Don Revie: The Biography: Shortlisted for THE SUNDAY TIMES Sports Book Awards 2022

**This is the definitive story of Don Revie, a player and manager who singlehandedly changed the face of English football but left behind a legacy shrouded in allegations of corruption and dishonesty.** Whenever the greatest managers the game has ever produced are mentioned, names like Busby, Shankly, Paisley and Ferguson always trip off the tongue. Despite dominating the game in the late 1960s and 70s, there is clearly one name missing, the former Leeds United and England manager Don Revie. Don Revie was one of the most complex and controversial men ever to grace the game of football. As a player he was crowned footballer of the year and credited with creating the modern center-forward. As a manager, he took a Leeds United side languishing in the lower half of the second division and turned them, not only into league champions, but one of the most dominant sides in the country. In 1974, as Sir Alf Ramsay ran out of time as England manager, it was to Revie, that the Football Association turned. With England, Revie lost the magic touch he had at Leeds and became increasingly indecisive. Having failed to qualify for the European Championships in 1976 and on the brink of going out in the qualifying stages of the 1978 World Cup, Revie feared the sack. After negotiating a big money contract with United Arab Emirates Revie became the first man to walk out on the England job. Then came the backlash. Branded a traitor and banned from the game for 10 years, the press declared open season on Revie. Accused of offering bribes to throw matches, Revie's reputation was destroyed. Shunned by the football establishment, when he died just 12 years after walking out on England the FA did not even send a representative to his funeral. His death robbed him of the opportunity ever to rebuild his reputation as one of the most important figures ever seen in English football. The life and times of this multifaceted, enigmatic, pioneering football man, have still never been fully explored and explained in detail before. Based on exclusive interviews, this is the first biography to examine in depth the secrets of Revie's life. The book also reveal how today's football owes so much to Don Revie, in order to redeem the reputation of Don Revie for the first time ever, so that he can finally take his rightful place among the greats of the game. THE LIFE AND TIMES OF DON REVIE – ONE OF THE MOST COMPLEX AND CONTROVERSIAL MEN EVER TO GRACE THE GAME OF FOOTBALL 'Engrossing' Sunday Times 'A poignant and engrossing read... a well-crafted biography.' – FourFourTwo 'Thoroughly researched and engagingly written, this superb biography sheds new light on one of the most controversial, enigmatic figures in football history' – Leo McKinstry, journalist, historian and award-winning author 'Excellent' – Johnny Giles, Leeds United legend 'Essential reading' Ryan Sabey, the Sun Whenever the greatest managers the game has ever produced are mentioned, names like Busby, Shankly, Paisley and Ferguson trip off the tongue. Despite dominating the game in the late 1960s and '70s there is one name missing: Don Revie, the former Leeds United and England manager. Revie was one of the most complex and controversial men ever to grace the game of football. As a player, he was crowned Footballer of the Year and credited with creating the modern centre-forward. As a manager, he took a Leeds United side languishing in the lower half of the second division and turned them into not only league champions, but one of the most dominant sides in the country. As England manager, Revie lost the magic touch and became increasingly indecisive. After three years in the role and fearing the sack, Revie became the first man to walk out on England. Then came the backlash. Revie was branded a traitor and banned from the game for 10 years, and the press declared open season on the manager. Accused of offering bribes to throw matches, his reputation was destroyed. Shunned by the football establishment, he died just 12 years after walking out on England. Revie's death, at the age of 61, robbed him of the opportunity ever to rebuild his reputation as one of the most important figures ever seen in English football. The life and times of this multifaceted, enigmatic, pioneering football man have still never been fully explored and explained in detail before. Featuring new interviews with Johnny Giles, Kevin Keegan, Norman Hunter, Eddie Gray, Allan Clarke, Joe Jordan, Gordon McQueen, Malcolm Macdonald and members of the Revie family, this long-overdue biography reveals how today's football owes so much to Don Revie. --- 'A no-holds-barred insight that convinces the reader that Don Revie stands amongst the giants of English football.' -Lord Mann 'Meticulously researched and expertly crafted exploration' - Jeff Powell, Daily Mail 'A superb read'. - Alex Montgomery, Chief football writer and former Chairman of the Football Writers Association The definitive story of Don Revie, a player and manager who singlehandedly changed the face of English football but left behind a legacy shrouded in allegations of corruption and