Page 14 - We Are Going Up: YEP LUFC Premier League Promotion Special

14 I YORKSHIRE EVENING POST www,yorkshirecveningpost.co.uk Monday. July20,2020
WE ARE GOING UP: LUFC SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT
2011-12: NEIL WARNOCK REPLACES
SIMON GRAYSON
UNITED SAW another big
talent off-loaded in the
off-season with Kasper
Schmeichel sold to Leicester
City as part of a
summer which
also saw Bradley
Johnson leave for
Norwich City and
Max Gradel head
to St Etienne.
Leeds were
looking to build
on their seventh-
place finish of the previous
campaign and the Whites
made a reasonably bright
start But United then lost
three games in a row in
December and after a 4-1 loss
at home to Birmingham City
on January 31 left United 10th
and three points off the
play-offs, boss Simon
Grayson was fired
after four years
at the helm. Neil
Warnock took
over but Leeds
never got going as
part of a season that
saw Jonny Howson
sold and finished the season
in 14th, the realms of which
would become an all too
familiar sight
How Bielsa’s
men ultimately
proved to be I
a class apart
From the dramatic nine-goal thriller at Birmingham to the nail-biting end to
the campaign behind closed doors due to the coronavirus outbreak, Lee Sobot
picks out another six key moments from the 2019/20 seaon that proved pivotal in
helping the Whites finally end their 16-year exile from the Premier League.
JUMPING FROM FOURTH TO FIRST WITH KEY SIX-POINT SWING
2012-13: BATES’ SALE TO GFH AND
FROM WARNOCK TO McDERMOTT
AFTER EIGHT years in control
of the club, the 2012-13 season
saw Ken Bates sell up with
Bahrain-based investment
bank GFH Capital
completing a 100
per cent takeover
of the club in
December.
Bates would
stay on until the
end of the season
as chairman and
another disappointing
campaign featured
another managerial casualty
with Neil Warnock sacked
in April as part of a season
that saw Leeds walloped 6-1
by Watford at Elland Road in
November. Brian McDermott
took Wamock's place as
part of a campaign
dominated by off-
field events with
Robert Snodgrass
and Luciano
Becchio both
sold to Norwich
City. Lee Peltier,
Jason Pearce, Luke
Varney, Paddy Kenny
and Rodolph Austin were
among the season's arrivals
as part of a season in which
Leeds finished 13th.
LEEDS LOOKED home
and hosed for an eighth-
straight victory when 3-0
up at home to Cardiff City
on December 14 only for a
bizarre contest to end in a
3-3 draw.
A 2-1 defeat Fulham then
brought the Cottagers nine
points behind United in third
and the Whites then needed
a late equaliser from Stuart
Dallas to salvage a 1-1 draw
at home to Preston North
End.
It meant Leeds headed to
Birmingham City for their
final game of 2019 second
and three points off West
Brom but needing a quick
return to winning ways.
And what followed can
only be described as crazy
as Leeds ended the calendar
year with a bonkers 5-4
victory at St Andrew’s with
Wes Harding's 95th-minute
own goal giving United all
three points.
United looked to be
cruising as goals from
Helder Costa and Jack
Harrison put them 2-0 up
inside 21 minutes but sheer
madness was to follow as
Birmingham fought back to
level three times only to see
their hearts broken deep
into stoppage time.
The contest was
reminiscent of United’s
brilliant 3-2 win at Aston Villa
from Christmas 2018 but this
was another level of drama
as United ensured they
ended the year top and with
a nine-point cushion in the
2013-14: FROM GFH TO MASSIMO
CELLINO AND ‘A LEEDS’ 15TH ■
KEN BATES'time at Leeds
finally came to an end in
July when he left his role as
president as Leeds looked to
a new era under GFH
under the control of
managing director
David Haighand
chairman Salah
Nooruddin.
