The Whites are currently enjoying their 13th campaign outside of the top flight.
At the start of every season since 2004, Leeds United fans have been wondering whether the upcoming campaign will finally be the one that sees them make their way back to the Premier League.
They have enjoyed just one promotion in that time, but unfortunately for the Whites, that was to get themselves out of League One rather than back to the promised land.
But with the side beginning to look strong under Garry Monk, they will be hoping that their luck is in during their 13th consecutive season outside of the top flight.
With that in mind, here is a look at the men who have played their part in trying to take Leeds back to the top table during those years and have subsequently earned their way into the top 10 of the club’s leading goalscorers in the league since 2004.
10= Chris Wood (18 league goals)
Chris Wood
The only man on this list to still be playing for the club, Chris Wood will surely move himself much further up the list in the coming months. The former Leicester forward has enjoyed a great start to the new campaign, displaying some real poacher instincts to bag five goals in the league already. It is safe to say that Leeds’ promotion hopes rest very much on his shoulders.
10= Rob Hulse (18 league goals)
Rob Hulse
If goals in play-off games were included in this list, Hulse would push Wood out of the top 10 as he would just nudge ahead having scored against Preston in the Championship semi-final in 2006. The Englishman initially moved to Elland Road on loan, but his return of six goals in 13 games was enough to convince the Yorkshire outfit to sign him permanently. A decent return of 12 strikes in his only full campaign with the team helped the Whites reach the play-off final, but they were picked apart by Watford on the day and were relegated the next year.
8= Robbie Blake (19 league goals)
Robbie Blake
Blake dropped out of the Premier League to join Leeds in 2005 and went on to score 19 times in 77 league games for the Whites. His return may not be the most impressive on paper, but Blake was frequently deployed slightly deeper or out on the wing. Like Hulse, he was part of the team that came within one game of promotion to the Premier League in 2006. The end of his time with the club coincided with their relegation to League One. And while Leeds would spend a few years in the doldrums, Blake went on to return to the top flight with Burnley.
8= Mirco Antenucci (19 league goals)
Mirco Antenucci
The Italian is the highest placed player on this list to have been signed during Massimo Cellino’s tenure. The 32-year-old was occasionally capable of moments of sheer brilliance – his strike against Burnley on the opening day of the last season was perhaps the highlight – but also capable of frustrating supporters enormously. Despite contributing 19 league goals across two seasons, his departure this summer was not met with much disapproval amongst the fans.
7. Jonny Howson (23 league goals)
Jonny Howson
Though not contributing to his tally on this list, one of Jonny Howson’s brightest moments during his Leeds career was the brace he scored against Carlisle in the play-off semi-final in 2008 to turn the game around and send the Whites to Wembley.
Surely his most important goal however, was his stunning strike against Bristol Rovers on the final day of the 2009-10 season. Trailing 1-0 and needing a win to go up automatically, 10-man Leeds needed something special to turn things around, and they got it when the midfielder equalised before Jermaine Beckford’s winner ensured the side returned to the second tier.
6. Max Gradel (25 league goals)
Max Gradel
The fact that Max Gradel is still held in such high-esteem amongst Leeds supporters despite the fact that it was he who was sent off against Bristol Rovers on that day eight years ago, is testament to how much he excited fans with his ability.
Although predominantly a winger, Gradel was clearly more than capable of contributing goals. His 17 strikes for Saint-Etienne during the 2014/15 Ligue 1 season highlights how much of a mistake Leeds made letting him go in 2011, and while he is yet to prove himself at Bournemouth, Whites fans would surely have him back in a heartbeat.
5. David Healy (29 league goals)
David Healy
Having been prolific at Preston North End, it appeared that David Healy’s arrival at Leeds in 2004 was exactly what they needed to get back into the top flight. While his strike-rate was not exactly prolific during his time at Elland Road, he was the highest goalscorer across their three-season stay in the second tier before their relegation in 2007, and his record is all the more impressive given that he was often used in a wide role.
4. Robert Snodgrass (35 league goals)
Robert Snodgrass
Robert Snodgrass always had the potential to be the talisman for a Leeds side that played at the highest level. Unfortunately for the Scotland international, the club failed to build the kind of team around him that would reap the benefits of his quality. He had consistently contributed a handful of goals during his first three seasons with the Peacocks, but it was in his final year with the club that he demonstrated how influential he could be. Unfortunately for Leeds, his 13 league goals brought him to Norwich’s attention and they handed him the chance in the top flight that the Whites could not.
3. Ross McCormack (53 league goals)
Ross McCormack
McCormack’s time with Leeds was arguably bizarre. In two of the four seasons he played for the club, he was sensational. In his second and final season, he scored 18 and 28 goals respectively. But in his first and third year, he managed just two and five goals for the side. His partnership with Matt Smith threatened to be the kind of pairing the club needed, but they were both sold to Fulham in the same summer window. Now 30, the Scotland international’s Premier League dream is still to be realised, making the £11m Leeds received for his signature (via BBC Sport) seem like a good piece of business.
2. Jermaine Beckford (72 league goals)
Jermaine Beckford
Jermaine Beckford’s greatest moment in a Leeds shirt undoubtedly came at Old Trafford when his goal inspired the League One side to one of the greatest FA Cup upsets in recent memory. In the league, Beckford was fantastic during his time with the Whites, scoring more than 20 goals in each of the three seasons the team spent in the third tier.
While his goal against Manchester United was perhaps his greatest moment, his most important goal came against Bristol Rovers in 2010 when his strike ensured Leeds secured automatic promotion.
With Leeds finishing seventh in the Championship the following year, it may be fair to wonder what may have been had he stayed for one more season rather than leave for Everton.
1. Luciano Becchio (75 league goals)
Luciano Becchio
The Argentinian may perhaps not boast the flair that Beckford had or the natural talent that McCormack had, but there has undoubtedly been no striker that has been more popular amongst the Leeds faithful. His tireless displays saw him reach double figures in each of the five seasons he spent in Yorkshire, and ensured that he earned the kind of cult-hero status that has led some supporters to call for his return to the club in recent transfer windows, despite his failure to manage anything of note since his departure.
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