The 2007–08 season was Leeds United's first ever season in the third tier of English football following relegation from the Football League Championship the previous season.
| 2007–08 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Ken Bates | ||
| Manager | Dennis Wise (until 28 January)[1] Gwyn Williams (caretaker, until 29 Jan)[2] Gary McAllister (from 29 January) | ||
| Stadium | Elland Road | ||
| League One | 5th (qualified for play-offs) | ||
| Play-offs | Runners-up | ||
| FA Cup | First round | ||
| League Cup | Second round | ||
| League Trophy | Area quarter-finals | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Jermaine Beckford (20) All: Jermaine Beckford (20) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 38,256 vs Gillingham (3 May 2008, League One) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 11,315 vs Hereford United (20 November 2007, FA Cup) | ||
| Average home league attendance | 26,040 | ||
Season summary
For much of the summer of 2007, there were many doubts about whether or not Leeds would even survive until their first-ever season in the third tier, with the club massively in debt by League One standards, and having few assets to their name thanks to having sold off Elland Road and their training ground during their previous spell in administration in 2003-2004. The club's failure to agree a company voluntary arrangement with their creditors (most notably the HMRC) saw them suffer the indignity of becoming the first Football League club since Barnet in 1993 to be put up for an expulsion vote. The other clubs ultimately voted for Leeds to retain their League status, but also to be subjected to a 15-point deduction.
Despite this, and many predictions that they would suffer what would have been a third relegation in four years, the team won their first seven games and effectively eliminated the 15-point deduction. Results began to slip after assistant manager Gus Poyet left to join Tottenham Hotspur as assistant manager in November, and then their form further declined after manager Dennis Wise himself departed to become director of football at Newcastle United. Former club hero Gary McAllister returned as manager, but struggled to turn their form around, leaving them looking hopelessly off the play-off race by mid-March. However, a late flurry of wins saw Leeds finish 5th in the league, qualifying them for the play-offs. In the play-off semi-finals, the club beat Carlisle over two legs, booking them a place at Wembley in the final. However, dreams were shattered when the team were beaten 1–0 by Doncaster, resigning the club to a second season in League One.
Jermaine Beckford had an impressive first full season with the club, being named League One Player of the Year and scoring over 20 goals in the process. The club recorded the highest attendance in the country outside the Premier League, in the 2–1 victory against Gillingham in May.
First-team squad
Squad information
- Last updated: 25 May 2008
- Source: Wikipedia players' articles, Leeds United, Sky Sports and Leeds, Leeds, Leeds Magazine (April–May 2007 issue)
- Ordered by Squad Number.
- Player must own an EU passport or be a full, current, 'A' international to legally play in English football. (Source)
- Squad size is unlimited.
Appearances (starts and substitute appearances) and goals include those in The Premiership, The Championship (and playoffs), League One (and playoffs), FA Cup, League Cup, Football League Trophy, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup.
Squad includes players registered with the club on the last day of the season (25 May 2008) only.
Squad stats
Disciplinary record
| N | Pos. | Nat. | Name |  |  |  | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | CM |  | Hughes | 11 | 0 | 0 | |
| 20 | FW |  | Kandol | 8 | 1 | 0 | |
| 9 | FW | | Beckford | 8 | 1 | 0 | |
| 4 | CM | | Douglas | 8 | 1 | 0 | |
| 7 | RM | | Prutton | 8 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | CB | | Heath | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | CB |  | Rui Marques | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
| 8 | CM | | Thompson | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
| 14 | CM | | Howson | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | CB | | Huntington | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| 35 | CB | | Kenton | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| 37 | CM | | Kilkenny | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| 33 | CB |  | Michalík | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| 11 | CM | | Westlake | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| 32 | LB |  | Sheehan | 2 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1 | GK |  | Ankergren | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 17 | LM |  | Carole | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 30 | LM | | da Costa | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 16 | FW | | Andrews | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 24 | LB | | Clapham | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 32 | FW |   | de Vries | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 29 | FW | | Elliott | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 16 | CM | | Johnson | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 26 | LB | | Parker | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 24 | MF |  | Sweeney | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Last updated: 25 May 2008
Source: BBC Sport
Only competitive matches = Number of bookings; = Number of sending offs after a second yellow card; = Number of sending offs by a direct red card.
