Leeds Odds

Leeds United Odds

Despite their current status as a second tier side, Leeds United are still one of the biggest clubs in England and as such, Leeds United betting odds are popular amongst bettors.

Leeds, since their demotion from the Premier League, have been incredibly inconsistent. This means that odds on Leeds to get relegated are equally as common as odds on Leeds to be promoted.

So we have Leeds United promotion odds and Leeds United relegation odds, but as well as these markets there are also individual match markets that can offer value. Huge clashes against rivals can offer attractive odds, and can also be the subject of bookmaker promotions. For example, Leeds United v Manchester United odds could be subject to enhanced odds or money back specials, or as part of a free bet offer such as bet365’s in-play offer. 

As well as odds on what happens on the pitch, Leeds United manager odds can also be appealing. With Leeds United’s reputation for hiring and firing managers, odds on Leeds United managers can be of value.

History

Leeds United are a professional football club located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire. One of the most famous sides in English football, they currently play in England’s second tier, the Championship.

The history of Leeds United Football Club begins in 1919. Before this time, there was another football team based in Leeds, Leeds City, who are considered to be United’s predecessor team. Leeds City were founded in 1904, joining the Football League in 1905. The club played at Elland Road, the future home of Leeds United. However, in 1919 the Football League forced Leeds City to disband and sell their players after allegations of illegalities.

Leeds United were then formed and quickly accepted an invitation to join the Midland League. In 1920, the club joined the Football League Second Division.

Leeds United performed well during the first few years of existence and in 1924 the club won the Second Division title, earning promotion to the First Division for the first time in Leeds history. However, the club’s first spell in the top flight didn’t last long, and the club suffered relegation in the 1926/1927 season.

Up until the start of the Second World War, Leeds continued to alternate between the First and Second Divisions. After earning promotion back to the top division, the club were relegated twice more but on both occasions they earned immediate promotion back to the First Division.

The Football League calendar was suspended for the duration of the Second World War and in its first season since resuming, Leeds were relegated again. Their stay in the Second Division lasted until the 1955/1956 season, when the club won promotion back to the top flight. John Charles was a key figure in this Leeds revival, but was sold to Juventus for £65,000, then the world record transfer fee. Leeds couldn’t cope without their star player, and the club ended the decade with another relegation.

Leeds history took a turn for the better when in 1961, the former Leeds player Don Revie was given the manager’s position. Despite the club’s difficulties financially, Revie saved the club from a further relegation. Revie is credited with introducing an all-white kit, that Leeds have become famous for, said to be inspired by Real Madrid. 

In the 1963/1964 season, Leeds United were promoted back to the First Division. Over the next 10 seasons, Leeds picked up a whole host of trophies, including two First Division titles, and FA Cup and a League Cup. The Leeds United side of this era is recognised as one of the greatest football sides English football have ever seen.

Don Revie left Leeds United in 1974, after accepting the position of England national team manager. The club then appointed Brian Clough as the new Leeds manager, which shocked many considering Clough had openly criticised the Leeds side of the past decade. 

Clough’s reign lasted for just 44 days. Jimmy Armfield replaced him and the club appeared in a European Cup Final for the first time in its history. They were beaten, though, by Bayern Munich, and despite a series of top ten league finishes Armfield was sacked.

His replacement, Jock Stein, last just 44 days also before he accepted the Scotland national team manager position. The following few seasons saw Leeds United go through a number of different managers. Jimmy Adamson and Allan Clarke came and went before the club suffered relegation in the 1981/1982 season. 

Eddie Gray took over the Leeds United managerial reigns, but under his guidance Leeds couldn’t find a way back to the top flight. He was replaced in 1985 by Billy Bremner, but still the club struggled to make their way out of the Second Division.

In 1988, Howard Wilkinson took the Leeds manager job and the club’s fortunes took a turn for the better. The following season, the club finally gained promotion back to the top flight by winning the Second Division title.

