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Howard Wilkinson to Leeds


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I think a healthy proportion, including Howard himself, had had enough by the time of his move.

I don't there was any great upset, though that might be my mind playing tricks.

Hw was great for us, but once he tried to change the football he lost his way. Whatever money he did have he didn't do well with.

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I think it was something to do with the youth set up leeds were prepared to let him do it Wednesday weren't

This is correct, Wilko totally dismantled old the youth team and replaced it with there academy system. He was very forward thinking about developing the youth production lines.

Batty

Speed

Kelly

Harte

Kewell

Mcphail

Smith

Robinson

Woodgate

Carson

Milner

Lennon

All academy graduates who went on to play for their national teams.

We have alot to thank Wilko for.

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Thats a big assumtion, bearing in mind they were 18th in the old second division when he left a first division Wednesday to go there. That's one ambitious business plan.

But it was. Look at the team that won the title for Leeds...all Wilkinson signings bar Batty and Speed who had come up from the youth team. He made some big money signings (Lukic, Dorigo, Mcallister, Wallace all 1 million plus) along with Hodge and Cantona just under a mill and some very astute signings Chapman, Sterland, Strachan etc. Had our board shown anything like that sort of ambition he would probably have stayed and may have won the title for us instead of Leeds.

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As mentioned by other posters he was not given the financial backing of the board and the team started to go stale. Some fans blamed Wilkinson others the board and Bert Mcgee. One such example was when we nearly signed Mark Wright from Southampton. We had agreed a fee of 750,00 but he turned us down at the last minute claiming he did not want to move up north. He then signed for Derby for 760,000! I assume he had been offered bigger wages to play for Derby.

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I think a healthy proportion, including Howard himself, had had enough by the time of his move.

I don't there was any great upset, though that might be my mind playing tricks.

Hw was great for us, but once he tried to change the football he lost his way. Whatever money he did have he didn't do well with.

Can't agree with the "Whatever money he did have he didn't do well with" bit. He signed Hirst, Pearson, Worthington, Marwood, Chapman, Martin Hodge, Siggi Jonsson all for next to nowt. OK he signed some duffers as well (Colin West, Larry May and Ian Cranson come to mind) but given the budget he had to work with that was hardly surprising

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Can't agree with the "Whatever money he did have he didn't do well with" bit. He signed Hirst, Pearson, Worthington, Marwood, Chapman, Martin Hodge, Siggi Jonsson all for next to nowt. OK he signed some duffers as well (Colin West, Larry May and Ian Cranson come to mind) but given the budget he had to work with that was hardly surprising

The general opinion of Howard Wilkinson is a lot higher now then is was when he left, me included.

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But it was. Look at the team that won the title for Leeds...all Wilkinson signings bar Batty and Speed who had come up from the youth team. He made some big money signings (Lukic, Dorigo, Mcallister, Wallace all 1 million plus) along with Hodge and Cantona just under a mill and some very astute signings Chapman, Sterland, Strachan etc. Had our board shown anything like that sort of ambition he would probably have stayed and may have won the title for us instead of Leeds.

Totally agree with you. Leeds were crap at that time in the second division and we were about third in the first. A typical lack of ambition by the Wednesday board.

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I can remember people at School being glad he left.

Things had gone a bit stale at Wednesday for him (with hindsight probably due to lack of funds) and when Leeds came knocking I do not think many people were upset.

People at school may not have been upset, but I can assure you that a great many mature Owls supporters were very upset. Me included.

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Totally agree with you. Leeds were crap at that time in the second division and we were about third in the first. A typical lack of ambition by the Wednesday board.

It must have been some major sell by the then Leeds board, to convince him to come to Leeds, who at the time where in serious trouble of being in a relegation dogfight, rather than stay with Wednesday who, as you say, were top 5 in the league.

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