Yet in reality
the turmoil
was yet to even
begin with a season
dominated by more off-field
activity featuring the sale
of a 75 per cent stake in the
club to Eleonora Sport Ltd in
February. Here, effectively
began the Massimo Cellino
era though not without huge
complications with Italian
businessman Cellino
initially disqualified
from taking over
the clubby the
Football League
before proving
successful in his
appeal. On the
pitch, Leeds did a
Leeds and finished
15th with McDermott still in
charge after initially being
sacked upon Cellino's arrival
and then reinstated.
AFTER RETURNING from the
September international break
with a 2-0 win at Barnsley, a 1-1
draw at home to Derby County
and a 1-0 defeat at Charlton
Athletic had left Leeds fourth
by the end of September with
United squandering the chance
to go top with their loss at the
Valley.
The Charlton contest would
prove highly significant with
keeper Kiko Casilla eventually
found guilty of racially abusing
Jonathan Leko and later facing
an eight-game ban. Next up
after Charlton? Leaders West
Brom in an early crunch clash
at Elland Road and United had
hardly excelled in previous
seasons in top-of-the-
table clashes.
Yet Leeds had
seen off West
Brom in another
six pointer at
Elland Road the
previous season
and it proved
the same again as
an own goal from
former Whites loanee
Kyle Bartley following a cross
from Gjanni Alioski proved
decisive.
For once, United actually
had less possession but the
three points took Leeds top and
ended the Baggies' unbeaten
2014-15: MANAGER EATER REALLY
HITS HIS STRIDE
MASSIMO CELLINO decided
he'd definitely had enough of
manager Brian McDermott
at the end of June which was
not a surprise given
Cellino’s nickname
of II mangia-
allenatori-‘the
manager eater’
-whilst in charge
of Cagliari.
But nobody
could have
predicted that former
Forest Green Rovers boss
David Hockaday would prove
McDermott's replacement, or
sacked afterjust six games
in charge and replaced by
former Sturm Graz boss
Darko Milanic who also lasted
just six games at the
helm. After several
spells in caretaker
charge, Neil
Redfearn was
then given the
role as part of a
tumultuous season
in which Leeds sold
Ross McCormack to
Fulham for £11m and signed
both Liam Cooper and
Gaetano Berardi as they again
UNITED’S VICTORY against
West Brom was followed by
a controversial 2-1 defeat
at bogey side Millwall with
Gaetano Berardi wrongly
dismissed in the early stages.
After a 1-0 win at home to
Birmingham City, the Whites
were then left third and two
points behind leaders West
Brom after a 1-1 draw at
Preston and 0-0 stalemate at
Sheffield Wednesday.
But a 2-0 victory at home
to Queens Park Rangers
in United's first game in
November sent the Whites top
start of a fine run of seven-
straight victories - a feat only
matched by Brentford
at the end of the
campaign.
The Rs
triumph was
followed by a 2-1
victory at home
to Blackburn
Rovers which
was rather less
dramatic than the
Boxing Day victory
against Rovers of 2018 and
United then struck late to seal
a 2-1 win at Luton Town.
'
sheets then followed with
Marcelo Bielsa's side winning
1-0 at Reading before blitzing
Middlesbrough 4-0
at Elland Road as
Mateusz Klich
bagged a brace.
A 2-0 victory
at Huddersfield
Town was next
before United left
it late to seal a 2-0
triumph at home to
Hull City. The run put Leeds
11-points clear in the automatic
promotion places with the
Whites ahead of second-placed
that Hockaday would then be
finished 15th.
and the triumph proved the
Four consecutive clean
West Brom on goal difference.
automatic promotion spots.
BREAKING AWAY WITH BAGGIES VIA SEVEN-STRAIGHT WINS
^
W
start as part of a crucial
six-point swing.
After 10 games
played, United led
the division by a
point with West
Brom now second
and level on points
with third-placed
Nottingham Forest.
At that stage, there was
no sign of the Brentford surge
with Thomas Frank’s side 15th
and already seven points off
the play-offs.