Don Revie
English football manager
Died when: 61 years 320 days (742 months)Star Sign: Cancer
Donald George Revie OBE (10 July 1927 – 26 May 1989) was an England international footballer and manager, best known for his successful spell with Leeds United from 1961 until 1974, which immediately preceded his appointment as England manager.
A forward, he began his career with Leicester City in August 1944, before a £19,000 move to Hull City in November 1949.
He was sold on to Manchester City in October 1951 for a fee of £25,000, where he became the main focus of the "Revie Plan" which saw him named as FWA Footballer of the Year in 1954–55 after innovating the role of the first deep-lying centre forward in England.
He won the FA Cup in 1956, having finished on the losing side in the 1955 final.He was bought by Sunderland for £22,000 in October 1956, before moving on to Leeds United in November 1958 for a £14,000 fee.
In total he scored 108 goals in 501 league and cup appearances in an 18-year professional career, also scoring four goals in six England appearances as well as winning representative honours for the Football League XI and the England B team.
In March 1961, Revie was appointed player-manager of Leeds United, then a Second Division club who had never won a major trophy.
Under Revie's management, Leeds became a major force in English football, winning the Second Division in 1963–64, the First Division in 1968–69 and 1973–74, the FA Cup in 1972, the League Cup in 1968, the FA Charity Shield in 1969, and the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1968 and 1971.
Additionally, Leeds were First Division runners-up five times, three times FA Cup runners-up and runners-up in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup.
In July 1974 he accepted the job as England manager, but had an unsuccessful three years in the role before quitting in highly controversial circumstances to take up the management role with the United Arab Emirates.
He later had spells in Middle Eastern club football with Al-Nasr and Al-Ahly.As Leeds manager he was criticised for the physical and often negative approach of his teams, though the period was noted for its highly physical football across the country.
His resignation as England manager fuelled criticism of him as money-obsessed, and unproved allegations of bribery and financial misconduct also tarnished his reputation.
He retired in 1984, but was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in May 1987, which led to his death two years later.
He remains a highly popular figure in Leeds, and has a stand named after him at Elland Road as well as a statue outside the ground.
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