Awards
Player of the Year Awards
The results of the 2007–08 Leeds United F.C. Player of the Year Awards were announced at a dinner on 29 April 2008 at Elland Road.[3]
- Fans' Player of the Year: Jermaine Beckford (Runners-up: David Prutton, Jonathan Douglas)
- Fans' Young Player of the Year: Jonny Howson (Runner-up: Paul Huntington)
- Fans' Goal of the Season: Jermaine Beckford vs Hartlepool (8 September 2007)
- Players' Player of the Year: Jermaine Beckford
- Players' Young Player of the Year: Jonny Howson
- Best Contribution to Community: Casper Ankergren
Team of the Week
The following players have been selected in the official Coca-Cola Football League One team of the week.
- 20 August 2007: Alan Thompson[4]
- 27 August 2007: Jermaine Beckford, Trésor Kandol[5]
- 3 September 2007: Jonathan Douglas, Trésor Kandol[6]
- 10 September 2007: Jermaine Beckford[7]
- 17 September 2007: Jermaine Beckford[8]
- 24 September 2007: Jonathan Douglas, Frazer Richardson[9]
- 1 October 2007: Sébastien Carole[10]
- 8 October 2007: Rui Marques, Jamie Clapham[11]
- 15 October 2007: Sébastien Carole[12]
- 22 October 2007: Matt Heath, Jonathan Douglas[13]
- 29 October 2007: Jonathan Douglas[14]
- 19 November 2007: Jonny Howson, Jermaine Beckford[15]
- 10 December 2007: Jermaine Beckford, Jonathan Douglas[16]
- 17 December 2007: Jonathan Douglas[17]
- 28 January 2008: Paul Huntington, Peter Sweeney[18]
- 3 March 2008: Jonny Howson, Trésor Kandol[19]
- 10 March 2008: Casper Ankergren, Bradley Johnson[20]
- 17 March 2008: Rui Marques, Dougie Freedman[21]
- 7 April 2008: Bradley Johnson[22]
- 14 April 2008: Jonny Howson, Dougie Freedman[23]
- 21 April 2008: Alan Sheehan[24]
Other Awards
The following Leeds United F.C. players and staff have won the following awards whilst contracted to the club in the 2007–08 season.
- Coca-Cola League One Manager of the Month: Dennis Wise (August,[25] September[26])
- Coca-Cola League One Fans' Player of the Month: Trésor Kandol (September[27]), Jermaine Beckford (October,[28] January[29])
- Coca-Cola League One Player of the Month: Casper Ankergren (September[30]), Dougie Freedman (April[31])
- FourFourTwo Player of the Year for Coca-Cola League 1: Jermaine Beckford (2008[32])
- PFA League One Team of the Season: Jermaine Beckford[33]
- Yorkshire Evening Post Player of the Year (Leeds United): David Prutton, (Runner-up: Jermaine Beckford)[34]
Transfers
In
Out
EU = if holds or not a European Union passport; Country: when 2 flags, 1st flag = country that plays for internationally, 2nd flag = country of birth; N = number on jersey; P = Position (for position name, pause mouse pointer on abbreviation); Name = Name on jersey (for more extensive name, pause mouse pointer on name); Age = age on the day of the signing; Moving from = only indicate the club the player was playing before start playing for this club in this season, for the type of the moving see Status column; Moving to = only indicates the club the player is going to play next, for the type of the moving see Status column; Ends = when the player's current contract ends; n/a = Not applicable.
1Original transfer fee was £300k, but rose to £500k when Stoke City were promoted to The Premiership.[35]
2Player came out of retirement in November 2008 to play for MK Dons.
Detailing transfers up to 25 May 2008 only.
Loans
EU = if holds or not a European Union passport; Country: when 2 flags, 1st flag = country that plays for internationally, 2nd flag = country of birth; No. = number on jersey; P = Position (for position name, pause mouse pointer on abbreviation); Name = Name on jersey (for more extensive name, pause mouse pointer on name); In/Out = In: The player came in on loan, Out: The player went out on loan; Loan club = the club that the player moved on loan to or the club that the player came from on loan; Started = the date when the player's loan started; Ended = the date when the player's loan ended.
Details loan moves up to 25 May 2008 only.
