961–62 season, as aside fromBilly Bremner andJack Charlton, his playing squad was filled with journeymen pros; he did though inherit a good coaching staff that includedLes Cocker,Maurice Lindley andSyd Owen who would all spend many years with Revie at Leeds.[49] He developed a youth policy at the club, notable graduates of which would beEddie Gray,Norman Hunter,Peter Lorimer andPaul Reaney.[50] 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.[51] Revie played his last game in March 1962 before concentrating entirely on management.[52]
After new investment at board level, Revie was able to spend £25,000 onEverton'sScotland internationalBobby Collins, who he installed as captain.[53] Other arrivals included formerManchester City teammateBilly McAdams, forwardIan Lawson and left-backCliff Mason.[53] He spent £53,000 to bringJohn Charles back fromJuventus. Though he proved not to be as effective as during his first spell at Leeds, Revie was able to sell him on toRoma for a £17,000 profit within just a few months.[54] Leeds pushed for promotion in1962–63, but theharsh winter caused 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.[55]
United secured promotion as champions of theSecond Division in the1963–64 season, helped by the late signing of strikerAlan Peacock fromMiddlesbrough for £53,000.[56] 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.[55] Leeds adapted well to theFirst Division early in the1964–65 campaign but caused controversy in Collins's return toGoodison Park as the game against Everton descended into a brawl. The referee ordered the players off the field after 35 minutes to prevent further violence.[57] Leeds went on to maintain a strong title challenge, finishing second torivalsManchester United on goal average after failing to beatBirmingham City on the last day of the season.[58] They also reachedthe final of theFA Cup, losing 2–1 toLiverpool atWembley after extra-time.[58]
Revie felt he did not have to strengthen his squad for the1965–66 campaign, and made no new signings.[59] With Leeds in theInter-Cities Fairs Cup he showed his gamesmanship, sending his team out against Italian clubTorino wearing unfamiliar numbers in an attempt to confuse the Italian club's tight man-marking system.[60] However, Collins had his leg broken by Torino'sFabrizio Poletti, meaning Revie had to partner Giles and Bremner in central midfield and signHuddersfield Town wingerMichael O'Grady for £30,000.[60] Although Collins would be missed, the partnership of Giles and Bremner would prove highly effective.[61] Leeds again finished second in the league, trailing Liverpool by six points.[62] They reached the semi-finals of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, losing on aggregate to Spanish sideReal Zaragoza despite Revie ordering the fire brigade to flood the pitch before the replay at Elland Road.[63]
Leeds struggled at the start of the1966–67 season, though despite winning just three of their opening eleven games, they finished in fourth place.[64] They reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, losing 1–0 toChelsea atVilla Park.[65] They reachedthe final of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup againstYugoslavian sideDinamo 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.[66]
With his team coming close but failing to land a trophy, he brought in agypsy to lift acurse he believed had been placed on Elland Road so that there would be no bad luck for the1967–68 season.[67] A more practical measure he took to increase United's fortunes was to nearly doublethe club's record transfer to buySheffield United centre-forwardMick Jones for £100,000, who would replace the frequently injured Peacock as the main striker.[68] Soon after the purchase, Leeds recorded a 7–0 victory over Chelsea, though ironically, Jones was not on the score sheet.[68] Revie's first trophy would be theLeague Cup, as they eliminatedLuton Town,Bury,Sunderland,Stoke City andDerby County to reachthe final againstArsenal;Terry Cooper scored 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.[69] 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.[70] They instead reached a second successive Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final, beatingSpora (Luxembourg),Partizan (Yugoslavia),Hibernian (Scotland),Rangers (Scotland), andDundee (Scotland) to reachthe final againstHungarian clubFerencvárosi. 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.[71]
Having found success in domestic and European cup competitions, Revie focused exclusively on the league for the1968–69 campaign.[72] They went the rest of the season unbeaten in the league following a 5–1 defeat toBurnley atTurf Moor on 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.[73] His team set several records: most points (67), most wins (27), fewest defeats (2), and most home points (39); a still-unbrokenclub record is their 34 match unbeaten run that extended into the following season.[73]
Revie strengthened his front line by breaking theBritish transfer record with a £165,000 purchase ofAllan Clarke fromLeicester City, who would partner Mick Jones up front.[74] This allowed him to sell O'Grady toWolverhampton Wanderers for £80,000 and move Lorimer to a more attacking role.[75] He targetedthe treble in1969–70 and 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 final to Chelsea (after a replay), and exiting theEuropean Cup with a semi-final defeat toCeltic in front of acompetition record crowd of 136,505 atHampden Park.[76]
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.[77] 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 Albion following a controversial offside goal in front of theMatch of the Day television cameras late in the season.[78] United were embarrassed in the FA Cup, being knocked out byFourth Division sideColchester United in a famous "giant-killing".[79] 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.[80] They drew 2–2 at theStadio Olimpico di Torino before claiming the trophy on away goals after a 1–1 draw at Elland Road.[80]
