Professor Karen Morrison, who heads up the Motor Neurone Disease Research Centre at the University of Birmingham, joined us at the unveiling of the Don Revie Statue.

At the Celebration Lunch that followed the unveiling Don Revie’s daughter Kim presented Karen with a cheque for £5,000 to help in the fight to find a cure for the disease that took the life of her father.

Professor Morrison said she has been delighted to be involved with the Don Revie Tribute over the last year and wished to thank the fans of Leeds United for their support. She said “It is not only the financial contribution, which is greatly appreciated, but also the high profile created by the Don Revie Tribute which helps in raising the awareness of Motor Neurone Disease Research, which is essential work to help find a cure for this terrible disease.”

Don Revie’s children Kim and Duncan joined thousands of Leeds United fans at Elland Road on Thursday 5 May to see the statue of their father Don Revie unveiled.

Duncan said ‘The statue by Graham Ibbeson is a truly great work of art and a wonderful tribute to my father. I would like to thank Jim Cadman for providing the inspiration and leadership for this project and also to thank Leeds United fans from all over the world for supporting the Don Revie Tribute in such large numbers…Dad would have been very proud.’

“Good Morning Leeds United Supporters of all ages.

We are gathered here today to pay homage to a man who during his time as manager took this club from the edge of a football abyss to the very summit of our national game.

As manager of Leeds he not only won the FA Cup but also took his Leeds team to Wembley to appear in another three FA Cup Finals. He won the League Cup in 1968 and took the team into Europe to win the Inter Cities Fairs Cup on two separate occasions. His Leeds team won the Second Division Championship in 1964 and were First Division Champions in 1969 and 1974.

Because of these fantastic achievements people said for over 30 years that there should be a statue of Don Revie at Elland Road – but nothing was done about it.

Until, in September of 2011, Graham Ibbeson the Sculptor and I met with the former Leeds Chairman Leslie Silver and decided that action speaks louder than words and I set up ‘The Don Revie Tribute’ and signed a contract with the sculptor Graham Ibbeson to start work on the statue of Don Revie.…The one small problem was we did not have any money.

But the Leeds United fans have supported us magnificently with all of our fundraising efforts from the Tribute Magazine to the 1972 Club from the Gala Dinner to the Football Auction.

We have also had a wonderful turn out at all of the Don Revie Tribute Evenings that we have held throughout Yorkshire when players including Norman Hunter, Allan Clarke, Paul Reaney, Eddie Gray and Terry Yorath have met with fans to discuss the legend that was Don Revie.

There has also been tremendous support from Leeds fans overseas with contributions coming from Leeds fans in America, Canada, Australia, Norway , Malta, Finland, Thailand. Japan and Ireland.…I could go on.

A special thanks also to Leeds United Football Club for all of their help and support over the past two years and for providing the statue with such a wonderful home opposite the new East Stand at Elland Road .

All of this adds up to one thing – we have reached our target of £90,000 and we are about to unveil a magnificent statue of Don Revie.…but you will notice that there is one thing missing.

There is no mention of Coca Cola, Burger King, Barclays Bank or Bet Fred because there has been no commercial funding for this statue.

The inscription on the statue says ‘Sponsored by the Fans of Leeds United’

I hope that in the coming months you will all bring your children and grandchildren to see this magnificent statue and tell them how you helped to make it happen.

So now, Leeds Fans, on this 40th Anniversary of Leeds of winning the FA Cup in 72.…the players from that great team will unveil the Don Revie Statue”

It is early morning on the day we are going to unveil the Don Revie Statue and we would like to say a special thanks to Leeds United Football Club for providing the Statue with such a wonderful home.

Raising the funds for the Don Revie Statue has been our primary concern over the past two years but in parallel with this Leeds United have been working hard in obtaining the necessary planning permission and preparing a home for the statue opposite the new East Stand at Elland Road.

As can be seen from the photograph the Club have designed and constructed a wonderful plinth on which the statue will stand and I would like thank the management of Leeds United for the tremendous help and support they have given to us over the past two years.

The Don Revie Statue is now completed and the sculptor Graham Ibbeson is, as I write, at the foundry having just signed off the magnificent 200kg bronze. He will now travel with the statue to Elland Road where installation begins tomorrow.

Excitement is growing as the final arrangements for Saturday morning are put in place, preparing for the emotional moment when the statue is finally unveiled in front of the original Revie Boys and many generations of Leeds United fans – some for whom the Revie era seems like yesterday and many others who weren’t even born when Billy Bremner lifted the FA Cup forty years ago.

All of the profits from the unveiling day will be donated to Motor Neurone Research in memory of Don Revie and we will be joined at the unveiling and for the Commemorative Lunch by Karen Morrison MA, BMBCh, FRCP, DPhil who is Professor of Neurology at Birmingham University and a leader in the fight against the disease.

All lots for the Football Memorabilia Auction at Elland Road on Thursday 29 March 2012 have now been finalised and can be viewed on the Auction Page of the website.

The auction itself will take place in the Billy Bremner Suite at 11.30am with viewing and registration starting at 9.30am.

There has been a huge amount of interest in many of the items and it promises to be a great occasion for all Leeds Utd fans.

An autograph book containing over 150 signatures from the 1960’s and 1970’s is the latest addition to our Football Memorabilia Auction.

Signatures in the book include Don Revie, Billy Bremner, Tony Curry, Malcolm Allison and even Margaret Thatcher.

It also includes two vary rare and collectable signatures – the 1966 England World Cup Winning captain, Bobby Moore and Ferenc Puskas who was
Don Revie’s all time footballing hero.

Puskas scored 84 goals in 85 international matches for Hungary and 514 goals in 529 matches in the Hungarian and Spanish leagues. He won three European Cups (1959, 1960, 1966), 10 national championships (5 Hungarian & 5 Spanish Primera División) and 8 top individual scoring honors.

An autograph book containing over 150 signatures from the 1960’s and 1970’s is the latest addition to our Football Memorabilia Auction.

Signatures in the book include Don Revie, Billy Bremner, Tony Curry, Malcolm Allison and even Margaret Thatcher.

It also includes two vary rare and collectable signatures – the 1966 England World Cup Winning captain, Bobby Moore and Ferenc Puskas who was
Don Revie’s all time footballing hero.

Puskas scored 84 goals in 85 international matches for Hungary and 514 goals in 529 matches in the Hungarian and Spanish leagues. He won three European Cups (1959, 1960, 1966), 10 national championships (5 Hungarian & 5 Spanish Primera División) and 8 top individual scoring honors.

An auction item that will be attracting an enormous amount of attention from supporters worldwide will be the match day programme from Leeds United’s first ever away game in the Midland League against Sheffield United Reserves in 1919.

This hand made, hand painted 8 inch ceramic character jug was modelled by Ray Noble to celebrate Jack taking the Republic of Ireland to two World Cup Finals. It is No.17 of ony 20 jugs that were ever produced.

The jug has been personally signed on the base by Jack Charlton and comes complete with a satin lined presentation case.