Leeds, Leeds and Leeds and Leeds...
Truck on Tykes
Leeds United were formed in 1919 after the previous Leeds City (whom United never met) had been controversially disbanded after allegations of illegal payments. Five years later they were promoted and met United for the first time.
The rivalry between the two clubs has grown steadily over the years and probably reached a zenith in the late sixties and early seventies when Leeds were regarded as the best, if not the most popular team in the land. Under the stewardship of Don Readies they dominated the game at home; however their trophy haul was limited by an uncanny knack of constantly finishing as runners up.
In those years - with the Makems and Smoggies in the Second - Leeds became our nearest and not so dearest rivals. They often attracted the biggest crowd of the season at SJP and there were some titanic battles in which United belied the relative strengths of the teams by winning as many as they lost
Neither Elland Road or St James' was a friendly ground to visit in the seventies and eighties and there is a history of trouble among the supporters. Indeed in the 1975/ 76 season the Leeds Chief Constable stated that he thought that United's supporters were second only to those of Manchester United in terms of hooliganism
In recent years Newcastle and Shearer in particular have had a tremendous record against The Tykes and probably for that reason only many Toon fans will hope they retain their Premiership status
In this article we compare the progress of the two clubs, take a look at some of the matches and players involved, compare the fan base and judge the relative merits of those that have transferred between the 2 clubs
Firsts
The first meeting took place on Saturday 15th November 1924 at Elland Road in front of 35,000 spectators. Stan Seymour opened the scoring in the first half, but Leeds equalised in the second period.
The return at SJP in March was watched by a surprisingly low crowd of 19,000 (well below the average of 30,862) and ended up with United romping to a 4-1 win thanks to a brace of goals from both Harris and Mcdonald
In 1930/31 they met for the first time in the FA Cup (Fourth Round) and United crashed to a 1-4 defeat; the United goal a penalty (the first) from Hutchinson
The first hat-trick was scored by Hydes for Leeds in their 3-0 FA Cup victory of 1932/33. The first United hat-trick and best scoring performance by a United player was Sumo's foursome in 1989/90
League Formbook
Overall League Record
As a result of Newcastle's excellent recent form against Leeds the overall record now shows 36 wins, 33 defeats and 17 draws although Leeds have still scored more goals: 132 to 123
Pre WW II
Newcastle's dominance over Leeds in the Twenties reflected the fact that United were an established force while The Tykes were still trying to establish themselves. Of the ten games played (all in the First Division) United won six (including all their home games) and drew two.
Leeds were promoted in 1923/24 and spent three seasons in a constant battle against relegation before slipping back to the second. In 1925/26 it was United's 4-1 victory at home to Man City on April 14th that saved Leeds and relegated the Mancunians
They returned after only 1 season in the second but only managed another 3 seasons in the top flight before being relegated again. However, they did do well in 1929/30, finishing 5th, the first time they had ever finished above Newcastle
The teams met in the first 3 seasons of the Thirties and although United maintained their 100% home record they were going into a period of decline and this was reflected in their losing all the away games including a 6-1 hammering in 1932/33 . The following season Newcastle were relegated.
In the first season after the WW2 Leeds were relegated and the two teams met for the first time in the 2nd Division in 1947/48. This was Newcastle's promotion season and once again the results went with the home teams. United were the best supported team in the land that season and a crowd of 57,275 (the biggest ever gate for a match between United and Leeds) turned up for the match at SJP.
Post WW II
Leeds were promoted again in 1955/56, but would only spend four seasons in the top flight before being relegated once again in 1959/60. The late fifties were also a difficult time for United as the great cup winning side started to break up. Leeds gained the upper hand as Newcastle only recorded two wins and two draws
1956/57 was the first season in which United failed to record a victory. Although they managed a goalless draw at Elland Road they lost 2-3 at home. The defeat following 9 successive home victories in the League.
Leeds were relegated yet again in 1959/60 and 2 of their 20 defeats were against Newcastle. It was Newcastle's first win at Elland Road for 33 years. There were many rumours during the season that United manager Mitten would be departing for the struggling Yorkshire club but the move never materialised. United (with Mitten still in charge) would follow Leeds into the Second the season after.