dishonesty. Whenever the greatest managers the game has ever produced are mentioned, names like Busby, Shankly, Paisley and Ferguson trip off the tongue. Despite dominating the game in the late 1960s and 70s, there is clearly one name missing: Don Revie, the former Leeds United and England manager. Revie was one of the most complex and controversial men ever to grace the game of football. As a player he was crowned footballer of the year and credited with creating the modern centre-forward. As a manager, he took a Leeds United side languishing in the lower half of the second division and turned them into not only league champions, but one of the most dominant sides in the country. In 1974, as Sir Alf Ramsay ran out of time as England manager, it was to Revie that the Football Association turned. With England, Revie lost the magic touch he had had at Leeds, and became increasingly indecisive. Having failed to qualify for the European Championships in 1976 and on the brink of going out in the qualifying stages of the 1978 World Cup, Revie feared the sack. After negotiating a big money contract with United Arab Emirates Revie became the first man to walk out of the England job. Then came the backlash. Branded a traitor and banned from the game for 10 years, the press declared open season on Revie. Accused of offering bribes to throw matches, his reputation was destroyed. Shunned by the football establishment, when he died just 12 years after walking out on England, the FA did not even send a representative to his funeral. His death robbed him of the opportunity ever to rebuild his reputation as one of the most important figures ever seen in English football. The life and times of this multifaceted, enigmatic, pioneering football man, have still never been fully explored and explained in detail before. Based on exclusive interviews, this is the first biography to examine in depth the secrets of Revie's life. The book also reveals how today's football owes so much to Don Revie, in order to redeem the reputation of Don Revie for the first time, so that he can finally take his rightful place among the greats of the game. SHORTLISTED FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 2022 The life and times of Don Revie – one of the most complex and controversial men ever to grace the game of football. Whenever the greatest managers the game has ever produced are mentioned, names like Busby, Shankly, Paisley and Ferguson trip off the tongue. Despite dominating the game in the late 1960s and '70s there is one name missing: Don Revie, the former Leeds United and England manager. Revie was one of the most complex and controversial men ever to grace the game of football. As a player, he was crowned Footballer of the Year and credited with creating the modern centre-forward. As a manager, he took a Leeds United side languishing in the lower half of the second division and turned them into not only league champions, but one of the most dominant sides in the country. As England manager, Revie lost the magic touch and became increasingly indecisive. After three years in the role and fearing the sack, Revie became the first man to walk out on England. Then came the backlash. Revie was branded a traitor and banned from the game for 10 years, and the press declared open season on the manager. Accused of offering bribes to throw matches, his reputation was destroyed. Shunned by the football establishment, he died just 12 years after walking out on England. Revie's death, at the age of 61, robbed him of the opportunity ever to rebuild his reputation as one of the most important figures ever seen in English football. The life and times of this multifaceted, enigmatic, pioneering football man have still never been fully explored and explained in detail before. Featuring new interviews with Johnny Giles, Kevin Keegan, Norman Hunter, Eddie Gray, Allan Clarke, Joe Jordan, Gordon McQueen, Malcolm Macdonald and members of the Revie family, this long-overdue biography reveals how today's football owes so much to Don Revie. Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Contents 6 Foreword 8 Prologue 10 Part One 18 Chapter 1: Beginnings 20 Chapter 2: Leicester City (1944–49) 30 Chapter 3: Hull City (1949–51) 46 Chapter 4: Manchester City (1951–56) 53 Chapter 5: Sunderland (1956–58) 71 Part Two 84 Chapter 6: Leeds United (1958–61) 86 Chapter 7: Leeds United (1961–63) 94 Chapter 8: Leeds United (1963–64) 115 Chapter 9: Leeds United (1964–65) 124 Chapter 10: Leeds United (1965–66) 147 Chapter 11: Leeds United (1966–67) 158 Chapter 12: Leeds United (1967–68) 167 Chapter 13: Leeds United (1968–69) 177 Chapter 14: Leeds United (1969–70) 188 Chapter 15: Leeds United (1970–71) 203 Chapter 16: Leeds United (1971–72) 217 Chapter 17: Leeds United (1972–73) 229 Chapter 18: Leeds United (1973–74) 243 Chapter 19: Leeds United (1974) 260 Part Three 270 Chapter 20: England (1974–75) 272 Chapter 21: England (1975–77) 296 Part Four 320 Chapter 22: In the Desert (1977–83) 322 Chapter 23: Back Home (1984–89) 345 Epilogue – No Time For Redemption 356 Acknowledgements 370 Bibliography 373 Books 373 Newspapers 375 Websites 376 Other 376 Index 377 Plates 386