While a 9-10 strikeforce in front of a 7-8-4-11 midfield is considered to be ‘the’ British numbering tradition – no doubt helped by the national team using such a numbering system for so long – having number 8 up front with 9 is not without heritage, either.
The great Everton team of the 1980s was an example of this (albeit with 6 in central midfield and 4 in defence), Aston Villa when they won the European Cup too, and in slightly more modern times, Ian Wright, Andrew Johnson and Louis Saha were strikers who favoured 8, as did Gary Lineker before he became more ubiquitous in 10.
The club most associated with a 7-4-10-11 midfield and 8-9 attack are Leeds United. Don Revie’s great team of the 1970s used this system – with Paul Madeley wearing all of the numbers – while in the 1980s, two Leeds strikers had a scoring contest to see who could wear 8 rather than 9.
By the end of that decade though, Leeds had reverted to 8 in midfield and 10 up front. In the 1989-90 promotion-winning season, Vinnie Jones wore 4 in midfield alongside David Batty in 8, but in preparation for life back in the top flight, a statement was made with the signing of Gary McAllister for £1m from Leicester City.
The Scot had worn 10 for much of his time at Filbert Street and so, whether by request from him or Wilkinson’s choice, the traditional style was back in force for 1990-91, with Batty in number 4 for the first time in his career. Incidentally, Jones’s sole game of that season for Leeds before joining Sheffield United was the 1-0 loss at Luton, when a 4-5-1 was used – he had 8 on his back, the only time in his career he did not wear 4.
The Strachan-Batty-McAllister-Speed midfield that came together for 1990-91 was the power-source for the 1991-92 title win, though the 1992-93 campaign was not as enjoyable. It’s forgotten that Leeds had the third-best home record of the inaugural Premier League but were without a win away from home and diced with relegation.
Such fears had been eased by the time of the last match, a 3-3 draw away to Coventry City, allowing Wilkinson to rotate the team somewhat. Steve Hodge – as close to a latter-day Madeley as Leeds had in that he appeared in numbers 2, 4, 7, 8, 9 and 10 across 1991-93 – had worn 10 for much of the spring and kept it while playing on the left as youngster Mark Tinkler played in the middle wearing 11, the only deviation from the ‘classic’ numbering.
1992-93 final game
1992-93 final game, 1993-94 squad numbers
1993-94 opening game
The experimental nature of that team at Highfield Road was shown by the fact that just three starters – Tony Dorigo, Batty and Rod Wallace – were given 1-11 numbers for 1993-94, with title-winners Chris Whyte and Lee Chapman departing the club.
David O’Leary, signed on a free from Arsenal, took fellow former Gunner Whyte’s 6 while Chapman’s 9 was given to big-money signing Brian Deane, who made the short move from Sheffield United.
For the opening game of the season at Manchester City, Wallace was on the bench while right-back Mel Sterland was absent with injury – he would be forced to retire in January of that season – but otherwise they had nine of the 1-11. What is perhaps surprising is that the two players outside the bracket had such high digits, though Gary Kelly’s 22 was a good alternative and he was to take 2 for the following season.
The Leeds United squad in full was:
As mentioned above, Gary Kelly dropped from 22 to 2 for 1994-95, while David Wetherall moved to 6 in place of the injury-plagued O’Leary. As well as that, though, the Leeds number 4 shirt had its third owner in the space of a year.
Batty departed his boyhood club for Blackburn Rovers in October 1993 – he would return, from Newcastle United, five years later. In December, a swap deal saw David Rocastle join Manchester City in exchange for David White but, rather than taking the number 15 left empty by his fellow right winger, the England international slotted in to the 4 vacated by Batty.
Perhaps it allowed Leeds fans to buy his shirt and put the word ‘Ever’ below the number as a play on one of the club’s nicknames but, in any case, he would not hold the shirt for too long, either.
In the summer of 1994, Leeds signed Carlton Palmer from Sheffield Wednesday. Apart from his first game for Wednesday in February 1989, where he wore 6, he had donned number 4 in every game he played for the Owls after that – a suitable number, given he appeared in central defence as well as midfield.
He claimed 4 at Leeds for the second season of squad numbers, with White moving to 14.
