The title-winning boss took over at Elland Road in October 1988
Having just left top division Sheffield Wednesday, his hometown club he played for, few expected Howard Wilkinson to then arrive at Leeds United in 1988. They may not have expected it, but that’s what happened as a memorable eight-year spell in charge of the Whites began.
Wilkinson had just left First Division Wednesday, where he had been for three years, to drop down a division and take the reins at Leeds who, after a bad start to the season, had dropped to fourth from bottom in the old Division Two, leading to the sacking of club legend Billy Bremner.
Recalling the start of his journey with Leeds, Wilkinson has explained what the first words he said to his players were: “There’s a plane sitting on the runway. It’s going to take off and it’s going to fly. You have three weeks to decide whether you want to get on it or not.”
Wilkinson also revealed what he said to then Leeds United chairman Leslie Silver in their first meeting. Silver asked him what he would do in his situation and Wilkinson replied: “You need to change. You’ve got to change the approach and the culture. You’re living in the past, trying to relive the Don Revie era – but you haven’t got Revie players. You’re successful in the paint business. You haven’t done that by making the same paint the same way you were 15 years ago.”
And the rest is history. The following season Wilkinson’s Leeds United team won the Second Division before being crowned the last ever winners of the old First Division in 1992. Howard Wilkinson remains the last English manager to win the top flight of English football.
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