The 1990’s were an inconsistent era for Leeds United, but they started the decade with a First Division title. The following season, the club entered the Champions League but suffered an early exit. Their league form nosedived too, with the club only narrowly avoiding the dreaded drop back into Second Division football.

The club reached the League Cup Final in 1996, but lost to Aston Villa. That season saw Leeds finish in 13th place and early in the 1996/1997 season Howard Wilkinson was sacked.

George Graham was appointed as Wilkinson’s successor. Graham wasn’t a popular choice, he’d been banned from football for a year after accepting illegal payments from an agent. However, Leeds started to improve during Graham’s tenure and qualified for the UEFA Cup in his first season in charge.

Graham joined Tottenham Hotspur in 1998 and the Leeds assistant manager David O’Leary was promoted to first-team manager. This proved to be a masterstroke. During life under O’Leary, the club finished in the top five every season, and qualified for Champions League once more.

In 2001, the club found itself in serious financial trouble. Peter Risdale, the Leeds United chairman at the time, had taken out a number of loans with the intention of paying it back through the revenue the club earned by playing Champions League football. However, for two consecutive seasons, Leeds failed to qualify for Europe’s most prestigious club cup competition and so Risdale sold star player Rio Ferdinand for a British transfer fee record of £30 million. O’Leary wasn’t happy about the sale, and disputes between O’Leary and his chairman led to the former’s dismissal.

Terry Venables replaced O’Leary, but despite assurances that the club’s best players would be kept, Risdale sold more players to try and stabilise the Leeds finances. Like O’Leary before him, Terry Venables fell out with Risdale and he, too, was sacked.

Things soon got worse for Leeds United. Peter Risdale had resigned from the board, but during the 2003/2004 season Gerald Krasner led a group of business and bought the club. The new owner immediately sold the club’s best players, resulting in relegation to the Championship.

Leeds United’s financial woes continued. Kevin Blackwell had taken the manager’s job, but the club still continued to sell their best players to bring funds in. Late in 2004, the club sold its stadium and its training ground.

The following year, Ken Bates bought the club. Leeds almost gained promotion but lost out to Watford in the Championship play-off final. Blackwell was sacked and replaced with Jim Carver as caretaker boss, and then Dennis Wise was employed. The financial worries off the pitch affected the side on the pitch and Leeds found themselves in the Championship relegation zone. With no hope of escape, Leeds entered administration, knowing that the 10 point penalty wouldn’t make a difference to the club’s immediate future.

The 2007/2008 was the first season in Leeds history that the club played third tier football. Financial worries continued to grow and as the club didn’t exit administration with a Company Voluntary Arrangement, Leeds were hit with a 15 point penalty.

The club’s first two seasons in League One saw Leeds United reach the play-offs twice but they were beaten twice. Gary McAllister had taken over as manager, but he was fired after losing five matches successively and he was replaced with Simon Grayson.

In the 2009/2010 season, Leeds enjoyed an FA Cup win over their rivals Manchester United, and ended the season earning promotion back to the second tier of English football.

Although Grayson had led the club back to the Championship, he was fired after failing to challenge for a return to the Premier League. Neil Warnock took over as Leeds boss.

In 2012, GFH Capital bought 100% of shares in Leeds United, but the much disliked Ken Bates stayed on as chairman.

Rather than push for promotion, the club found itself fighting to avoid relegation. Warnock left and was replaced by Brian McDermott who managed to keep the club in the Championship.

Leed’s backroom turmoil continued. Sport Capital, a consortium that included David Haigh who was the Managing Director at that time, attempted to purchase the club. However, this takeover bid failed. In 2014, Massimo Cellino and his family bought 75% of shares in Leeds United Football Club, but the Football League refused to approve the deal.

Leeds continued to flirt with relegation, narrowly avoiding the drop, and at the end of the 2013/2014 season Brian McDermott resigned from his managerial position.

