Leeds relegated (May 2004)

In May 2004, Leeds United made the journey to Bolton Wanderers, knowing that anything other than a victory would condemn them to relegation. Three years earlier, they had been preparing to take on Spanish side Valencia in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.

The financial gamble at Elland Road had ended in a spectacular failure. Believing they would qualify for the UEFA Champions League in every single season backfired on Peter Risdale and the club’s directors. A 5^th place finish in 2001-2002 and the summer sacking of David O’Leary began the catalyst for the dramatic downfall.

To balance the books, high-earning players were sold off almost like an auction. Rio Ferdinand was sold to Manchester United for £30 million. Other departures saw Lee Bowyer join West Ham United, Robbie Fowler reluctantly move to Manchester City and Jonathan Woodgate leave for Newcastle United. Relegation was avoided in 2002-2003 by a surprise win at Highbury on the penultimate weekend.

The debt levels continued to rise. More players left and Peter Reid followed O’Leary and Terry Venables out of the managerial door within 15 months. The downward spiral showed no signs of ending and top-flight extinction was confirmed on a hot afternoon at The Reebok Stadium.

Leeds did lead through a Mark Viduka penalty in the 27^th minute. Six minutes later though, he had been sent off for two extremely cheap bookings. Bolton dominated the second half. Two goals from Youri Djorkaeff, an own goal by Ian Harte and one for Kevin Nolan sealed a 4-1 success for the Trotters. Although not officially confirmed because of freakish mathematics, Leeds were effectively relegated on that Sunday afternoon.

The fans have continued to support their club, even having seen them drop into League One for a period since their Premier League run ended in 2004. In 2020, they ended their 16-year exile from the elite, winning the SkyBet EFL Championship by 10 points. A club like Leeds has been through a lot of pain but as one of English football’s biggest clubs, it is great to see them back in the top-flight.