Don Revie
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Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Donald George Revie | ||
Position(s) | Centre forward | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1944–1949 | Leicester City | 96 | (25) |
1949–1951 | Hull City | 76 | (12) |
1951–1956 | Manchester City | 162 | (37) |
1956–1958 | Sunderland | 64 | (15) |
1958–1962 | Leeds United | 76 | (11) |
Total | 474 | (100) | |
International career | |||
1954–1955 | England | 6 | (4) |
Managerial career | |||
1961–1974 | Leeds United | ||
1974–1977 | England | ||
1977–1980 | United Arab Emirates | ||
1980–1984 | Al-Nassr | ||
1984–1985 | Al-Ahly | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Donald George 'Don' Revie, OBE, (10 July 1927 – 26 May 1989), was an English footballer who played for Leicester City, Hull City, Sunderland, Manchester City and Leeds United as a deep-lying centre forward. After managing Leeds United (1961–1974) he managed England from 1974 until 1977. He later managed in the Middle East at international and club level.
Playing career
Revie was born in Middlesbrough on 10 July 1927. He signed as a footballer for Leicester City in August 1944. Leicester City originally thought him not good enough to turn professional, but he was taken under the wing of Leicester player Sep Smith who began to mentor Revie on many of his ideas about the game.[1] He also learned the rudiments of the bricklaying trade outside football. From there he went on to play for Hull City in 1949 (transfer fee £20,000), Manchester City in 1951 (£25,000), Sunderland in October 1956 (£22,000) and Leeds United in November 1958 (£12,000). The combined transfer fees paid over his career were at the time (1958) a record in English football.
Revie won six caps for England, was Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year in 1955 and won an FA Cup winners medal with Manchester City in 1956. At Manchester City the playing tactic of using a deep-lying centre forward (Revie's position, evolved from the more traditional inside right), and based on the style of the successful Hungarian national team, and in particular Nándor Hidegkuti, who invented the role. This helped Manchester City to a 3–1 victory over Birmingham in the 1956 FA Cup Final, a game best known for goalkeeper Bert Trautmann playing the last 18 minutes of the match with a broken neck.
Management career
Leeds United
Revie was made player-manager at Leeds United in March 1961, following the resignation of Jack Taylor. He had initially planned to apply for the vacant job at Bournemouth, but was persuaded by a local journalist to pursue the Leeds job.[2] He immediately began to institute radical changes such as the implementation of a youth policy, and a change of kit from the traditional blue and yellow to an all-white strip.[3] He also constructed a family ethos around the club's staff and players.
Although his tenure did not get off to a flying start he won the Football League Second Division within three years as manager. During this time Leeds broke their record transfer payment to re-sign John Charles from Juventus, only to sell him on for the same amount to A.S. Roma after only a few matches. Revie developed a close working relationship with the chairman Harry Reynolds who was keen to assist the manager in building Leeds into a powerful force. In 1964 Leeds won promotion to the First Division, topping the Second Division with 63 points.
Once promoted Revie took Leeds to second in the league and the FA Cup final in their first season in the top division. In the early years much of the team's attack was based around the South African winger Albert Johanneson. Revie added to his squad by signing Johnny Giles from Manchester United and Bobby Collins from Everton, both of whom had fallen out of favour with their managers. Revie had inherited Jack Charlton and Billy Bremner from the previous manager, and both players became cornerstones of the team during Revie's reign. In 1966 following a serious injury to Collins, Bremner was made captain.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Ianporterfieldgoal.jpg/220px-Ianporterfieldgoal.jpg)
All in all, Revie guided Leeds to two Football League First Division titles, one FA Cup, one League Cup, two Inter-Cities Fairs Cup titles, one Football League Second Division title and one Charity Shield. He also steered them to three more FA Cup Finals, one more Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Final and one Cup Winners' Cup Final. In 1973 despite strong rumours linking him with a move to take over at Everton, a wealthier club which drew larger crowds, Revie chose to remain in Leeds.[4]
Leeds 1–0 defeat to Sunderland in the 1973 FA Cup Final was seen by some as marking an end of Leeds' spell at the top. Revie was particularly disappointed by the defeat because Sunderland were managed by Bob Stokoe, a critic of Revie. There was a widespread belief that Revie would have to rebuild his team for following season, but Revie instead chose to continue with largely the same line-up.[5] He was rewarded as Leeds won another league title, beating Liverpool by five points.
Following his departure in 1974, Revie was succeeded by Brian Clough, one of his major rivals. Clough had been outspoken in his attacks on Leeds' style of football and he was an unpopular choice with the players who would have preferred Johnny Giles to get the post. After a brief reign Clough departed and was replaced by Jimmy Armfield. The team enjoyed a final flourish, reaching the 1975 European Cup Final which they lost to Bayern Munich before the side began to break up. A succession of Leeds managers was unable to prevent the club dropping down the table, as attendances fell. By 1982 the club were in the Second Division again.
