English football phrase
"
Doing a Leeds
" is an
English football
phrase which is synonymous with the potentially dire consequences for domestic
clubs
in
financial mismanagement
. The phrase arose after the rapid decline of
Premier League
club
Leeds United F.C.
, who invested heavily in the late 1990s and early 2000s to attain domestic and lucrative European success, which was capped by high profile appearances in the semi-finals of the
UEFA Cup
and
UEFA Champions League
. However, in the process, the club built up large debts, and suffered financial meltdown after failing to continue to qualify for the competition, subsequently dropping down two levels of the
football pyramid
, into the third tier,
Football League One
.
Since the creation of the
Premier League
, a total of 24 of its former clubs have been relegated to League One, of which seven fell down further into the fourth tier (
Football League Two
) and one of these further into the fifth tier (the
National League
). Because they had never previously experienced relegation to League One or its predecessors, Leeds were the object of careful observation by media and derision by rival fans.
The fall and rise of Leeds United
[
edit
]
As champions of the final
First Division
season, Leeds United were one of the inaugural 22 clubs of the
Premier League
, the breakaway top division league competition formed in 1992. Leeds had sustained success in the league in late 1990s, and ultimately reached the semi-finals of the
2000?01 Champions League
. Their level of spending to do so however had exceeded all other clubs, and the club's debt level rose annually from £9m to £21m, £39m, £82m and peaked at around £119m, much of the money having been spent on
transfer fees
and players' wages. After the club failed to qualify for the
2002?03 Champions League
by only finishing fifth in the Premier League, it had to make drastic savings by selling players as it could no longer sustain the debt repayments, which relied on the ticket sales and television income from the European competition.
[1]
At the end of the
2003?04 FA Premier League
season, Leeds United were relegated to the
Football League Championship
. The financial effects continued, and with one game to go in the
2006?07 season
, the club voluntarily entered
administration
, incurring a 10-point league penalty, resulting in relegation to League One, the first time the club had ever been in the third tier of English football.
[2]
Subsequent breaches of financial rules in the summer nearly resulted in the club being expelled from the Football League altogether (a fate which coincidentally had befallen the club's predecessors,
Leeds City
), but they were ultimately re-admitted with a 15-point penalty to apply to the
2007?08 season
. Despite further appeals, the penalty stood and ultimately cost the club promotion that season.
At the end of the
2009?10
season, the club was promoted back to the
Championship
after a final day victory. They would remain in the Championship for a decade until they finally earned a promotion back to the Premier League for the
2020?21 season
, under the management of
Marcelo Bielsa
, having coming close to earning promotion in the
2018?19
season, where the club narrowly missed out on a play-off final spot. However, after finishing a respectable 9th in the first season back in the Premier League, the club's fortunes dipped again, narrowly avoiding relegation on the final day of the
2021?22
season, before suffering relegation back to the Championship on the final day of the
2022?23
season.
"Doing a Leeds"
[
edit
]
The term "doing a Leeds" or to "do a Leeds" has since become synonymous with financial mismanagement of a football club with potential dire consequences. It can refer specifically to any club that fails to plan adequately for the financial impact of either failure to qualify for the Champions League, or of not adequately restructuring following relegation from the
Premier League
to avoid a further drop, or more generally, to the rapid demise in the relative standing of any club.
[1]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
[9]
Managers and chairmen, although sometimes obliged to "chase the dream"
[10]
[11]
(the inevitable precursor of "doing a Leeds"), are often forced to deny they are "doing a Leeds" in the wake of a large investment that some analysts predict cannot be afforded by their club and may overstretch their budget.
[12]
Similarly, fans may fear their club will "do a Leeds" if its expensively acquired and maintained team is unable to qualify for the Champions League
[13]
or is relegated from the Premier League, thereby failing to "live the dream".
[14]
Conversely, the avoidance of "doing a Leeds" has been invoked by managers to justify selling their best players in order to raise funds to stave off going into administration, which might lead to a relegation-inducing penalty. Failure to invest at the expected "normal" rate in order to maintain a club's league position can be labelled as "doing a Leeds".
[15]
The phrase was notably used during the relegation of
Newcastle United
in 2009, one of the largest clubs to be relegated from the Premier League. Having bought the club, new owner
Mike Ashley
stated that his investment had in fact saved the club from "doing a Leeds".
[16]
In spite of this Newcastle suffered relegation at the end of the
2008?09 season
, sparking fears both before and after that the club could "do a Leeds" and drop further, into League One, without restructuring.
[17]
However, the club avoided this and bounced back the following season with automatic first place promotion.
The 2010 announcement of
Manchester United's
need to refinance their large debt as a bond issue following their purchase by
Malcolm Glazer
led to questions in the media whether even Manchester United, as the most successful Premier League-era club, could be in danger of "doing a Leeds".
[18]
Shelbourne
were referred to as the "Irish version of Leeds United" after winning the
League of Ireland Premier Division
in 2006 but being automatically demoted into the
League of Ireland First Division
for financial reasons.
