1996–97 Leeds United A.F.C. season

While Howard Wilkinson was heavily backed with funds by new owners Caspian, there were rumours of discord between him and recently appointed chairman Bill Fotherby. The club made a respectable enough start, earning 7 points from their first 4 games, but a 4–0 home defeat to Manchester United in September prompted Wilkinson's dismissal after eight years as manager. With assistant manager Mike Hennigan and first-team coaches Dick Bate and Eddie Gray also being dismissed alongside Wilkinson (though Gray would subsequently be reinstated), it became clear that Fotherby wanted a clean slate for the club after the massive disappointment of the previous season.

Wilkinson's successor was George Graham, back in football after a one-year ban arising from the "bung" scandal that had cost him his job as Arsenal manager back in February 1995. Graham was unable to improve the club's dismal goalscoring record (they finished with just 28 goals, the lowest number in Premier League history until that point; it would not be until the 2002–03 season when another club, namely Sunderland, scored fewer goals) but he managed to steer them well clear of relegation in a respectable 11th place, with a total of a staggering 20 league clean sheets all season.

Record signing Lee Sharpe failed to live up to expectations and, by the end of the season, it was rumoured that he would be on his way out of the club, while Tony Yeboah made just six appearances after recovering from a long-term injury; he, too, appeared to be heading for the Elland Road exit door. Full-back Tony Dorigo's future at the club was also thrown into doubt by the emergence of Ian Harte, while midfielder Carlton Palmer's days at Leeds were also looking numbered.

Results summary

Results by round

Leeds United's score comes first[2]

Squad at end of season[3]

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  ENG Tony Dorigo 4 MF  ENG Carlton Palmer 5 DF  RSA Lucas Radebe 6 DF  ENG David Wetherall 7 MF  ENG Lee Sharpe 8 FW  ENG Rod Wallace 9 FW  WAL Ian Rush 10 FW  ENG Brian Deane 11 MF  ENG Lee Bowyer 12 DF  ENG John Pemberton 14 FW  ENG Andy Gray[4] 15 GK  ENG Mark Beeney 16 DF  ENG Richard Jobson 17 FW  SCO Derek Lilley 18 DF  NOR Gunnar Halle

No. Pos. Nation Player 19 FW  AUS Harry Kewell 20 DF  IRL Ian Harte 21 FW  GHA Tony Yeboah 22 MF  ENG Mark Ford 23 MF  ENG Andy Couzens 24 MF  ENG Jason Blunt 25 MF  FRA Pierre Laurent (from January) 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 34 GK  RSA Paul Evans 35 FW  WAL Lawrence Davies

Left club during season

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 17 MF  ENG Mark Tinkler (to York City) 25 DF  ENG Rob Bowman (to Rotherham United) 26 DF  ENG Paul Beesley (to Manchester City)

No. Pos. Nation Player 30 FW  ENG Mark Hateley (on loan from QPR) 36 FW  SWE Tomas Brolin (on loan to Parma)

Transfers in Date N P Player From club Transfer fee 20 May 1996 9 FW Ian Rush Liverpool Free 5 Jul 1996 11 MF Lee Bowyer Charlton Athletic £2,800,000 26 Jul 1996 1 GK Nigel Martyn Crystal Palace £2,250,000 10 Aug 1996 7 MF Lee Sharpe Manchester United £4,500,000†[5] 13 Dec 1996 18 DF Gunnar Halle Oldham Athletic £500,000 23 Dec 1996 37 MF Stephen McPhail Youth — 11 Jan 1997 30 DF Robert Molenaar Volendam £400,000 1 Feb 1997 25 MF Pierre Laurent Bastia £250,000 27 Mar 1997 17 FW Derek Lilley Greenock Morton £500,000 †Club record transfer fee at the time.

Transfers out Date N P Player To club Transfer fee 1 Jun 1996 7 FW Phil Masinga FC St. Gallen Free 1 Jul 1996 11 MF Gary Speed Everton £3,400,000 1 Jul 1996 1 GK John Lukic Arsenal Free 1 Jul 1996 15 DF Nigel Worthington Stoke City Free 26 Jul 1996 10 MF Gary McAllister Coventry City £3,000,000 7 Feb 1997 26 DF Paul Beesley Manchester City £500,000 21 Feb 1997 25 DF Rob Bowman Rotherham United Free 26 Mar 1997 17 MF Mark Tinkler York City £75,000

Total spending: £4,225,000

Loaned in Start date End date N P Player From club 18 Aug 1996 1 Jan 1997 30 FW Mark Hateley QPR

Loaned out Start date End date N P Player To club 20 Aug 1996 6 Nov 1996 36 FW Tomas Brolin FC Zürich 24 Dec 1996 16 Jun 1997 36 FW Tomas Brolin Parma 3 Mar 1997 1 Jun 1997 34 GK Paul Evans Bradford City 31 Mar 1997 1 Jun 1997 DF Paul Shepherd Ayr United