Leeds United legend was compiling dossiers on opposition teams when Marcelo Bielsa was still a boy

Don Revie was putting together detailed dossiers on opposition teams when Marcelo Bielsa was but a little boy.
From left to right: Don Revie, Don Warters and Billy Bremner watching Leeds United trainingFrom left to right: Don Revie, Don Warters and Billy Bremner watching Leeds United training
From left to right: Don Revie, Don Warters and Billy Bremner watching Leeds United training

Leeds United’s current boss is known for the extreme level of detail he and his staff go into in preparation for matches.

The 75-minute press conference the Argentine held in the wake of Spygate laid bare the extensive research and analysis that Bielsa feels is necessary in order to understand how opponents will play against the Whites.

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It brought ridicule, from Frank Lampard, whose Derby County were one club who were spied upon and who began his own press conference by saying: “Ready for my presentation, everyone? We do analysis, too.”

The situation was nothing new for Leeds United, however – not really.

The attention to detail of Revie, appointed as manager at Elland Road on this day in 1961, was a source of amusement.

Former Yorkshire Evening Post writer Don Warters grew close to the legendary Leeds boss during the club’s glory days and recalls a meticulous manager.

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“He was highly organised, his attention to detail was very good,” said Warters.

“I wouldn’t say he was Marcelo Bielsa but he certainly planned well.

“His assistant Maurice Lindley would watch opposition teams and provide information for the dossiers.

“Lindley and Syd Owen would fly out to watch the opposition when Leeds went into Europe.

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“I remember one or two national writers would slightly ridicule it because it wasn’t commonplace.”

Revie even engaged in a little ‘spying’ of his own, albeit not always as covertly as he might have liked.

“There was an incident where Don wanted to watch a certain player and he went in disguise with Lindley and paid to get in, said Warters.

“But as he got through the gates, someone said ‘hello Don.’

“Those were the lengths he would go to. He was very thorough.

“He was always a deep thinker about the game.

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“They had the famous ‘Revie Plan’ when he was playing, using him as a deep-lying centre-forward, so he did think about the game.”

Revie was very different to Bielsa in other ways, however.

Leeds’ present boss keeps the press at arm’s length and does not engage in one-on-one interviews.

But Warters had a daily briefing in Revie’s office, at the manager’s request.

It was a journalist’s dream, even if they did not always see eye to eye.

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Warters said: “I always found him alright, we had our differences and a couple of times if I had written something he didn’t like he would ring up or his secretary would ring up and say ‘he would like you to come down and talk about something.’

“He would make his point very forcibly, I would make my point and then he would say ‘right that’s it, I’ve made my point’ and that would be the end of it.

“Deep down he knew the evening paper was their biggest outlet.

“I think he liked the publicity. Even if I wrote something he didn’t agree with, he thought it was publicity and people would talk about it.”

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And the amount of time they spent together at Elland Road or on trips around Europe allowed the pair to develop a bond.

“He was the sort of person it would be difficult not to like or at least respect,” said Warters.

“He was very knowledgeable about players and the game.

“I enjoyed our working relationship, we developed quite a good friendship.

“I would visit his house, myself and my wife would go up and have an evening with him and Elsie.

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“She was a good golfer so that competitive spirit was always there and she wanted Don to do very well, she was quite proud of him and told him when he was doing something right.

“I liked the fella, I did really.”

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