The term has been applied to
Portsmouth
. Despite their winning in the
2007-08 FA Cup
, the club amassed debts which eventually saw them become the first Premier League club to enter administration in the
2009?10 season
, leading to relegation in the same season after the subsequent nine-point penalty. Portsmouth were relegated to League One after the
2011?12 season
of the Football League Championship, due to a 10-point deduction for entering administration; a near-identical scenario to what occurred to Leeds five years previously. They were again relegated after a 10-point deduction due to failing to pay footballing creditors, this time to League Two, in the
2012?13 season
.
Bolton Wanderers
are another team guilty of "Doing a Leeds", after enjoying a successful stint in the
Premier League
under
Sam Allardyce
, which culminated in qualifying for the
UEFA Cup
, reaching the last 16 in the latter, which included a draw and a victory against
Atletico Madrid
, and draws against
Bayern Munich
and
Sporting Lisbon
. After Allardyce's departure, the club began a steady decline, with relegation battles being a regular feature. The club then began a rapid decline that ultimately led to relegation on the last day of the 2011?12 season, and after languishing in the second tier for a few seasons, the club announced debts of £172.9m in 2015
[19]
and then were relegated to League One in 2016.
[20]
They would be relegated from
the Championship
(tier two) again in 2019 and the club was nearly expelled from the football league due to its financial woes: a new buyer was found but the club was nevertheless deducted 12 points for entering administration (because Bolton finished in the bottom three in the Championship in 2018-19, the points deduction was applied in the 2019?20 season in
League One
.) In
2019?20
Bolton was relegated to
League Two
(the fourth tier) for the first time since 1988, although the club achieved promotion back to League One at the first attempt in
2020?21
.
A similar phrase, "Doing a Bradford", was coined by former
Blackburn Rovers
player
Simon Garner
in 2012, a scenario that he was worried could befall his former club,
Bradford City
, following their relegation from the Premier League in 2001. They then fell three divisions to League Two, and were not promoted back to League One until 2013. The only other former Premier League clubs to have fallen to League Two are
Swindon Town
(in 2006 and then 2011, though they immediately gained promotion to League One on both occasions), Portsmouth,
Blackpool
, Coventry City,
Oldham Athletic
and
Bolton Wanderers
.
[21]
Ralf Rangnick
, sporting director of German
Bundesliga
club
RB Leipzig
, compared the mismanagement of
TSV 1860 Munich
to that of Leeds United, drawing direct parallels between the ownership and resulting fan dissatisfaction at both clubs.
[22]
The two clubs in fact met in a Champions League fixture in 2000,
[23]
before both experiencing relegation from their respective top flight leagues in the following seasons.
"Cruzeirar"
[
edit
]
In Brazilian football, "Cruzeirar"
[24]
(Doing a
Cruzeiro
) has the same meaning of "doing a Leeds", but refers to the Cruzeiro's dramatic decline, from being national champions in
2013
and
2014
to barely escaping relegation to
Serie C
in
2020
, due to serious financial mismanagement issues.
[25]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"Road to ruin"
.
The Herald
. Newsquest. 17 February 2007. Archived from
the original
on 26 May 2013
. Retrieved
23 January
2010
.
The first thing which comes to mind about Leeds United today is...their freefall, the collapse into the state they are in now because of Ridsdale's ruinous decision-making. They have become the biggest victim of all the money which has washed around English football in the Premiership era. Every other board of directors in the land is frightened of "doing a Leeds".
- ^
"Relegated Leeds in administration"
.
BBC Sport
. 4 May 2007. Archived from
the original
on 7 September 2009
. Retrieved
23 January
2010
.
- ^
Lovejoy, Joe (20 February 2005).
"Everton 0 Manchester 2: Irresistible United march on"
.
The Times
. London. Archived from
the original
on 4 June 2011
. Retrieved
23 January
2010
.
those erstwhile fans turning on him now should ponder the fact that his £28m transfer probably saved their club from "doing a Leeds", as financial meltdown has come to be known
- ^
Robson, Leo (25 March 2009).
"Damned to football"
.
The Times
. London. Archived from
the original
on 15 June 2011
. Retrieved
23 January
2010
.
This is the fate to which Peter Ridsdale, the chairman from 1997 until 2003, consigned the club with his profligacy and risk-taking; the phrase "doing a Leeds" is now a recognized one to describe a major club that fades away
- ^
Wilson, Paul (23 March 2003).
"Catchy Toon could be a classic"
.
The Guardian
. London. Archived from
the original
on 3 March 2014
. Retrieved
23 January
2010
.
...'doing a Leeds' has entered the language of English football. There is now an understandable worry that any club trying to haul themselves up on the Champions League ladder will crash spectacularly to earth in a couple of seasons.
- ^
"North East's elite outfits fear a fate as 'next Leeds'
"
.