The sixties would see the gradual resurgence of both teams under the guidance of two men who were on opposing sides in the 1955 Cup final; Joe Harvey and Don Revie. By the end of the decade United had won the Fairs Cup and established themselves back in the top division. Meanwhile Leeds had become one of the strongest teams in the country; and almost certainly the least popular. They won the League Cup in 1967/68 and the Championship in 1968/69
Newcastle's record against Leeds during the decade was poor. United won only 3 with Leeds winning 11 and 3 draws. Also Newcastle scored only 8 goals in the 17 matches. Leeds achieved the double over United on 3 occasions 1963/64, 1966/67 and 1968/69
In the early part of the Seventies Leeds remained a dominant force, but only won two other trophies: the championship in 1973/74 and the FA Cup in 1971/72. With both Middlesbrough and Sunderland in Division Two, Leeds became our nearest rivals and the games against them gained added significance. Meanwhile
Despite Leeds having much the better team during the seventies Newcastle had a surprisingly good record against them; holding parity as a result of their home form. They also played a major part in Leeds missing out on the championship in the first two seasons of the decade
In 1970/71 the game at SJP at Easter drew the biggest crowd of the season: 49,699. Leeds were top and the 1-1 draw left them 2 points clear of Arsenal. The following week The Gunners won 1-0 against The Magpies while Leeds crashed 1-2 at home to WBA. This was the game where Jeff Astle scored one of the most controversial goals of all time when he put the Throstles 2-0 up from a clearly offside position. Players surrounded the referee, fans invaded the pitch and Leeds pulled one back but the Championship was lost.
In the following season a very similar scenario existed. The game at SJP return was in April and Leeds were again in the running for the championship: United won 1-0 and Leeds finished runners up to Derby by just one point
Newcastle even managed the double over Leeds in the disastrous 1977/78 season .That year they only one 6 games all season, securing a measly 22 points. The away game was played on January 2nd and an improbable 2-0 victory was the first time we had won at Elland Road since 1962. It gave hope that a revival was possible.... it was their last victory of the season
All the meetings in the eighties were in the Second Division following Leeds' relegation in 1981/82. Despite United getting the better results it was Leeds who clambered back to the top flight first in 1989/90
Keegan led United into the Premiership in 1993/94 and hostilities resumed. Newcastle gained the ascendancy due mainly to their excellent form at Elland Road where they came away with 3 wins and 2 draws from 7 matches. It was the first ever time that United had a better record at Elland Road than Leeds
Into the 21st century and Bobby's Boys have maintained their excellent recent record over Leeds with 5 wins and only 1 defeat in 7 games
Cup Meetings
Newcastle have a disastrous record against Leeds in Cup competitions. They have met on 4 separate occasions and Leeds have knocked us out every time
1930/31 FAC 4th Round (a) 1-4
The press reported that Newcastle gave a "creditless display" against a Leeds side that included 3 of the Milburn family and ex-United player Tom Mitchell
1932/33 FAC 3rd Round (h) 0-3
United had won the cup the previous year and were expected to progress but Leeds won 3-0 (a hat-trick by Hydes) against a flu ravaged United; it was the first time Leeds had not lost at SJP
1966/67 LC 2nd Round (a) 0-1
Leeds recorded an easy victory in the League Cup to record a clean sweep of victories that season
1983/84 LC 3rd Round (a) 1-0 - (h) 1-4
They also met in the 2nd Round of the Milk Cup. It was a two-legged affair and Newcastle returned from Elland Road with an excellent 1-0 victory courtesy of a 28th minute Varadi goal. When Jeff Clarke put United ahead after a couple of minutes of the return the Newcastle fans were in full song. But Leeds pulled one back before half time and ended up winning after extra-time.
Best and Worst
Best Home Wins
1924/25 4-1 - The first ever meeting between the sides at SJP
1930/31 4-1 - Slap bang in the middle of a terrible run which included 8 defeats and 1 draw and conceding 33 goals
1974/75 3-0 - Three second half goals saw United home in this pre Xmas match
1989/90 5-2 - Boycotts were forgotten for a day as Sumo ran (sic) riot
1996/97 3-0 - Keegan's last game in charge at SJP required 2 goals in the last 13 minutes to make the scoreline so emphatic
Best Away Wins
2002/03 3-0 - Newcastle swept to a comprehensive victory as Venables tried to steady the Leeds ship
Worst Defeats - away
1932/33 1-6 - Fourth place Newcastle were still in the running for the championship before this game on 15/4
1966/67 0-5 - United were one off the bottom when they went to ER on Boxing Day and they were a well beaten side
Worst Defeats - home
1960/61 0-3 - Leeds were relegated and United had just avoided relegation, but Leeds won the last game of the season comfortably
1983/84 1-4 - A disastrous second leg in the League Cup
1998/99 0-3 - Another Boxing Day disaster as despite having 24 efforts on goal - against 4 Leeds efforts
Highest scoring games
1932/33 1-6 - A comprehensive defeat witnessed by a paltry crowd of 14,967
1989/90 5-2 - Despite being 1-2 behind at half-time a storming second half display brought a famous victory
2001/02 4-3 - Arguably the most exciting match between the two teams as United overturned a 3-1 deficit to take the points in the last minute
Attendances
It was not until season 1963/64 (Leeds promotion season) that The Tykes average attendance was better than Newcastle's; then during the rest of the sixties both clubs attracted similar crowds. Even when Leeds won the championship in 1968/69 they were the 7th best supported club
The contrasting fortunes of the clubs in the seventies was reflected in the fact that Leeds's average gate was consistently higher
Leeds were relegated in 1981/82 and joined United in the Second Division. Leeds did not get promoted again until whereas Newcastle enjoyed a four season break in the first between 1984/85 and 1988/89. During the time when Leeds were out of the top flight their average attendance was lower than United's in every season other than their promotion season of 1989/90
In four successive seasons (1982/83 - 1986/87) Leeds average fell below the 16,000 mark and in 1986/87 it fell as low as 13,259. Newcastle's lowest was recorded in 1980/81 (16,001)
It was not until Newcastle returned to the Premiership and increased the ground capacity (1994/95) that their average again rose above Leeds. Since then Newcastle have maintained the advantage with the exception of the 1999/2000 season. United's increased ground capacity from 2000/2001 has now put us well ahead
In 1963/64 the two 2nd Division games being played within 3 days of each other and were watched by an aggregate crowd of 95,144.