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 season at a neutral venue; they played at Huddersfield'sLeeds Road and boasted four wins and two draws from the opening seven matches.[81] Leeds played good football, particularly winning praise for their 7–0 and 6–1 wins overSouthampton andNottingham Forest respectively, 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.[82] 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.[83] United reached the1972 FA Cup final after beatingBristol Rovers, Liverpool,Cardiff City,Tottenham Hotspur and Birmingham City, and lifted the trophy after a 1–0 victory over Arsenal in the final.[84]
Looking for a successor to Jack Charlton, early in the1972–73 season, he signedGordon McQueen fromSt Mirren for £30,000.[85] He also spent £100,000 on defenderTrevor Cherry and £35,000 on centre-halfRoy Ellam, both from Huddersfield Town, and started playing young Scottish forwardJoe Jordan more regularly.[86] Leeds again came close to a Treble, but their league title campaign tailed off and they finished third, some seven points behind champions Liverpool.[87] They did reach the1973 FA Cup final to 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.[88] Leeds also reachedthe final of theEuropean Cup Winners' Cup against Italian clubA.C. Milan at 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 Rivera to the ground.[89] In 2009,Yorkshire and the HumberMEPRichard Corbett unsuccessfully petitioned theEuropean Parliament to reverse the result of the match over allegations that Michas accepted a bribe from the Italian side.[90]
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 inParliament that prevented wage rises to curbinflation.[91] He chose to continue with largely the same line-up for the1973–74 season.[92] He told his squad that the aim for the season would be to go unbeaten throughout the campaign.[93] 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.[94] 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.[95] He chose to take the job ofEngland national football team manager ahead of leading a European Cup challenge at Leeds and breaking up the aging 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 appointedBrian Clough, a fierce critic of Revie, as his successor.[96] Despite lasting just 44 days in the job, Clough spent more in transfer fees than Revie had in his 13 years at the club.[97]
In July 1974, Revie accepted the offer of theEngland manager's job, succeedingAlf Ramsey and caretaker-managerJoe Mercer.[98]The Football Association, particularlyTed Croker, were impressed with Revie's personality and ideas.[99] He was a popular appointment with the press and supporters; noted journalistBrian Glanville wrote that "Revie was the obvious choice".[100] Revie attempted to build a relationship with the media, and also invited 81 prospective and established England players to a meeting inManchester to 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.[101] 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.[102] 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.[103] As well as this he found difficulty in his attempts to introduce the Leeds traditions into the England camp, such ascarpet bowls andbingo, which were met with resentment and disdain by some England internationals.[104][105]Colin Todd stated 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.[106]
ForUEFA Euro 1976, England were drawn in a toughqualification group includingCzechoslovakia,Portugal andCyprus, with only the winner progressing to the finals. England began the campaign well with a 3–0 victory over Czechoslovakia at Wembley,Mick Channon andColin Bell scoring the goals.[102] However, a 0–0 home draw with Portugal was a minor setback, despiteMalcolm Macdonald scoring all the goals in a 5–0 win over Cyprus following a morale-boosting 2–0 friendly win over1974 FIFA World Cup championsWest Germany.[107]Kevin Keegan scored the only goal of the game at theTsirion Stadium to secure maximum points in Cyprus and leave England in a strong position going into the two tough final group games in Czechoslovakia and Portugal.[108] Though only drawing withWales andNorthern Ireland, a 5–1 victory overScotland secured England the1974–75 British Home Championship title and left England in confident mood for the crucial qualifying games.[109] However, despite Channon opening the scoring, they fell to a 2–1 defeat to the Czechoslovakians inBratislava after playing with what was for Revie uncharacteristic attacking tactics.[110] A 1–1 draw inLisbon then allowed Czechoslovakia to clinch the group with a win over Cyprus. Czechoslovakia then went on to win the whole tournament.[111] Revie was criticised for his constant changing of players during the qualifying group, particularly his decision to drop captainsEmlyn Hughes andAlan Ball from his squad entirely, his mistrust of flair players likeCharlie George andAlan Hudson, and his willingness to play players out of position.[112]
With England unseeded, Revie was handed opponents forqualifying for the1978 World Cup ofItaly,Finland andLuxembourg. 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.[113] 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.[114] 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 Brooking out of position and surprised many by selectingStan Bowles ahead ofStuart Pearson.[115] 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.[116] He missed a friendly withBrazil inRio de Janeiro for what he claimed was a scouting assignment on the Italians, when in fact he had travelled toDubai for contract negotiations with theUnited Arab Emirates.[117] 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 Robson to replace him.[117] The game with Brazil ended in a 0–0 draw, and their tour ofSouth America concluded with draws withArgentina andUruguay.[118] On 12 July 1977, Revie revealed in an exclusive to theDaily Mail that he was quitting the England job to become manager of the UAE.[119] 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.[120]
"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 Mail under the headline "Revie Quits Over Aggro".[121]
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 Greenwood led 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.
