Jack Taylor: the manager before Don Revie
Jack Taylor managed Leeds United from May 1959 until March 1961, presiding over a difficult period that ended with the club fighting for its Second Division future. His tenure is often remembered chiefly because he was succeeded by Don Revie, but Taylor’s experience also helps explain the challenges Revie inherited.
Arriving at a club in transition
Born in Barnsley, Taylor had played professionally before moving into management. He spent several seasons in charge of Queens Park Rangers before taking the Leeds job in 1959, following the brief appointment of Bill Lambton.
Leeds were still adjusting to the departure of John Charles, sold to Juventus in 1957. The club had returned to the First Division under Raich Carter in 1956, but the foundations of that promotion-winning side were weakening. Taylor faced the challenge of keeping United competitive without the player who had been central to their success.
Relegation in 1959–60
Taylor’s first season ended in relegation: Leeds finished 21st in the First Division in 1959–60 and dropped back into the Second Division. The following campaign brought no immediate recovery. With the club struggling near the bottom of the table, Taylor’s time as manager ended in March 1961.
The handover to Revie
Leeds appointed Don Revie, already a senior player at the club, as player-manager. The transformation that followed would eventually produce league championships, domestic cups and European trophies, but it began from a precarious position in the Second Division.
Taylor’s Leeds record was disappointing, yet describing him simply as one of the club’s “worst managers” obscures the wider context. His spell belongs to a period of financial and sporting uncertainty between the John Charles years and the emergence of Revie’s great team. It was the final managerial chapter before one of the most consequential appointments in Leeds United history.