1997–98 Leeds United A.F.C. season

During the 1997–98 season, Leeds United competed in the Premier League (known as the FA Carling Premiership for sponsorship reasons).

Leeds United
1997–98 season
ChairmanBill Fotherby
(until 23 June)
Peter Ridsdale
ManagerGeorge Graham
StadiumElland Road
Premiership5th
FA CupQuarter finals
League CupFourth round
Top goalscorerLeague:
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (16)

All:
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (22)
Highest home attendance39,952 vs Manchester United
(27 September 1997, Premier League)
Lowest home attendance8,806 vs Bristol City
(17 September 1997, League Cup)
Average home league attendance34,725

Season summary edit

After a goal-shy Leeds side managed only an 11th-place finish the previous season, the acquisition of Dutch striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink bolstered their attack substantially and they were soon back to their winning ways after two seasons of struggle. George Graham's hard work in his second season as manager soon paid off with a fifth-place finish – the club's highest for three years – and UEFA Cup qualification.

Final league table edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
3 Liverpool 38 18 11 9 68 42 +26 65 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
4 Chelsea 38 20 3 15 71 43 +28 63 Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round[a]
5 Leeds United 38 17 8 13 57 46 +11 59 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[b]
6 Blackburn Rovers 38 16 10 12 57 52 +5 58
7 Aston Villa 38 17 6 15 49 48 +1 57
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
  1. ^ Chelsea qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup as defending champions. As they were also the League Cup winners, the UEFA Cup berth vacated was awarded to Blackburn Rovers.
  2. ^ Aston Villa was rewarded entry to the UEFA Cup through UEFA Fair Play ranking.
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
38 17 8 13 57 46  +11 59 9 5 5 31 21  +10 8 3 8 26 25  +1
Results by round
Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738
GroundHAHHAAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAAAHHHAAHHAAHAH
ResultDWLLLWLWWDWLWWWWDDWLDLLWLDLWWWLWWLWDLD
Position95911149148676874445445567778877554454555
Source: 11v11.com: 1997–98 Leeds United results
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Results edit

Leeds United's score comes first[1]

Legend edit

Win Draw Loss

FA Premier League edit

Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
9 August 1997 Arsenal H 1–1 37,993 Hasselbaink
13 August 1997 Sheffield Wednesday A 3–1 31,520 Wallace (2), Ribeiro
23 August 1997 Crystal Palace H 0–2 29,076
26 August 1997 Liverpool H 0–2 39,775
30 August 1997 Aston Villa A 0–1 39,027
14 September 1997 Blackburn Rovers A 4–3 21,956 Wallace (2), Molenaar, Hopkin
20 September 1997 Leicester City H 0–1 29,620
24 September 1997 Southampton A 2–0 15,102 Molenaar, Wallace
27 September 1997 Manchester United H 1–0 39,952 Wetherall
4 October 1997 Coventry City A 0–0 17,770
18 October 1997 Newcastle United H 4–1 39,834 Ribeiro, Kewell, Beresford (own goal), Wetherall
25 October 1997 Wimbledon A 0–1 15,718
1 November 1997 Tottenham Hotspur A 1–0 26,441 Wallace
8 November 1997 Derby County H 4–3 33,572 Wallace, Kewell, Hasselbaink (pen), Bowyer
23 November 1997 West Ham United H 3–1 30,031 Hasselbaink (2), Haaland
29 November 1997 Barnsley A 3–2 18,690 Haaland, Wallace, Lilley
6 December 1997 Everton H 0–0 34,869
13 December 1997 Chelsea A 0–0 34,690
20 December 1997 Bolton Wanderers H 2–0 31,163 Ribeiro, Hasselbaink
26 December 1997 Liverpool A 1–3 43,854 Haaland
28 December 1997 Aston Villa H 1–1 36,287 Hasselbaink
10 January 1998 Arsenal A 1–2 38,018 Hasselbaink
17 January 1998 Sheffield Wednesday H 1–2 33,166 Pembridge (own goal)
31 January 1998 Crystal Palace A 2–0 25,248 Wallace, Hasselbaink
7 February 1998 Leicester City A 0–1 21,244
22 February 1998 Newcastle United A 1–1 36,511 Wallace
28 February 1998 Southampton H 0–1 28,791
4 March 1998 Tottenham Hotspur H 1–0 31,394 Kewell
11 March 1998 Blackburn Rovers H 4–0 32,933 Bowyer, Hasselbaink, Haaland (2)
15 March 1998 Derby County A 5–0 30,217 Laursen (own goal), Halle, Bowyer, Kewell, Hasselbaink
30 March 1998 West Ham United A 0–3 24,107
4 April 1998 Barnsley H 2–1 37,749 Hasselbaink, Moses (own goal)
8 April 1998 Chelsea H 3–1 37,276 Hasselbaink (2), Wetherall
11 April 1998 Everton A 0–2 37,099
18 April 1998 Bolton Wanderers A 3–2 25,000 Haaland, Halle, Hasselbaink
25 April 1998 Coventry City H 3–3 36,522 Hasselbaink (2), Kewell
4 May 1998 Manchester United A 0–3 55,167
10 May 1998 Wimbledon H 1–1 38,172 Haaland

FA Cup edit

Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R3 3 January 1998 Oxford United H 4–0 20,568 Radebe, Hasselbaink (pen), Kewell (2)
R4 24 January 1998 Grimsby Town H 2–0 29,598 Molenaar, Hasselbaink
R5 14 February 1998 Birmingham City H 3–2 35,463 Wallace, Hasselbaink (2)
QF 7 March 1998 Wolverhampton Wanderers H 0–1 39,902

