Memories of a title-winning Leeds United manager: Howard Wilkinson

Don Revie, Marcelo Bielsa and Howard Wilkinson are in a bracket of their own when it comes to ranking former Leeds United managers.

Each presided over successful, sometimes trophy-laden, periods in the club’s history and subsequently have been honoured by the club and its supporters.

Wilkinson led the Whites to the 1990 Second Division title, followed by First Division glory two seasons after in a remarkable rise back to the forefront of English football, which would scarcely be achievable nowadays.

Affectionately known as ‘Sgt Wilko’ by the club’s fans, Wilkinson still retains a special place in the hearts of those who count themselves as Leeds supporters.

Wilkinson’s influence on young players at Leeds is best measured by the recent success enjoyed at the club’s Thorp Arch academy facility which was founded in 1994 as ‘The Grange’.

Some 16 years after it was established, a young Kalvin Phillips walked through the doors at Thorp Arch and never looked back, made possible due to Wilkinson’s focus on player development almost two decades earlier.

Here are some of the best and most iconic images of Wilkinson’s reign at Leeds and beyond during the 1990s.