Cellino was finally given approval to buy 75% of shares in Leeds United. Cellino started his tenure by hiring and firing consistently with Dave Hockaday hired and fired, Darko Milanic hired and fired and finally Neil Redfearn hired all in the space of five months.

Cellino was found guilty of tax evasion by an Italian court, and so the Football League disqualified the Leeds United chairman until April 2015. More changes of manager followed, with Redfearn being replaced by Uwe Rosler, who in turn was replaced by Steve Evans after just a small number of months.

Leeds Fans Utd attempted to buy Cellino out of the club, however despite Cellino agreeing to the deal initially, he backed out of the deal.

The summer of 2016 saw the arrival of Garry Monk as manager. Monk only lasted a season, and was replaced by Thomas Christiansen. The revolving door around the Leeds managerial hotseat continued, though, and in February 2017 Christiansen left the club and Paul Heckingbottom was given the role. June 2018 saw Marcelo Bielsa given the job, becoming 18th manager in ten years.

Crest

In 1964, the Leeds United FC badge featured an owl, which came from the city of Leeds’ coat of arms. Over the next decade, the initials of the club LUFC were used, presented diagonally.

The next Leeds United badge was the initials LU, presented as a 1970’s smiley design. The colours of this Leeds United football badge alternated between blue and yellow. This design continued, but in 1977 the image was encased in a circle shape with Leeds United AFC printed around the circumference.

In 1980, the badge was changed. The features on the outside of the circle shape remained, but inside an image of a peacock was used.

In 1984, a new Leeds crest was created. This consisted of a football inside the white rose of Yorkshire enclosed in a blue circle.

This badge lasted until 1998. A new Leeds badge was designed, and this featured a shield shape with the Yorkshire rose at the top above the initials LUFC presented vertically. Yellow stripes on a blue background completed the badge.

This badge was updated in 1999, with the blue colour being made a slightly lighter shade. This is the badge used on Leeds United kits today.

A new Leeds badge is due to be unveiled in time for the club's centenary celebrations in 2019.

Colours

Leeds United colours are famously all white. However, the white Leeds United kit colours were not used until the 1960’s, with Leeds using a combination of blue and yellow in their previous kits.

In 1920, the Leeds United kit featured blue and white striped shirts, worn with white shorts and blue socks. These Leeds United colours lasted until 1934.

In 1934, the club’s colours changed. The new Leeds United kit featured half yellow half blue shirts, worn with white shorts and blue and yellow socks.

In 1948, these colours remained but the style of the shirts was altered. Instead of half-and-half shirts, the club wore yellow shirts with blue sleeves worn with white shorts and blue and yellow hooped socks. This kit was worn until 1956, although alternate shorts of black were also worn around this time.

In 1956, the shirt colour changed to blue but featured a yellow collar. It wasn’t until the 1960 season that the all white kit was first used.

The standard Leeds United kit is white shirts worn with white shorts and white socks. These colours have been used for 56 years, but the majority of these kits have also featured a blue trim.

Leeds United Stadium

The Leeds United stadium is Elland Road. Elland Road was the home of Leeds City before that club disbanded, and then became the venue for Leeds United home matches in 1919.

Happening rarely in English football, Elland Road is the only ground Leeds United have ever used for their home games.

Elland Road is currently the 12th largest football ground in England, with a stadium capacity of 

37,914. It has undergone a number of renovations and expansions since it was built in 1897.

The Leeds United stadium layout features four stands - the Revie Stand, the East Stand, the John Charles Stand and the South Stand.

The Revie Stand has a capacity of 7,000. It was previously called the Gelderd End but was renamed in 1994 after former player and manager Don Revie.

The East Stand has a capacity of 15,100. A two tiered stand, it was built during the 1992/1993 season replacing the Lowfields Stand.

The South Stand has a capacity of 5,000. Built in 1974, but renovated in 2006, it replaced the Scratching Shed. 

