The damned United: Timeline of a club stuck in serial crisis
1999-2000: Under ambitious chairman Peter Ridsdale and manager David O’Leary, Leeds finish third in the Premier League behind Manchester United and Arsenal. Michael Bridges (21 goals), Harry Kewell (17) and Lee Bowyer (11) are top scorers and the future looks bright. O’Leary says: ‘The foundations of an empire have been laid.’ 2000-01:
Leeds reach the semi-final of the Champions League, losing to Valencia, and finish fourth in the league, thereby missing CL football in 2001-02 (top three qualified then). 2001-02:
Ridsdale believes Leeds are within touching distance of being title challengers and CL regulars, so borrows £60m to ‘live the dream’. Leeds finish fifth. Ridsdale sacks O’Leary and brings in Terry Venables. 2002-03:
Player sell-offs begin in an attempt to stabilise finances. Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Keane, Bowyer, Jonathan Woodgate and Robbie Fowler leave. By the time Leeds finish 15th, Venables is gone, replaced by Peter Reid. The club lose £49.5m that season, then a world record for any club in a single year. Debts are £100m+. Ridsdale quits. 2003-04:
Leeds are relegated under caretaker Eddie Gray, Reid having been sacked in the November. Multiple bidders make hollow offers before a consortium of local businessmen take over, headed by insolvency practitioner Gerald Krasner. January 2005: Ken Bates buys the club, who now occupy a rented ground and training facility after Elland Road and Thorp Arch are sold to keep the wolf from the door. Bates is owner until late 2012, during which managers include Kevin Blackwell, John Carver, David Geddis, Dennis Wise, Gwyn Williams, Gary McAllister, Simon Grayson, Neil Redfearn and Neil Warnock. Leeds spend three years in League One (2007-10) and go into, and come out of, administration. December 2012:
Bates sells Leeds to Bahrain bank GFH Capital and it quickly becomes apparent GFH have neither the funds nor experience to run the club properly. They start looking for buyers even before they complete takeover. Eighteen months of chaos culminate in GFH selling 75 per cent of Leeds to controversial businessman Massimo Cellino by April 2014, after he appealed an initial ruling that he was an unfit buyer. April 2014:
The Cellino era lasts until May 2017 and is characterised by serial managerial sackings, fights with the Football League, multiple legal wrangles over alleged wrong-doing, staff chaos and on-pitch mediocrity. May 2017:
Italian businessman Andrea Radrizzani completes a 100 per cent buyout, having bought out Cellino and the remaining stake of GFH. He provokes controversy by announcing a tour to Myanmar. Radrizzani hires and fires two managers in his first season, Thomas Christiansen and Paul Heckingbottom, before appointing Marcelo Bielsa in June 2018.