Howard Wilkinson was appointed as manager of Leeds United on this day in 1988. Wilkinson dropped down from First Division side Sheffield Wednesday to move to the Whites, who at the time were in the second tier of English football.
The 78-year-old ended up becoming one of Leeds’ most successful managers in history as he took charge of 265 matches, winning 111 of them. Wilkinson guided Leeds to promotion from the Second Division in his first season at Elland Road and just two years later helped Leeds to the final-ever First Division title.
Remarkably, 30 years on, he remains the last ever English manager to win the top-flight league in England. So with the anniversary of his arrival at Leeds today, here is a look at some of his best quotes on his time at the club.
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On winning the title
"We were having Sunday dinner when our son Ben came downstairs from his bedroom, where he had been watching Liverpool-Man United, and said excitedly ‘Dad, we’ve just won the league! Our quiet celebration got bigger as people started to come. One of the early ones round was Dave Bassett and his wife to say well done.
"The most memorable thing was the civic reception the next day, just looking down on a sea of faces, unbelievable. We left the ground on the bus and it was quite a subdued journey at first, but the nearer we got to the centre, the clearer it became why because everyone was jammed into that square."
On the philosophy he implemented
“I was determined there had to be a better way. When I took over there as manager in 1988, they signed 18 schoolboys. How many of those do you think were offered a professional contract?
“Just one. Out of 18. I was amazed. What are we doing promising kids failure? We eventually found the right location and built a new state-of-the-art training ground and academy at Thorp Arch.
“Boys from the age of 14 would live there and go to a local school, allowing them to train in the morning before they went and then again in the evening. We discussed a lot about the importance of ethos, mindset, education and development. We worked hard to create the right culture in which they would thrive.
“Towards the end of my time as Leeds manager, we signed seven boys as apprentices. Six of them played first-team football. It was a great generation: Jonathan Woodgate, Alan Smith, Gary Kelly, Harry Kewell, Paul Robinson, Ian Harte."
On his first words to the players
“There’s a plane sitting on the runway. It’s going to take off and it’s going to fly. You have three weeks to decide whether you want to get on it or not.”
First words to the chairman
“You need to change. You’ve got to change the approach and the culture. You’re living in the past, trying to relive the Don Revie era – but you haven’t got Revie players. You’re successful in the paint business. You haven’t done that by making the same paint the same way you were 15 years ago.”
When he knew time was up
“In the summer of 1996, the club got new owners. We were in pre-season when I got a phone call from a very good friend of mine who’s also an extremely successful manager.
“He told me he had it on good authority that my job had already been offered to another high-profile manager who at that time was out of work. From then on, it was clear I was on borrowed time. It’s the first time in my life I’ve not driven to work thinking how lucky I was.
“The players got to know it, too (the football grapevine is unbelievable). It was a great example of a lack of cohesion brought about by a lack of trust. ‘It’s us. It’s we. It’s for the greater good.’ When that feeling’s gone from a team, flying is impossible.”
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