Let's salute The Don COMMENT ON THIS STORY
RAISE a glass to 'The Don' – that's the appeal to Leeds United fans today on the 20th anniversary of the death of the club's greatest ever manager.
Don Revie, the man who turned Leeds from Second Division strugglers into Europe's most feared footballing force, lost his fight against motor neurone disease on May 26, 1989.
And, fittingly, the calls for United supporters to take a moment this evening to toast Revie's achievements were led by one of his favourite playing sons, Peter Lorimer.
He told the Yorkshire Evening Post: "He transformed the whole club and gave people in the city a lot of happy memories."
Current Leeds boss Simon Grayson said: "Don Revie is an absolute legend for what he achieved at this club.
"His record speaks for itself and his team really put Leeds United on the footballing map."
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Leeds United Supporters' Club chairman Ray Fell, meanwhile, said: "Don was, and still is, the finest manager we have ever had."
Hinting at the criticism Revie's Leeds team received for their sometimes abrasive approach, he added: "We hold him in the highest of regard, no one can take that away from us."
Mr Fell also expressed surprise that no permanent tribute to 'The Don' had been put in place in the centre of Leeds, saying: "He played a big part in spreading this city's name right around the world."
Middlesbrough-born Revie was appointed Leeds manager in 1961 and went on to assemble a club side hailed by many as the finest in English football history.
They won two league titles, the FA Cup, the League Cup and two European Fairs Cups prior to Revie's departure in 1974 for an unhappy spell as England boss.
He was diagnosed in 1987 with motor neurone disease, an incurable muscle-wasting illness.
Revie battled his affliction with the same steely determination he had instilled in his Leeds team but died two years later, aged just 61.
He was survived by his beloved wife, Elsie, who passed away in 2005.
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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