How Jimmy Armfield took Leeds United from a pantomime to Paris and the European Cup final

The exception, as I discovered one afternoon when interviewing the only man to lead a Yorkshire club to a European Cup final, was the suggestion that he had difficulty making the big calls as a manager.

‘Jimmy’s indecision is final,’ joked some members of his Leeds side, but the man himself insisted the opposite was true about his near four years in charge at Elland Road.

“People said I was indecisive when I was the manager of Leeds,” he said in that voice so beloved of millions. “But no one made more decisions than I did at Leeds; no one has been less indecisive than me.

“I knew where I was going. But I didn’t run the club through the media.”

Armfield, who died yesterday aged 82, belonged to Blackpool, his 17-year playing career having been spent in the coastal resort that continued to be home until the very end.

A former England captain with a World Cup winners’ medal, he was so highly regarded by the Football Association that the responsibility for finding a new manager of the national team twice fell to him.

Here in Yorkshire, however, Armfield was the calm after the storm that had been Brian Clough’s 44-day reign at Elland Road and the man who came closer than anyone to bringing club football’s most prestigious trophy to the county.

Armfield’s appointment in October, 1974, came a year after he had turned down Everton to stay at Bolton Wanderers. Don Revie, then England manager, helped to make up his mind, calling the then Trotters chief on the pretext – or so Armfield always suspected – of possibly managing the England Under-23s.

On being told an offer from his old club was also on the table, Revie instantly told Armfield to forget all about England and take the Leeds job.

A few days later, Armfield was standing in front of Giles, Clarke et al and asking: “What the hell are you doing near the bottom of the league?”

The new manager received only a few mumbled responses, suggesting the damage wrought by Clough’s appointment ran deeper than just a few bad results. When Leeds were knocked out of the League Cup by Third Division Chester a few weeks into Armfield’s reign, a few home truths were delivered in the dressing room.

Mainly, though, Armfield chose to cajole rather than criticise as he got to know those now under his charge. He also came up with a novel plan to repair team spirit that, if tried by the manager of the reigning champions today, would invite only ridicule and scorn.

A pantomime was to be staged at the City Varieties Theatre, starring all the United squad, with proceeds going towards Paul Reaney’s testimonial fund.

The idea could have backfired horribly, but the players, after getting over the initial shock, warmly embraced the suggestion to leave Armfield needing to cobble together a script quickly.

Which is how, for two nights in February 1975, probably the most unusual production of Cinderella Leeds has ever seen was staged to a packed house with Duncan McKenzie in the lead role, Billy Bremner as Buttons and Gordon McQueen as the Good Fairy. Armfield, master of ceremonies, felt the pantomime put much-needed smiles back on faces and strengthened team spirit.

A little over three months later, Leeds were walking out at the Parc de Princes ahead of their first European Cup final.

Along the way, Armfield had made a conscious effort to give the senior players free rein after the troubled days of Clough. A common theme of team-talks would be, ‘There is no need to tell you what to do as you all know your jobs’.

But he was not averse to making big decisions, either, or tweaking tactics when necessary.

John Giles, the driving force of that great Leeds team alongside Bremner, was left out of the quarter-final second leg against Anderlecht due to Armfield feeling the heavy surface would not suit the Irishman. Giles was not happy, but Leeds won 1-0.

The tendency of Barcelona’s full-backs to man mark then led Armfield, in the semi-finals, to instruct Peter Lorimer to start in the Nou Camp on the left flank rather than his usual right before switching after a few minutes. Lorimer did as he was told, meaning he was free to lash Leeds in front on the night after just seven minutes. United, already 2-1 ahead from the first leg, were on their way to Paris.

Leeds outplayed Bayern Munich in the final yet lost 2-0 on a night when their fans rioted in the French capital. A disallowed ‘goal’ from Lorimer and two strong penalty appeals being turned down added to the sense of injustice among players so inconsolable that all the losers’ medals were left in the dressing room. Armfield scooped the discarded medals into a plastic bag and handed them back out the following day.

He would later fight, alone and at his own expense, a four-year ban from European football imposed on Leeds by UEFA following the violence in Paris. A well argued case, plus two trips to Switzerland later, and the ban was halved.

Only then were his expenses reimbursed by a relieved board. ‘Gentleman Jim’ had prevailed through decisive action, as others dithered.

Tributes to a great: Page 3.