100 Years of Leeds United - Daniel Chapman: The year Don Revie's Whites chased the 'impossible' treble

To celebrate Leeds United's centenary and the club's rich heritage, the YEP will this week exclusively serialise tales from '100 Years of Leeds United' by author Daniel Chapman.
100 Years of Leeds United.100 Years of Leeds United.
100 Years of Leeds United.

After promotion in 1964, five seasons in the First Division had established Leeds United as its best team, but the garlands and trophies they deserved were hard won.

Leeds were the only team to finish in the top four in each of those seasons, winning more games and losing fewer than any other team in that time, but had to watch as Manchester United twice, Liverpool and Manchester City took their turns at winning it.

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Leeds reached the FA Cup semi-finals three times, and only Chelsea and Everton could say the same in that period, but Leeds hadn’t won it. Since qualifying for the Fairs Cup, Leeds had reached the semi-finals three times; no other team got that far more than once, but Leeds won it only once.

The complex that was developing at Elland Road, about building Europe’s most consistent team but becoming Europe’s most consistent failures, was dispelled by winning the League Cup, the Fairs Cup, and most importantly the First Division.

They were the best-ever champions, with more points, more wins and fewer defeats than any previous winners, and the most home wins and home points, unbeatable at Elland Road. Don Revie was voted Manager of the Year. And he was determined to do better.

After meeting every type of opponent in four years of long Fairs Cups campaigns, Revie felt Leeds were well prepared to live up to their all-white strip and emulate Real Madrid in the European Cup. He saw no reason not to retain the league title, and while the League Cup would be used to try reserve players, he was aiming to win the FA Cup. Revie wanted a treble, and told the players so.

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They could add the Charity Shield at the start of the season, and did, beating FA Cup holders Manchester City 2-1, and, during the season, it was reported that FIFA would start regulating the annual Intercontinental Cup match between the champions of Europe and South America.

It would become a recognised tournament for the champions of six continents, and the winners would be official world club champions. Revie made that a target, too. Win the Charity Shield, the league title and FA Cup at home; become European champions, then be the first champions of the world.

By March, Revie’s miracle was no longer a fantastic dream, but a goal within reach. In the league, Leeds led Everton by a point, and were in much better form. Kind draws in the FA Cup were negotiated with only one goal conceded, and Leeds were facing Manchester United in the semi-final at Hillsborough.

In the first round of the European Cup Leeds unforgettably dazzled Norwegian football fans by beating Lyn Oslo 10-0 at Elland Road and 6-0 away; they saw off Ferencváros with two 3-0 wins, then two hard-fought 1-0 wins defeated Standard Liege to put Leeds in the semi-finals, against Celtic.

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Leeds had seven league games left to hold off Everton. If they won two more games in the FA Cup, beat Celtic over two legs and won the final, an impossible treble would be theirs. But it was the worst possible moment to begin a 12-match mini-season with so much at stake.

The World Cup was taking place in Mexico that summer, and to help Alf Ramsey’s squad prepare to defend their title in such a challenging climate, the English football season was shortened by a month.

The FA Cup final was scheduled for April 11, and Leeds were scheduled to play 10 games in 28 days.

It was too much.

At the end of the season’s final game, an FA Cup final replay lost to Chelsea at Old Trafford, Jack Charlton stormed to the dressing room, never more upset by a defeat, blaming himself.

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Outside, dejected Leeds players swapped shirts with some of their counterparts, giving the Chelsea players trouble when they tried to collect their medals; nobody believed the men in white shirts could be the winners.

By aiming to win the treble of league, FA Cup and European Cup, Leeds were attempting something no team had ever tried before and, after 63 games, they had come closer than anyone expected: second in the league, second in the FA Cup, semi-finalists in the European Cup.

They entertained and endured like no other team, pushing themselves beyond their own world-class limits of skill and athleticism; nobody could ask the players, manager or staff to give more.

Had the season not been shortened by a month to help the England team and the FA, Leeds were sure they would have achieved Revie’s impossible target.

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“But not one piece of silver to show for it,’ said Billy Bremner. ‘And that’s what counts.’

Daniel Chapman has co-edited Leeds United fanzine and podcast The Square Ball since 2011, taking it through this season’s 30th anniversary, and seven nominations for the Football Supporters’ Federation Fanzine of the Year award, winning twice. He’s the author of a new history book about the club, ‘100 Years of Leeds United, 1919-2019’, and is on Twitter as MoscowhiteTSB.