Introduction
| Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup |
| 1996-97 (Premier League) | 11th | 5th Round | 3rd Round |
| 1997-98 | 5th | Quarter-Final | 4th Round |
| 1998-99 | 4th | 5th Round | 4th Round |
| 1999-00 | 3rd | 5th Round | 4th Round |
| 2000-01 | 4th | 4th Round | 3rd Round |
| 2001-02 | 5th | 3rd Round | 4th Round |
| 2002-03 | 15th | Quarter-Final | 3rd Round |
| 2003-04 | 19th (relegated) | 3rd Round | 3rd Round |
| 2004-05 (Championship) | 14th | 3rd Round | 3rd Round |
| 2005-06 | 5th | 3rd Round | 3rd Round |
| 2006-07 | 24th (relegated) | 3rd Round | 3rd Round |
For the past ten years, Leeds United, the biggest football club in Yorkshire (sorry Sheffield United and Wednesday) have resided in the Championship, the second division of English football. Although recent form has led to a return to the Premier League, it has been 16 years since Leeds last graced the top division. A generation of Leeds United fans would not have seen their club competing in the top-flight of English football, which is incredible considering Leeds’s history.
When Leeds were relegated in 2004 along with Wolves and Leicester City, the club ended a 14-year stay in the top division, a fourteen-year stay that included winning the final First Division title in 1992, 9 top-five league finishes, 5 seasons in the UEFA Cup and 2 seasons in the Champions League, including a memorable run to the semi-finals in 2001 which Leeds fans still remind people of to this day. From 1997 to 2002, Leeds never finished lower than 5th in the Premier League and at their peak, were one of the most entertaining teams to watch and featured some of the most underrated players in Premier League history, who will be discussed later. However, to build a team that great costs money and unfortunately Leeds did not keep a solid eye on their finances, finances that would result in the club’s decline over the course of the 2000’s. This 11-part article will discuss the rise of Leeds United in the late 1990’s which took them to within touching distance of the summit of English football, and the eventual fall in the 2000’s which would lead to relegation to League One in and the beginning of a 16 year streak without Premier League football.
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