Monday marks the 20th anniversary of David O’Leary’s departure from Leeds United. The Irishman spent almost four years at the Elland Road helm, and led the club to some of its most memorable moments in the Premier League era.
However, he was dismissed in June 2002 after missing out on Champions League qualification, despite being top of the league at the turn of the year. The reason for O’Leary’s sacking is still disputed, but the club felt the need for a change and he was swiftly replaced by former England boss Terry Venables.
Ahead of the anniversary, Leeds Live take a look back at some of the highs and lows of O’Leary’s reign.
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Highs
Final day drama
Leeds were certainly on the up in O’Leary’s first full season in charge in 1999-2000 and they went on to spend a combined total of almost three months at the top of the table with the likes of Michael Bridges and Harry Kewell firing on all cylinders.
However, a poor run of form between March and April left the Whites battling for a spot in the top three as the run-in approached. Ultimately, it was a flat goalless draw at Upton Park against West Ham that proved enough to secure that Champions League berth as Bradford City beat Liverpool 1-0 thanks to former Leeds favourite David Wetherall.
Rio deal
On November 21, 2000, Leeds paid £18million to make Rio Ferdinand the world’s most expensive defender. It was also a deal that made the former West Ham United man the most expensive British signing of all time.
While his debut, a 3-1 defeat to Leicester City, may not have gone to plan, Ferdinand certainly made an impact at Elland Road and a couple of years later he would smash the British transfer record once more, although the less said about that move the better.
The kids are alright
Leeds’ squad certainly took on a very different feel under O’Leary as the manager looked to give more responsibility to the impressive crop of talent emerging through the club’s academy and into the first-team at the time. The likes of Jonathan Woodgate, Alan Smith, Harry Kewell, Paul Robinson, Ian Harte and Stephen McPhail were all emerging at the time.
They were supplemented by the promising talent of Lee Bowyer, Bridges, Robbie Keane and Ferdinand to ensure Leeds had one of the most exciting one young squads in the country at the time.
The Champions League
It’s probably fair to say O’Leary’s best moment at Elland Road came in Europe as he guided Leeds to a Champions League semi-final in 2001. The Whites had to do things the hard way as well, emerging through two group stages which included the likes of Barcelona, AC Milan, Lazio and Real Madrid.
That set-up a quarter-final clash against Deportivo La Coruna, who Leeds battered 3-0 on home soil. They just had enough to hold on a fortnight later, too, losing 2-0 but emerging victorious on aggregate to set up a clash against Valencia in the final four.
Ultimately, a 3-0 defeat at the Mestalla would spell the end of the road for Leeds, but it was certainly a journey worth remembering for Leeds fans.
Lows
The Galatasaray tragedy
Easily the darkest moment of O’Leary’s reign came in Turkey ahead of the 2000 UEFA Cup semi-finals. Leeds travelled to Istanbul to face Galatasaray in April 2000, with a spot in the final on the line, but the deaths of Kevin Speight and Christopher Loftus the night before the meeting, ensured the result was secondary on the night.
The pair were fatally stabbed during a coming together between the two sets of fans. On the 20th anniversary of the incident, O’Leary featured in a video message posted by the club.
"It's a sad day really," said O'Leary. "I don't know where the 20 years have gone but I'd like to pay tribute to Kevin and Christopher. We still remember you.
"They went on a trip to Istanbul to support their team. We always had great supporters with us away from home and the players always appreciated that so on behalf of the Leeds United family really we'd like to pay tribute to Christopher and Kevin.
"We haven't forgotten you and I'd also like to say hello to their parents as well and their family who must be thinking of them today.”
The book
Eyes were on Leeds during the 2001-02 Premier League campaign as first-teamers Bowyer and Woodgate were involved in a trial following an incident in Leeds city centre. It was a difficult period for the club and O’Leary caused further controversy with the release of his book, ‘Leeds United on Trial’.
He received plenty of criticism for the book’s poorly timed release, while the players were still on trial, while his frank and honest comments about the trial and his players didn’t go down too well, either. It has been suggested that the book was just one of the things that led to his dismissal in 2002.
FA Cup defeat
United were perched on top of the Premier League when they made the journey to Cardiff City in the third round of the FA Cup on January 6, 2002. The Whites were the overwhelming favourites against the Second Division outfit and took the lead through Mark Viduka after 12 minutes.
However, Graham Kavanagh levelled the scores shortly after and Scott Young scored the winner three minutes from the end. Smith was controversially sent off in the game and the final whistle was met with crowd trouble.
While it was a day Leeds fans will have been keen to forget, it may also have marked the beginning of the end for O’Leary, who saw his side surrender top spot by failing to win the next seven league games and it was that run of form that ultimately led to the club missing out on Champions League qualification.
Seth Johnson
The infamous story of Johnson’s contract negotiations at Leeds United has been rubbished as myth by both the player and Peter Ridsdale, with the former chairman previously claiming that Johnson was paid "at least £10,000-a-week less" than the reported figure of £37,000-a-week. However, it’s fair to say the £7m signing of the England international from Derby County in October 2001 did not go to plan.
Johnson made just 54 league appearances for the club in his four seasons with Leeds, with injuries severely blighting his chances of making progress at Elland Road. He was eventually released by the club in 2005.
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