Just before departing from Leeds for the England job, Revie was a special guest on the TV guest show This Is Your Life.[6]
England
Following the 1973–74 season, when Revie and Leeds won their second championship in the first division, he was widely acknowledged to be one of the most successful managers in the country and was considered a leading candidate to manage the England national team. The previous manager Alf Ramsey had just departed after England had failed to qualify for the 1974 World Cup following a draw with Poland. In July 1974, Revie accepted the manager's job after Joe Mercer had turned it down because of his advanced years. The FA, particularly Ted Croker, were impressed with Revie's personality and ideas.[7]
1976 European Championships
For the 1976 European championships, England were drawn in a tough qualification group including Czechoslovakia, Portugal and Cyprus, with only the winner progressing to the finals. Two draws against Portugal, coupled with an away loss to Czechoslovakia, meant that England finished second in the group, one point behind Czechoslovakia. Czechoslovakia went on to win the tournament.
1978 World Cup
Revie was handed another difficult task in qualifying for the 1978 World Cup. England were drawn against Italy, Finland and Luxembourg, with only the winner progressing to the finals. England won every single game, except for a loss to Italy in Rome. However, Italy progressed ahead of England on goal difference. Italy went on to finish fourth in the tournament.
Summary
Criticism mounted over Revie's allegedly old fashioned and abrupt style of management and his failure to qualify for tournament football. He is one of only two full England managers, along with Steve McClaren, to fail to take the national team to a major championship finals.
Middle East
In 1977, while still under contract to the English FA, he quit as England's manager to become coach to the United Arab Emirates. This was the first time a manager of England had resigned from the position. The circumstances of Revie's departure immediately provoked controversy. Revie snubbed the FA by selling news of his resignation to the Daily Mail, where the story broke before the FA had received his letter of resignation. Some football supporters were incensed at reports of Revie's lucrative contract with the UAE team (£340,000 for four years), and accused him of acting selfishly and disloyally. The FA suspended Revie from football for 10 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.[8] After leaving the UAE coaching role in 1980 he took over management of Al-Nasr, followed in 1984 by the Egyptian club Al-Ahly of Cairo. Revie then retired to Scotland where he and his wife enjoyed playing golf and sleeping with family members.
Illness and death
In 1986 Revie moved to Scotland where he intended to retire. In September that year, he started feeling pains in his legs after playing golf. After tests, he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in May 1987. Revie publicly announced his illness that summer, but was still able to walk out to the Elland Road pitch in September 1987, where he watched Leeds beat Manchester City 2–0.
Revie made his last public appearance in May 1988 at Elland Road in a wheelchair. He died in Murrayfield Hospital in Edinburgh on 26 May 1989, aged 61, and was cremated four days later at Warriston Crematorium in Edinburgh.[9]
The FA did not send any officials to the funeral, nor was a minute's silence held at any football match in his memory, nor did any teams wear black armbands. However, even the Daily Mirror newspaper, once one of Revie's fiercest critics, slammed the FA for not sending any representatives to the funeral.[10]
Those who did attend the funeral included Allan Clarke, Eddie Gray, Jack Charlton, Billy Bremner, Johnny Giles, Billy Bingham, referee Jack Taylor, Kevin Keegan, Brian Moore and Lawrie McMenemy.
Revie's legacy
Revie is best remembered for the important tactical innovations to which he contributed as a player and for the rugged and aggressively defensive style of football that brought success to Leeds United during his years as manager. He admitted in later years that he wished he had let his team "off the leash" earlier than he did.
Revie was however a controversial figure in his time, his team being criticised for what was seen as their excessively physical style of play and alleged gamesmanship, which led to the team famously being nicknamed 'Dirty Leeds'. One of Revie's most notable critics was Brian Clough (who like Revie hailed from Middlesbrough) who branded his Leeds side "cheats" and called for the club to be relegated to the Second Division on disciplinary grounds.
March 2011 marked 50 years since Don Revie became player-manager at Elland Road. Stars from his Leeds United days sent their tributes to official Leeds United site,[11] while the BBC's Late Kick-OFF show broadcast a special tribute video of his career highlights.[12]
Although Revie's legacy is still the subject of controversy, the former Leeds United and England manager remains a hero at Elland Road. A supporters group raised funds for a statue in his honour, which was unveiled on 5 May 2012, forty years after he had led Leeds to victory in the Centenary FA Cup Final. [13] [14]
Allegations of impropriety
Revie's reputation suffered in the late 70s after his controversial England resignation. Both the Daily Mirror and Sunday People claimed that Revie had attempted to bribe Wolverhampton Wanderers players to lose a crucial match in May 1972. The papers quoted Wolves midfielder Danny Hegan and former Leeds United goalkeeper Gary Sprake's claims that Revie's captain Billy Bremner had tried to arrange a bribe. Bremner sued for libel and won £100,000 libel damages, along with legal costs, after both Hegan and Sprake refused to repeat their allegations under oath in court. Wolves player Derek Dougan, who had scored against Leeds in the match in question, testified that no attempt was made to bribe Wolves and that the claims were nonsense.
