Peter Risdale drops Leeds United relegation verdict

Peter Ridsdale believes that Leeds United wouldn't have been relegated if he stayed as the Whites' chairman in 2003.

Many fans pin-point Ridsdale's resignation as the start of their downfall, which ended up with the West Yorkshire outfit eventually dropping to League One in a tumultuous period on and off the pitch.

Granted, they may find themselves flying high in the Championship at the moment, but it feels like things might have been different if Leeds' history didn't pan out as it has done.

Speaking on talkSPORT's How Football Works podcast (18 December), Ridsdale shared why he thinks the West Yorkshire outfit would have been in safer hands if he remained in charge.

“Did it go wrong, yes, could it have been avoided, yes,” he said.

“I big-headedly say that, had I stayed, I don’t think we would have been relegated, my track record would demonstrate that, both there and since I’ve never been relegated while in control of a football club.

“But did we get some things wrong? Of course we did, that’s life, we’re human beings but it wasn’t a one-man show.”

Leeds United have built themselves back up impressively since the Peter Ridsdale days

Leeds' time under the stewardship of Risdale was the biggest of rollercoasters. They were among the best teams both domestically and in Europe and had plenty of memorable evenings.

But the aftermath of that period is something it took the club years to recover from and there is a reason Risdale is deeply unpopular at Elland Road.

In the present day, while they may not be a Premier League side just yet, they're still in a fairly good place as they currently sit second in the Championship and are just three points behind league leaders, Sheffield United.

Their goal since the start of the season has been to regain their Premier League status and while they may not be in the top spot at the moment, they remain well-positioned to really maintain a promotion push in the New Year.

The fact that the January transfer window is also just around the corner is likely something for fans to get excited about as reinforcement seems to be highly likely, even if Daniel Farke has said he wants a quiet window.

Only time will tell what the future holds but for now, the Whites look to be well on course for Premier League promotion.

And, hopefully, that will do even more work to prepare the scars of that era.

In other Leeds news, Patrick Bamford looks set to exit Elland Road in 2025.

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