The biggest aggregate crowd overall was recorded in 1973/74; 55,638 at SJP and 46,611 at ER giving a total of 102,249.
Players
Over the years Leeds have had their fare share of players that Geordies have loved to hate: Jackie Charlton, Kenny Burns, W**** Worthington, Danny Mills, Vinnie Jones, Mark Viduka
Hughie Gallagher scored his last goals for the club when he got a brace in the match at SJP on 1929/30
Alan Smith scored after only 24 seconds at SJP in January 2002; however United recovered to win 3-1.
All praise to the following own-goal scoring Leeds players: Norman Hunter (LR - 1971/72), Michael Duberry, (SJP - 2001/02)
Alan Shearer has scored more goals against Leeds than any other player in the club's history; an incredible 12 times. Top Leeds scorer is Peter Lorimer with 7
Sumo Quinn's four goals on the first day of the 1989/90 season is the best haul by any Newcastle player in a single match against Leeds. It is also the second best debut haul (Len Shackleton's 6 against Newport being the best)
In the 1963/64 game at Elland Road was most significant for young full-back George Dalton whose leg was broken by Johnny Giles. Tipped for international honours Dalton never fully recovered from the injury
The home game in 1975/76 season resulted in a 2-3 defeat and included one of the "best" own goals ever scored at SJP from home debutant Graham Oates. Billy Bremner described it in his weekly column in "Shoot!" as one of the best goals of the season!
The home match in April of 1993/94 ended in a 1-1 draw, It was Newcastle scorer Andy Cole's 50th in 50 matches for the club
Only Quinn has scored more than 2 goals in a single match, but a brace of goals has been scored on no fewer than 16 separate occasions
Games
The United team that played at SJP on 6th October 1928 consisted of 10 Scotsmen and a Welshman.
The game at SJP in October 1968 was a stormy affair. United had only won once all season and were in trouble at the bottom. Leeds won 1-0 with a goal by Jackie Charlton but the game is best remembered for the various altercations between Big Jack and Big John (McNamee). Leeds won the return 2-1 (McNamee); Newcastle's 7th successive defeat at Elland Road.
In 1971/72 United's away match against Leeds in September was played at Huddersfield's ground as a result of the trouble in the previous season in the controversial game against West Brom (one of four home matches that they had to play away). However Newcastle's poor start to the season continued with a 1-5 reverse .
In 1972/73 Leeds again attracted the highest crowd of the season at SJP and they enjoyed a thrilling match. After only 8 minutes the score was 2-2; a Supermac goal on the hour won the match for Newcastle.
In 1976/77 Newcastle were on their way into Europe and they recorded a comprehensive 3-0 victory at SJP with all 3 goals (Oates, Burns, McCaffrey) coming in an amazing 6 minute spell. After the third goal Leeds 'keeper Harvey had to go off injured and was replaced by midfielder Tony Currie. Currie not only kept a clean sheet, but also saved a penalty from Tommy Craig.
When 'keeper Kevin Carr injured his shoulder, Chris Waddle took over in goal for the last 40 minutes of the match at Elland Road on the first day of the 1983/84 season. He kept a clean sheet as The Mags won 1-0
January 2002 and the Leeds thugs attempt to avoid defeat with brutal tactics. Leeds had 6 players booked and Danny Mills sent off and the referee was far too lenient.