Pre-season
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result[a] | Scorers | Attendance | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 July 2007 | Shelbourne | Away | 2–0 | Blake, Prutton | [36] | |
| 13 July 2007 | York City | Away | 0–0 | — | 4,019 | [37] |
| 18 July 2007 | Union Berlin | Away | 0–2 | — | 7,602 | [38] |
| 21 July 2007[b] | Slovan Liberec | Away | 0–1 | — | [40] | |
| 23 July 2007 | Energie Cottbus | Away | 1–2 | Kandol | [41] | |
| 28 July 2007 | Burnley | Away | 0–2 | — | [42] | |
| 31 July 2007 | Darlington | Away | 1–0 | Beckford | 3,270 | [43] |
| 4 August 2007 | Wigan Athletic | Home | 1–2 | Beckford | 7,469 | [44] |
| 6 August 2007 | Guiseley | Away | 0–2 | — | 2,180 | [45] |
Competitions
Overall summary
| Competition | Started round | Final position / round | First match | Last match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Football League One | — | 5th1 | 11 August 2007 | 3 May 2008 |
| Football League Cup | 1st round | 2nd round | 14 August 2007 | 28 August 2007 |
| Football League Trophy | 2nd round | Area QF | 9 October 2007 | 13 November 2007 |
| FA Cup | 1st round | 1st round | 9 November 2007 | 20 November 2007 |
Updated to match played 4 May 2008
Source: Competitions
1 Qualified for play-offs. Lost to Doncaster Rovers in the final. With the 15-point deduction, would have finished second and received automatic promotion.
League One
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Doncaster Rovers (O, P) | 46 | 23 | 11 | 12 | 65 | 41 | +24 | 80 | Qualification for League One play-offs[c] |
| 4 | Carlisle United | 46 | 23 | 11 | 12 | 64 | 46 | +18 | 80 | |
| 5 | Leeds United | 46 | 27 | 10 | 9 | 72 | 38 | +34 | 76[d] | |
| 6 | Southend United | 46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 70 | 55 | +15 | 76 | |
| 7 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 46 | 19 | 12 | 15 | 58 | 50 | +8 | 69 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted
Notes:
Results summary
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 46 | 27 | 10 | 9 | 72 | 38 | +34 | 761 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 41 | 18 | +23 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 31 | 20 | +11 |
Last updated: 4 May 2008.
Source: The Football League
1 Deducted 15 points for failure to comply with rules on insolvency.
Results by round
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
Matches
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result[a] | Scorers | Attendance | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 August 2007 | Tranmere Rovers | Away | 2–1 | Heath, Kandol | 11,008 | [46] |
| 18 August 2007 | Southend United | Home | 4–1 | Thompson, Flo, Marques, Beckford | 24,036 | [47] |
| 25 August 2007 | Nottingham Forest | Away | 2–1 | Kandol, Beckford | 25,237 | [48] |
| 1 September 2007 | Luton Town | Home | 1–0 | Kandol | 26,856 | [49] |
| 8 September 2007 | Hartlepool United | Home | 2–0 | Kandol, Beckford | 26,877 | [50] |
| 14 September 2007 | Bristol Rovers | Away | 3–0 | Beckford (2), Kandol | 11,883 | [51] |
| 22 September 2007 | Swansea City | Home | 2–0 | Beckford, Prutton | 29,467 | [52] |
| 29 September 2007 | Gillingham | Away | 1–1 | Carole | 8,719 | [53] |
| 2 October 2007 | Oldham Athletic | Away | 1–0 | Westlake | 10,054 | [54] |
| 6 October 2007 | Yeovil Town | Home | 1–0 | de Vries | 27,808 | [55] |
| 13 October 2007 | Leyton Orient | Home | 1–1 | Carole | 29,177 | [56] |
| 20 October 2007 | Brighton & Hove Albion | Away | 1–0 | Kandol | 8,691 | [57] |
| 27 October 2007 | Millwall | Home | 4–2 | Prutton, Beckford, Douglas (2) | 30,319 | [58] |
| 3 November 2007 | Carlisle United | Away | 1–3 | Beckford | 16,668 | [59] |
| 6 November 2007 | AFC Bournemouth | Away | 3–1 | Kandol (2), Carole | 9,632 | [60] |
| 17 November 2007 | Swindon Town | Home | 2–1 | Beckford (2, 1 pen) | 27,990 | [61] |
| 25 November 2007 | Cheltenham Town | Away | 0–1 | — | 7,043 | [62] |
| 4 December 2007 | Port Vale | Home | 3–0 | Prutton, Beckford, Flo | 20,301 | [63] |