League Cup edit

Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R2 1st leg 17 September 1997 Bristol City H 3–1 8,806 Wetherall, Hasselbaink (pen), Ribeiro
R2 2nd leg 30 September 1997 Bristol City A 1–2 (won 4–3 on agg) 10,857 Hasselbaink
R3 15 October 1997 Stoke City A 3–1 (a.e.t.) 16,203 Kewell, Wallace (2)
R4 18 November 1997 Reading H 2–3 15,069 Wetherall, Bowyer

Players edit

First-team squad edit

Squad at end of season[2]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   ENG Nigel Martyn
2 DF   IRL Gary Kelly
3 DF   SCO David Robertson
4 DF   NOR Alfie Haaland
5 DF   RSA Lucas Radebe
6 DF   ENG David Wetherall
7 MF   ENG Lee Sharpe
8 FW   ENG Rod Wallace
9 FW   NED Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
10 MF   POR Bruno Ribeiro
11 MF   ENG Lee Bowyer
12 MF   SCO David Hopkin (captain)
14 FW   ENG Andy Gray[a]
15 GK   ENG Mark Beeney
17 FW   SCO Derek Lilley
18 DF   NOR Gunnar Halle
19 MF   AUS Harry Kewell
No. Pos. Nation Player
20 DF   IRL Ian Harte
21 DF   AUT Martin Hiden
22 MF   WAL Matt Jones
24 MF   ENG Jason Blunt
27 DF   IRL Alan Maybury
28 DF   ENG Paul Shepherd
29 DF   ENG Mark Jackson
30 DF   NED Robert Molenaar
31 MF   ENG Martin Foster
32 MF   ENG Andy Wright
33 MF   NIR Wesley Boyle
35 FW   ENG Lee Matthews
37 MF   IRL Stephen McPhail[b]
38 DF   IRL Damian Lynch
39 GK   ENG Simon Briggs
40 DF   IRL John Butler
45 GK   ENG Paul Robinson

Left club during season edit

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
16 DF   ENG Richard Jobson (to Manchester City)
21 FW   GHA Tony Yeboah (Hamburg)
22 FW   WAL Ian Rush (to Newcastle United)
No. Pos. Nation Player
25 FW   FRA Pierre Laurent (to Bastia)
26 MF   ENG Carlton Palmer (to Southampton)
36 FW   SWE Tomas Brolin (to Crystal Palace)

Reserve squad edit

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
13 MF   ENG Kevin Dixon
34 DF   ENG Gareth Evans
16 DF   WAL Kevin Evans
43 FW   NIR Warren Feeney
No. Pos. Nation Player
23 DF   ENG Sean Hessey
26 MF   NOR Tommy Knarvik
39 FW   ENG Alan Smith
25 DF   ENG Jonathan Woodgate

Transfers edit

Total spending:   £5,800,000

Statistics edit

Appearances and goals edit

No. Pos Nat Player Total Premier League FA Cup League Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Goalkeepers
1 GK   ENG Nigel Martyn 45 0 37 0 4 0 4 0
15 GK   ENG Mark Beeney 2 0 1 0 0+1 0 0 0
Defenders
2 DF   IRL Gary Kelly 41 0 34 0 3+1 0 3 0
3 DF   SCO David Robertson 31 0 24+2 0 1 0 4 0
4 DF   NOR Alfie Haaland 37 7 26+6 7 2 0 3 0
5 DF   RSA Lucas Radebe 33 1 26+1 0 2 1 4 0
6 DF   ENG David Wetherall 41 5 33+1 3 3 0 4 2
18 DF   NOR Gunnar Halle 39 2 31+2 2 3 0 2+1 0
20 DF   IRL Ian Harte 15 0 12 0 1+2 0 0 0
21 DF   AUT Martin Hiden 12 0 11 0 1 0 0 0
27 DF   IRL Alan Maybury 15 0 9+3 0 2 0 1 0
29 DF   ENG Mark Jackson 1 0 0+1 0 0 0 0 0
30 DF   NED Robert Molenaar 28 3 18+4 2 3 1 2+1 0
Midfielders
10 MF   POR Bruno Ribeiro 35 4 28+1 3 3 0 2+1 1
11 MF   ENG Lee Bowyer 31 4 21+4 3 3 0 2+1 1
12 MF   SCO David Hopkin 30 1 22+3 1 1 0 4 0
19 MF   AUS Harry Kewell 35 8 26+3 5 4 2 2 1
37 MF   IRL Stephen McPhail 4 0 0+4 0 0 0 0 0
Forwards
8 FW   ENG Rod Wallace 39 13 29+2 10 4 1 4 2
9 FW   NED Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink 40 22 30+3 16 4 4 3 2
17 FW   SCO Derek Lilley 16 1 0+12 1 0+1 0 0+3 0
35 FW   ENG Lee Matthews 3 0 0+3 0 0 0 0 0
Players who left the club during the season

Notes edit

  1. ^ Gray was born in Harrogate, England, but also qualified to represent Scotland internationally and would make his international debut for Scotland in April 2003.
  2. ^ McPhail was born in Westminster, England, but was raised in Dublin, the Republic of Ireland, and would make his international debut for Ireland in May 2000.

References edit

  1. ^ "Leeds United 1997-1998 Results – statto.com". statto.com. Archived from the original on 26 June 2011.
  2. ^ "FootballSquads – Leeds United – 1997/98". footballsquads.co.uk.