Leeds were still a pretty good team for four or five years after Don Revie left, but it slowly started to fall apart after that semi-final loss to Man U.The Fonz wrote:I actually think with better management (Giles ?) we would have done better, we had a good number of decent players on the books during the years after Revie. The likes of Cherry, Currie, Jordan, McQueen, Graham, McKenzie, Hart, Hankin, Harris, etc. Eddie Gray got clear of injury and performed well and Clarke wasn't finished.
Champions League in 75, would have qualified for Uefa Cup (Fairs, Europa League or whatever it was called then) but for the ban in 76, FA Cup semi in 77, League Cup semi in 78, Another League Cup semi in 79 as well as qualifying for Europe for the following season.
Not saying we were the top team in that period but very much a top half team, with a different manager such as Giles would we have done better ?
We will never know and can only dream what could have been.
Jimmy Armfield put out what was still recognizably a Don Revie team that day (except Currie) but Jordan and McQueen left the next season, then Armfield got sacked, Jimmy Adamson came in, more players left and the replacements were never as good. Then the wheels came off good and proper when Allan Clarke took over.
Would it have been better under Johnny Giles? I'd have hoped so but you just never know. I think we were on a slow downwards curve anyway.