Wilkinson statue campaign gathers pace, even after ex-Leeds manager's initial reluctance

New York Times

26-06-2025

He is the architect of Leeds United's highest honour of the last 51 years. He is the last Englishman to win the finest prize in English football, some 33 years ago. And yet, there is nothing to mark Howard Wilkinson's legacy at Elland Road.
Don Revie and Billy Bremner have statues outside the stadium. John Charles, Norman Hunter, Jack Charlton and Revie have stands named after them. Wilkinson, who guided Leeds to the Division Two (now Championship) title in 1990 before the Division One (now Premier League) crown in 1992, is conspicuous by his absence.
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A small group of supporters are looking to put that right with a new push to raise around £140,000, which would pay for Wilkinson to be immortalised with his own statue. Wilko 92, as the project has been named, was pitched to the 81-year-old earlier this year.
'Howard was very reluctant because he's a very modest fellow,' said Robert Endeacott, one of the men behind Wilko 92. 'I can't tell you his initial reaction, but it was words to the effect of, 'Well, who wants to see a statue of me?' He swore, so we had to convince him.'
Endeacott spoke to The Athletic at The Old Peacock, a pub next to the stadium, for the launch of this project. Wilkinson, along with his former players Gary McAllister, Tony Dorigo and Noel Whelan, was in attendance.
Asked how he had reacted when the idea was to put him, Wilkinson said: 'Shock, surprise, embarrassment and then appreciation.' Wilkinson's modesty, despite such success with Leeds, is one of the themes of this idea to build a statue.
'I never even thought about having a statue,' he said. 'My statue was what I got from the sport, not what I gave the sport. My reward was getting up in the morning and driving to work as a player, as a coach, as a manager.'
Wilko 92, which was fronted by Endeacott, Dave Tomlinson and Neil Barker on the launch night, is calling on supporters to dig deep for this commemoration. There will be various fundraising events put on over the coming months.
The initial aim is to unveil the structure — which has already been drawn by iconic Leeds United artist Paul Trevillion — in 2027. There is hope the siting of the prospective statue could be tied to the planned redevelopment of Elland Road.
The club was represented at this month's launch event and has made positive, early noises about collaborating with Wilko 92 on the process. Endeacott said the organisers are keen to make this about more than the statue too, by working with Leeds United Foundation, the club's charity, on Wilkinson's legacy.
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'It's not just a statue,' he said. 'He's clearly not that enamoured with the idea of just him getting all the credit with a statue.
'He wants something else and so he came out with a few ideas and he said, 'Well, if we're going to do it, then we do it right.'
'He's not that actively involved, but he's keen and he's bright and I personally agree with him. It's a fantastic idea. We're hoping we can do more.
'It's not just for the fans, it's for the whole community of Leeds United.'
McAllister was one of the cornerstones of Wilkinson's success with Leeds. It was another of those key pieces, compatriot Gordon Strachan, who reached out to him a few weeks ago with a nod to how their former boss was to be properly celebrated. McAllister feels a statue is befitting for a man he puts alongside Revie and Bremner as club legends.
It has taken 33 years for a serious push on marking Wilkinson's legacy in West Yorkshire. McAllister, the former Liverpool midfielder who has played with and for some of the biggest names in the sport, was asked why his former manager has been overlooked for so long, despite lifting England's top-flight trophy.
'It's probably because it's wall-to-wall football now, so that's the thing,' he told The Athletic. 'Sky hadn't even been started.
'If he'd been in today's money, he'd have been all over the place. Being the last English one as well would elevate it even higher.
'It was because the games were fragmented. There weren't as many games. There weren't as many live football matches.'
In today's money, as McAllister put it, Wilkinson's achievements would be akin to Daniel Farke finishing fourth with Leeds in the Premier League next season before lifting the title in 2026-27. Leicester City won the Championship in 2014 and then the top flight in 2016, if younger readers want context for how rare a feat that is.
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Endeacott, as a fan who was heavily involved in the supporter-funded Revie statue in 2012, is also asked why it has taken so long for a Wilkinson commemoration to gather momentum.
'That's a difficult question,' he said. 'I don't really know. I'm one of those fans (who have not done something before now).
'I truly do remember, with fondness and great respect, what Howard has done for this club. We haven't even mentioned Thorp Arch.
Great to hear about #Wilko92 tonight and the planning of a long overdue statue.
Lots of exciting stuff to come, watch this space.
Find out more here: https://t.co/RiBNl7rJyp pic.twitter.com/Ma2xliBVep
— LUFC Trust (@lufctrust) June 16, 2025
'That was part of his 10-year plan. He created the academy and he made sure it develops (future footballers for Leeds).'
Thorp Arch, the club's training ground and academy, does stand as the one symbol which is synonymous with Wilkinson, though it does not bear his name.
Incidentally, former chairman Andrea Radrizzani asked Marcelo Bielsa for permission to name Thorp Arch after the Argentinian in August 2022. He never got a response.
The training centre, which sits near Wetherby, has gone on to develop some of the country's finest footballers in the decades since Wilkinson moved on. He wanted to create a Leeds version of Barcelona's famed La Masia.
Ian Harte, Stephen McPhail, Jonathan Woodgate, Paul Robinson, Alan Smith, James Milner, Fabian Delph, Lewis Cook, Sam Byram, Kalvin Phillips, Archie Gray and Harry Gray are all proof of what that academy vision has delivered.
It seems imperative Wilkinson is remembered for the decades and centuries to come at Elland Road. Every new generation of Leeds fan should have that opportunity to ask their parents and grandparents, 'Who's that man? What did he do here? Why is there a statue of him?'
For more information and to donate, visit Wilko 92 here
(Top image: Beren Cross/The Athletic)