| 8 December 2007 | Huddersfield Town | Home | 4–0 | Douglas, Beckford (2), Flo | 32,501 | [64] |
| 15 December 2007 | Walsall | Away | 1–1 | Thompson | 10,102 | [65] |
| 22 December 2007 | Bristol Rovers | Home | 1–0 | Howson | 27,863 | [66] |
| 26 December 2007 | Hartlepool United | Away | 1–1 | Beckford | 7,784 | [67] |
| 29 December 2007 | Swansea City | Away | 2–3 | Beckford, Thompson | 19,010 | [68] |
| 1 January 2008 | Oldham Athletic | Home | 1–3 | Constantine | 25,906 | [69] |
| 5 January 2008 | Northampton Town | Home | 3–0 | Richardson, Marques, Weston | 24,472 | [70] |
| 14 January 2008 | Crewe Alexandra | Away | 1–0 | Beckford | 6,771 | [71] |
| 19 January 2008 | Doncaster Rovers | Home | 0–1 | — | 31,402 | [72] |
| 26 January 2008 | Luton Town | Away | 1–1 | Huntington | 9,297 | [73] |
| 29 January 2008 | Southend United | Away | 0–1 | — | 9,819 | [74] |
| 2 February 2008 | Tranmere Rovers | Home | 0–2 | — | 24,907 | [75] |
| 9 February 2008 | Northampton Town | Away | 1–1 | Howson | 7,260 | [76] |
| 12 February 2008 | Nottingham Forest | Home | 1–1 | Beckford (pen) | 29,552 | [77] |
| 23 February 2008 | Crewe Alexandra | Home | 1–1 | Kandol | 21,223 | [78] |
| 1 March 2008 | Swindon Town | Away | 1–0 | Kandol | 13,270 | [79] |
| 8 March 2008 | AFC Bournemouth | Home | 2–0 | Johnson, Kilkenny | 21,199 | [80] |
| 11 March 2008 | Cheltenham Town | Home | 1–2 | Elding | 20,257 | [81] |
| 15 March 2008 | Port Vale | Away | 3–3 | Marques, Freedman (2) | 7,908 | [82] |
| 22 March 2008 | Walsall | Home | 2–0 | Beckford (2) | 19,095 | [83] |
| 29 March 2008 | Brighton & Hove Albion | Home | 0–0 | — | 22,575 | [84] |
| 1 April 2008 | Doncaster Rovers | Away | 1–0 | Sheehan | 15,001 | [85] |
| 5 April 2008 | Leyton Orient | Away | 2–0 | Johnson, Beckford | 7,602 | [86] |
| 12 April 2008 | Carlisle United | Home | 3–2 | Freedman (2), Howson | 28,530 | [87] |
| 15 April 2008 | Huddersfield Town | Away | 0–1 | — | 16,413 | [88] |
| 19 April 2008 | Millwall | Away | 2–0 | Prutton, Hughes | 13,395 | [89] |
| 25 April 2008 | Yeovil Town | Away | 1–0 | Freedman | 9,527 | [90] |
| 3 May 2008 | Gillingham | Home | 2–1 | Johnson, Kandol | 38,256 | [91] |
Play-offs
| Semi finals | Final | ||||||||||
| 3 | Doncaster Rovers | 0 | 5 | 5 | |||||||
| 6 | Southend United | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Doncaster Rovers | 1 | ||||||||||
| Leeds United | 0 | ||||||||||
| 4 | Carlisle United | 2 | 0 | 2 | |||||||
| 5 | Leeds United | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||
Last updated: 25 May 2008.
Source: The Football League
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result[a] | Scorers | Attendance | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-final first leg | 12 May 2008 | Carlisle United | Home | 1–2 | Freedman | 36,297 | [92] |
| Semi-final second leg | 15 May 2008 | Carlisle United | Away | 2–0[b] | Howson (2) | 12,873 | [93] |
| final | 25 May 2008 | Doncaster Rovers | Neutral | 0–1 | — | 75,132 | [94] |
FA Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result[a] | Scorers | Attendance | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | 9 November 2007 | Hereford United | Away | 0–0 | — | 5,924 | [95] |
| First round replay | 20 November 2007 | Hereford United | Home | 0–1 | — | 11,315 | [96] |
League Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result[a] | Scorers | Attendance | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | 14 August 2007 | Macclesfield Town | Away | 1–0 | Westlake | 3,422 | [97] |
| Second round | 28 August 2007 | Portsmouth | Away | 0–3 | — | 8,502 | [98] |
Football League Trophy
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result[a] | Scorers | Attendance | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Second round | 9 October 2007 | Darlington | Away | 1–0 | Huntington | 7,891 | [99] |
| Area quarter-final | 13 November 2007 | Bury | Home | 1–2 | Constantine | 18,809 | [100] |
Notes
References
External links
- 2007–08 Leeds United F.C. season on BBC Sport: Club news – Recent results and fixtures
- Official Website
- Sky Sports