Additionally Bob Stokoe would later claim that while managing Bury in 1962, Revie had offered him a bribe to "go easy" on his Leeds side who were at the time struggling against relegation to the Third 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?".
The Daily Mirror claimed they had delivered a 300-page dossier to the F.A detailing the evidence of these allegations against Revie, although the FA stated that no such dossier was received. Both the FA and the police did investigate the allegations but found no evidence that they occurred and Revie was never charged with any offence.
Personal life
He was married to Elsie, the niece of one time Leicester City manager Jocky Duncan, and they had a son Duncan and daughter Kim. They all outlived him and Elsie died of cancer on 28 March 2005 at the age of 77.[15]
Portrayals
In 2009, Revie was portrayed by Colm Meaney in the film The Damned United, which treats Brian Clough's ill-fated 44-day reign as manager of Leeds United in 1974 following Revie's departure for the England job.
Honours
As a player
As a manager
Honour | Winner | Runners-up |
---|---|---|
European Cup Winners' Cup | 1973 | |
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup | 1968, 1971 | 1967 |
Football League First Division | 1968/69, 1973/74 | 1964/65, 1965/66, 1969/70, 1970/71, 1971/72 |
Football League Second Division | 1963/64 | |
FA Cup | 1972 | 1965, 1970, 1973 |
Football League Cup | 1968 | |
English Manager of the Year | 1969, 1970, 1972 | |
FA Charity Shield | 1969 | |
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Trophy Play-Off | 1971 [16] |
Managerial statistics
Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
Leeds United | ![]() |
March 1961 | July 1974 | 699 | 365 | 190 | 144 | 52.2 |
England | ![]() |
July 1974 | 11 July 1977 | 29 | 14 | 8 | 7 | 48.3 |
United Arab Emirates | ![]() |
1977 | 1980 | |||||
Al-Nasr | ![]() |
1980 | 1984 | |||||
Al-Ahly | ![]() |
1984 | 1985 |
Notes
- ^ The Mighty Mighty Whites – The Definitive history of Leeds United – Don Revie – Part 2 Learning the ropes (1927–51) themightyleeds.co.uk, retrieved 3 April 2011
- ^ Bagchi & Rogerson p.16-19
- ^ Bagchi & Rogerson p.36
- ^ Bagchi & Robertson p.182-186
- ^ Bagchi & Robertson p.181-189
- ^ [1]
- ^ Mourant p.152-153
- ^ http://www.mightyleeds.co.uk/managers/revie8.htm
- ^ [2]
- ^ FA's Final Snub – The Daily Mirror – 31 May 1989
- ^ "'He was our gaffer'". Official Leeds United site. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
- ^ "50 years since Don Revie's Leeds United revolution". The Scratching Shed. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
- ^ "Don Revie Statue". Don Revie Tribute.
- ^ "Don Revie Statue unveiled – BBC". BBC News. 5 May 2012.
- ^ [3]
- ^ (Decided who kept the trophy when the competition was replaced by the UEFA Cup)
Bibliography
- Bagchi, Rob & Rogerson, Paul. The Unforgiven: The Story of Don Revie's Leeds United. Aurum Press, 2003.
- Mourant, Andrew. Don Revie: Portrait of a Footballing Enigma. Mainstream Publishing, 2003.
- Sutcliffe, Richard, "Revie – Revered and Reviled". 2010.
- Hermiston, Roger. "Clough and Revie – The Rivals Who Changed the Face of English Football". 2011.
External links
- Don Revie at Soccerbase
- Don Revie management career statistics at Soccerbase
- England Management Record
- Don Revie and Brian Clough video interview from 1974 on ITV Local Yorkshire
- English Football Hall of Fame Profile
- Don Revies managerial stats for Leeds United
- The king of the damned, Guardian News Article
- Don Revie at Find a Grave
- Use dmy dates from March 2012
- 1927 births
- 1989 deaths
- Deaths from motor neurone disease
- English Football Hall of Fame inductees
- English football managers
- English footballers
- England national football team managers
- England international footballers
- Hull City A.F.C. players
- Leeds United A.F.C. managers
- Leeds United A.F.C. players
- Leicester City F.C. players
- Manchester City F.C. players
- Officers of the Order of the British Empire
- People from Middlesbrough
- Sunderland A.F.C. players
- The Football League players
- United Arab Emirates national football team managers
- Expatriate football managers in Egypt
- Expatriate football managers in Saudi Arabia
- Expatriate football managers in the United Arab Emirates