During the summer of 1989 Leeds and Newcastle bought heavily and when they met on the first day of the season there were no less than 10 players making their debuts (5 for either side); a world record (probably).
The teams have met each other 8 times on Boxing Day and Leeds have enjoyed the festivities the most with 5 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats; scoring 15 and conceding only 4
When Leeds played at SJP in May 1940 there opponents were Sunderland who were using SJP as their home ground due to their late entry into the League War Cup and the fact that Roker Park was being used for the war effort
Transfers Out
Considering the proximity of the two teams very few players have made the move down the road to Leeds and, with the exception of John Hendrie and David Batty, all of them have been cast-offs that could not get a regular place in the Newcastle side
Jeremiah Best (July 1920 - £100)
The ironically named Best was the first ever player transferred between the two clubs. He was at SJP for only 6 months and 2 appearences after signing from non-league Mickley. Six months (and 11 appearances for Leeds including their first ever fixture in the League) later he was back in non-league football. He later spent a number of seasons in the embryonic American League. MISS
James Robinson Clark (May 1924 - £300)
Robinson made only 11 appearences in his the 30 months; he had to be sold because there was actually two JR Clark's at the club at that time and this was too confusing for the local press corps. He only lasted one season at Leeds (3 appearences). A Wayne Fereday type of player; plenty of speed but forgot to take the ball with him. MISS
Thomas Mitchell (October 1926 - £785)
Another left winger, his appearances at United were limited by the emergence of Stan Seymour. A popular player with the fans, he served Leeds well for 5 seasons and helped them gain promotion to the First Division. HIT
John Kelly (February 1935 - £1,150)
Centre-forward Kelly scored plenty of goals for the stiffs but was only given 5 chances in the first team (scoring 1 goal). He became a regular in the Leeds side for 18 months before losing his place to Arthur Hydes. HIT/MISS
Peter Haddock (July 1986 - £45,000)
Despite spending 7 seasons on Tyneside the boat never really came in for centre-back Haddock and he left after making 61(4) appearances . His time at Leeds was blighted by injury problems but he found time to help Leeds to promotion in 1989/90. Manager Sergeant Wilko even voted him Player of the Year. HIT
John Hendrie (June 1989 - £600,000)
Bandy legged Hendrie only spent one season on Tyneside, but he was one of the few successes of the disastrous 1988/89 campaign. Relegation and the need to bring in some readies for Jim Smith's team building were the reason for his departure. He only lasted one season at Leeds too but along with "Fish" helped Leeds to promotion despite recurrent injury problems. HIT/MISS
David Batty (December 1998 - £4,400,000)
Ruud Gullit was only to delighted to allow one of the Dalglish Doyens to leave United and go back home. Despite injury problems Bats still had plenty to give although Eddie Gray has now seen fit to dispense with his services. HIT
Steve Caldwell (February 2004 - loan)
Caldwell has been unlucky to see his opportunities limited at SJP. Not the greatest defender in the world but less error prone than some other people that we could mention. Does not appear to have done much to stiffen Leeds' resolve at the back. HIT/MISS
Transfers In
Even fewer players have made the journey in the opposite direction
Dominic Kelly (November 1938 - £1,165)
Centre-back Kelly only made 4 appearences for The Tykes and his signing for Newcastle reflected the side's current position (they had missed relegation to the Third Division on goal average the preceding season) He made his debut in a disastrous 0-4 home defeat to Coventry in 1938-39. Then the War broke out. Then after the war he was forced to retire after sustaining a knee ligament injury after making no further appearances. He joined the police force but was later fined for stealing £21. MISS
Terry Hibbitt (August 1971 - £30,000)
Hibbitt , who scored with his first touch on his debut for Leeds, spent 6 seasons at Elland Road but could not force his way into their increasingly strong side. Joe Harvey saw him as the ideal supply line for his new centre-forward Supermac and the two of them formed a deadly partnership for 5 seasons before Mr. Glee arrived on the scene. Widely regarded as one of the best buys in the club's history. HIT
Ian Rush (August 1997 - Free)
Born exactly a year before Toonarama Rush arrived on Tyneside as a 35 year old going on 36. At his peak he was one of the best strikers in the World. Unfortunately the speed and sharpness which had brought him so many goals had long since disappeared. MISS
Jonathon Woodgate (January 2003 - £9,000,000)
Could, if he can get over his recurrent injury problems and keep out of trouble, become our best ever signing from Leeds. Certainly at his best he is a class above any central defenders we have had in recent times
M Bridges (February 2004- loan)
Yet another player who actually does spend more time on the treatment table than he does on the pitch. He used to be a class player, but time will tell if he can regain the form that helped secure Leeds Champions League football in the 1999/2000 season. Unfortunately he may not get that time at SJP