The Journal
. njcMedia. 24 March 2009. Archived from
the original
on 7 March 2012
. Retrieved
23 January
2010
.
the "L" word sends them into a cold sweat. What they most fear is "doing a Leeds". Leeds United famously chased the dream and fell flat on their face, a monument to mismanagement lurking in League One as a warning
- ^
"Birmingham City in danger of 'doing a Leeds'
"
. Daily Mirror. 28 May 2008. Archived from
the original
on 5 June 2011
. Retrieved
23 January
2010
.
David Gold fears relegated Birmingham could end up dropping another division to League One - like Leeds - unless the club's mutinous mood changes
- ^
"City Diary"
. London: The Telegraph. 29 April 2004. Archived from
the original
on 5 June 2011
. Retrieved
23 January
2010
.
He's trying to raise £450,000 by selling a quarter of the company and as his spokesman put it: "We're doing a Leeds." What, selling all the players and going down? "No, I mean a Wimbledon."
- ^
Dickinson, Matt (16 January 2007).
"Bates still focused on grand vision"
.
The Times
. London. Archived from
the original
on 4 June 2011
. Retrieved
23 January
2010
.
But were Chelsea not hugely in debt and on the brink of "doing a Leeds" when Roman Abramovich made Bates an offer he could not refuse?
- ^
"Pompey pay for chasing the dream"
,
BBC Sport
, 11 February 2009. Retrieved 11 February 2010
- ^
"Manchester City making their voice heard as United pushed all the way in Carling Cup"
>, telegraph.co.uk, 28 January 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2010. "The cocky pretenders always seem to push it too far when they are chasing the dream, but they are not always left eating their words."
- ^
"Sullivan: Bitter manager wouldn't have been good for Birmingham City"
.
Birmingham Mail
. Trinity Mirror. 24 November 2007
. Retrieved
23 January
2010
.
As for a lack of funds, Sullivan said: "We've spent all the money we can afford as a club, without doing a Leeds United.
- ^
"Parry Vows To Keep Top Players"
.
Daily Post
. Trinity Mirror. 6 February 2003
. Retrieved
23 January
2010
.
RICK PARRY has promised Liverpool will not be forced into `doing a Leeds' by selling off their best players - even if they fail to qualify for next season's Champions League.
- ^
"Crunched creditors call time on living the dream"
, guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
- ^
"No compensation for Robbie amid a rising tally of missed sitters"
. Irish Independent. 7 December 2008. Archived from
the original
on 10 December 2008
. Retrieved
23 January
2010
.
Liverpool fans may think that if they had not lost Fernando Torres for much of the season they would now be 12 points clear. This would, however, increase the possibility of them "doing a Newcastle" something that cannot be countenanced while their American owners appear intent on "doing a Leeds".
- ^
Stewart, Rob (15 September 2008).
"Mike Ashley pledges to do 'what's best for Newcastle'
"
. London: The Telegraph. Archived from
the original
on 19 October 2008
. Retrieved
23 January
2010
.
Ashley insisted that he had saved Newcastle from "doing a Leeds". "Unless I had come into the club then it might not have survived,"
- ^
"Geordies need another messiah to justify immaculate deception"
. Irish Independent. 2 August 2009. Archived from
the original
on 5 August 2009
. Retrieved
23 January
2010
.
People warn that Newcastle United are in danger of "doing a Leeds" but it can be argued that when it comes to hubris, Newcastle United make Leeds look as modest as Dario Gradi's Crewe Alexandra
- ^
"Are Manchester United doing a Leeds?"
.
The Guardian
. London. 12 January 2010. Archived from
the original
on 15 January 2010
. Retrieved
23 January
2010
.
Scrutiny of the Premier League champions' financial results makes for eerily familiar reading. Will the weight of their debts drag them out of the Premier League in the next five seasons?
- ^
"Bolton Wanderers: Debt figure up to £172.9m after losses"
.
BBC Sport
. Retrieved
22 April
2016
.
- ^
"Derby County 4-1 Bolton Wanderers"
.
BBC Sport
. Retrieved
22 April
2016
.
- ^
Johnston, Neil.
"Former Blackburn striker Simon Garner raises fresh fears"
.
BBC Sport
. Retrieved
12 March
2016
.
- ^
Nash, Mathew.
"Ralf Rangnick compares 1860 Munich troubles to those at Leeds United"
.
Here Is The City
. Retrieved
21 April
2017
.
- ^
"LEEDS UNITED | 1860 Munich v Leeds clockwatch"
.
BBC Sport
. Retrieved
21 April
2017
.
- ^
"Blog do Gabriel - O que e 'cruzeirar'?"
.
Central do Timao - Noticias do Corinthians
. 15 June 2020
. Retrieved
17 August
2021
.
- ^
"Cruzeiro chega a R$ 500 milhoes em dividas e e investigado por operacoes irregulares"
.
G1
(in Brazilian Portuguese). 27 May 2019
. Retrieved
17 August
2021
.
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