The John Charles Stand was previously known as the West Stand but was renamed after the former Leeds United player after his death in 2004. It’s the oldest out of the four stands, built in 1957, and has a capacity of 11,000.

Supporters

Leeds United are one of the best supported teams in England. There are a huge number of Leeds United supporters clubs throughout the country and across the globe. There is also the Leeds United Supporters Trust, which has a huge number of members wanting to represent their views and concerns with the running of the football club.

Leeds United supporters are well known for their loud and passionate support. One of the more famous Leeds United supporters songs is ‘Marching On Together’.

Leeds United have various rivalries with other clubs, some fiercer than others. Their local rivalries include those with Bradford City and Huddersfield Town. Leeds also have a huge rivalry with Manchester United, and Chelsea and Millwall are considered rivals also.

Ownership

The Leeds United owner is Andrea Radrizzani. Radrizzani completed a buyout of the club in 2017. Massimo Cellino was the previous owner. Cellino has been a controversial figure even before he took over the club, sacking Brian McDermott as manager before his ownership began, which led to McDermott keeping his job.

Cellino failed the Football League’s Owners and Director’s Test due to a conviction by an Italian court. Cellino appealed and he was allowed to complete the purchase of the football club, before being suspended by the Football League due to him being found guilty of tax evasion.

Cellino had purchased the club from previous owner Ken Bates, who in turn had bought the club from Peter Risdale. 

Stats

Leeds United stats start with the club’s all time leading appearance maker. Jack Charlton is the Leeds United record appearance maker. Charlton made 773 appearances during his Leeds career. Five other players made over 700 appearances for Leeds United. These are Billy Bremner (772); Paul Reaney (748); Norman Hunter (726); Paul Madeley (725); and Peter Lorimer (703).

Peter Lorimer is also the Leeds United all time record goalscorer. Lorimer scored 238 goals as a Leeds United player, the only player to have scored over 200 goals in the club’s history.

Seven players have scored over 100 goals for Leeds United. These are John Charles (157); Alan Clarke (151); Tom Jennings (117); Billy Bremner (115); Johnny Giles (114); Mick Jones (111); and Charlie Keetley (110).

Rio Ferdinand is the subject of both Leed United’s record transfer fee paid and record transfer fee received. Leeds United bought Ferdinand from West Ham in 2000 for a fee of £18 million. In 2002, Leeds United received a fee of £30.8 million for Ferdinand from Manchester United.

Leeds United’s record victory came against Lyn Oslo in the European Cup in 1969, Leeds winning 10-0. The club’s record defeat is 8-1, the scoreline Stoke City beat them by in Division One in 1934.

Leeds United Players

The current Leeds United players list includes 26 first team members, backed up by Leeds United Academy players and Development Squad players.

Leeds United players past and present have included some of English football’s greatest names. There was a vote that Leeds United took part in to name the greatest ever Leeds XI. The players who made the greatest ever team were Nigel Martyn, Paul Reaney, Norman Hunter, Jack Charlton, Terry Cooper, Peter Lorimer, Billy Bremner, Johnny Giles, Eddie Gray, Allan Clarke and John Charles.

The current Leeds United player of the year is Pablo Hernandez, who also won the Players' Player of the Year award.

One Leeds player has been inducted into the European Hall of Fame - John Charles. Charles was also inducted into the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame.

Leeds United Manager

The current Leeds United manager is Marcelo Bielsa. Bielsa became boss in the summer of 2018.

The most successful manager in Leeds United manager history is Don Revie. Revie is also the club’s longest serving manager, taking charge of 740 games, and also has the highest win percentage of any manager in Leeds history, 62.12% after leading his side to victory 394 times.

Honours

The Leeds United honours list is extensive. It includes three top tier titles (1968/1969, 1973/1974, 1991/1992); one FA Cup (1971/1972); one League Cup (1967/1968); and two Charity Shields (1974/1975).