Gary McAllister: Leeds United’s Midfield Dynamo
Ah, where do you start with good old ‘Gary Mac’? When I first started supporting us in the mid-nineties, I think he was just coming towards the end of his Leeds career and, of course, he did a stint as manager during our dark days in the doldrums.
Signed from Leicester City, Gary McAllister joined us for a fee of £1 million following a tribunal in the summer of 1990.
Coming in to replace Vinnie Jones who had moved to Sheffield United, he formed one part of what was then a formidable midfield, McAllister linked up with fellow Scot, Gordon Strachan, while we also had the relatively younger Gary Speed and David Batty.
In his first season for us, he was a key part in our title winning team and a regular fixture as we won the last old first division.
| Attribute | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Gary McAllister |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Height | 1.86m (6’1″) |
| Position | Midfielder |
| Leeds Appearances | 294 (all competitions) |
| Leeds Goals | 45 (all competitions) |
| Captaincy | 1994–1996 (2 seasons) |
The highest finish McAllister experienced for us in the Premier League was fifth in two consecutive seasons (1993/94 & 1994/95), guiding us into Europe. He also captained us in our 1996 League Cup Final defeat as we lost 3-0 to Aston Villa.
During his six seasons for us, McAlister scored 45 goals in 294 appearances and helped to cement his status of a club legend. In July 1996, we sold him to Coventry City for £3 million – I think at the time, this was a great fee for a 31-year-old as well, though the Midlands club was embroiled in a relegation battle.
Return To The Club
In January 2008, after Dennis Wise left us to join Newcastle, McAllister returned to Elland Road as manager, tasked with guiding the club back into the Championship from sixth place in League One.
He didn’t get off to the best of starts, with us losing the first two games under his command – a 1-0 defeat away at Southend United, followed by a 2-0 loss to Tranmere Rovers, by which point we had slipped to eighth.
In the next game, we recorded a 1-0 win over Swindon Town and by April came around we had lost just twice in 12 games, with chairman Ken Bates rewarding him with a new one-year rolling contract.
The good form under McAllister took us into the play-offs, only to lose out to Doncaster Rovers 1-0 in the play-off final. He was sacked the following December after some poor results which included a shock defeat to part-time side Histon in the FA Cup.