His contract at theUnited Arab Emirates ensured him a £340,000 four-year contract, though caused irreparable damage to his reputation in England.[119] Selling the story to theDaily Mail also earned him £20,000, but only furthered the criticism that he was a "mercenary".[122] In April 1979 the UAE finished sixth in the seven-team5th Arabian Gulf Cup inIraq, 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.[123] He left the UAE coaching role in May 1980 as the UAE searched for anArabic speaking manager.[124] He returned to club management with Dubai clubAl-Nasr of theUAE Arabian Gulf League, but was sacked in 1984 with the club sitting third in the league.[124] The next year he had a brief stint withEgyptian Premier League clubAl-Ahly ofCairo, but did not settle inEgypt and returned home to England.[124] He was approached to replaceAlan Mullery asQueens Park Rangers manager by chairmanJim Gregory, but the deal was not completed, and Revie never worked in football again.[125]
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.[126]
He published an autobiography,Soccer's Happy Wanderer, in 1955. He was appointed anOBE for his services to football.[127] 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.[128] Revie was an activefreemason attending Leodiensis Lodge No. 4029 based at Westbourne House inOtley from 1965 until his death.[129]
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 disease in May 1987.[130] He publicly announced his illness in August of that year and made his final public appearance on 11 May 1988 atElland Road in a wheelchair, at a charity football match held to raise money for research into the disease.[131] He died inMurrayfield Hospital inEdinburgh on 26 May 1989, aged 61,[132] and was cremated four days later atWarriston Crematorium in Edinburgh.[120] 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 Law andAlex Ferguson,The Football Association did not send any representatives.[133]
The family atmosphere Revie instilled atElland Road ensured that manyLeeds United players 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.[134] In May 2012, a statue of Revie was unveiled outside Elland Road.[135] The North Stand of Elland Road is formally known as the Revie Stand.[136]
In a survey of leading football writers, historians and academics byTotal Sport magazine, Revie's Leeds United was voted one of the 50 greatest football teams of all time.[137] James Corbett of the Guardian wrote that Revie "had been the most innovative manager of his generation" and "not untilArsène Wenger would a manager exert such a profound influence on his club - and the English game as a whole".[4]
The combative nature of his teams earned United the moniker of "dirty Leeds", as key playerEddie Gray admitted that "it was brutal stuff and, definitely win-at-all-costs".[55]Alan Peacock said 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".[56] In 1963 Leeds were labelled bythe Football Association's ownFA News as "the dirtiest [team] inthe Football League".[138] On more than one occasion referees had to order Leeds players off the pitch for a break mid-match to break up mass brawls.[62] 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.[139] Nevertheless, the unpopularity and poor reputation stuck with Leeds throughout Revie's time as manager and afterwards.[140]George Best said that he "hated playing against them" and that the only time he needed to wear shinpads was when he was playing against Leeds.[4]
One of Revie's most notable critics wasBrian Clough, who initially gave some degree of praise to Leeds following the 1969–70 season in which Clough managedDerby County to fourth place, commenting that "they have made the season".[141] However, Clough's attitude soon changed as the competition between their clubs intensified, and in subsequent seasons he would use his newspaper columns to attack Revie and Leeds. A particular example of this was 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 1974 in an ill-fated tenure that lasted only 44 days. In 2009, Revie was portrayed byColm Meaney in 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 Giles defending Leeds' approach to games.[64]
Revie's reputation suffered in the late 1970s after his highly controversial England resignation.[142] Both theDaily Mirror andThe Sunday People claimed that Revie had attempted to bribeWolverhampton Wanderers players to lose a crucial match in May 1972. The papers quoted Wolves midfielderDanny Hegan and former Leeds United goalkeeperGary Sprake's claims that Revie's captainBilly Bremner had 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.[143] Neither the police nor FA investigations found any evidence of wrongdoing.[4]
Additionally,Bob Stokoe would later claim that while managingBury on 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 Division and 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?".[144]Alan Ball also alleged that Revie made an illegal approach for him, and despite pocketing the £300 bribe, he signed forEverton instead of Leeds; both men were charged with bringing the game into disrepute.[63] The allegations of corruption earned him the nickname of "Don Readies".[145] ThoughMr Justice Cantley lifted 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".[146]
| 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[147] | 460 | 98 | 38 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 501 | 108 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | |||
| 1954 | 1 | 1 | |
| 1955 | 4 | 3 | |
| 1956 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 6 | 4 | |
| 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 |
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Leeds United[148] | March 1961 | July 1974 | 741 | 395 | 197 | 149 | 053.31 |
| England[149] | July 1974 | 11 July 1977 | 29 | 14 | 8 | 7 | 048.28 |
| UAE | August 1977 | 9 February 1980 | 15 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 013.33 |
| Al-Ahly | June 1984 | November 1984 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 072.73 |
| Total | 796 | 419 | 214 | 163 | 052.64 | ||
Manchester City
England
Leeds United
England
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |