DAVE TOMLINSON

Dave Tomlinson is the author of thirteen books and has contributed to two others, establishing him as one of the most prolific writers on Leeds United and its history.

For more than two decades, his writing has combined meticulous research with the perspective of a supporter who has followed the club for more than fifty years.

His books have explored almost every era of Leeds United’s modern history—from Don Revie and the great side of the 1960s and 1970s to Howard Wilkinson’s champions, Marcelo Bielsa’s revolution, and the extraordinary ownership dramas of the twenty-first century.

Among them are The Man With The Plan, his biography of Howard Wilkinson; Leeds United in the 1970s; Doing A Leeds, the story of the financial collapse that followed the Champions League years; and Rise & Fall: Andrea Radrizzani’s Leeds United, charting the turbulent journey from takeover and Bielsa-inspired promotion to Premier League relegation.

Across his work, the common thread is an attempt to understand not simply what happened to Leeds United, but why—the personalities, decisions, money, politics, and sometimes sheer chaos behind the events supporters witnessed from the stands.

From Billy Bremner to Bielsa, from Clarke One-Nil to the white-knuckle 2019 play-off against Derby, Dave has lived—and written—through it all.

WRITING, BROADCASTING AND COLLABORATION

Dave’s work extends beyond books. Together with Robert Endeacott, he is a regular voice on the NICE n REVIE YouTube channel, discussing Leeds United past and present through a mixture of history, opinion, memories, and good-humoured disagreement.

Their different approaches are part of the appeal: Robert is instinctively drawn to characters, atmosphere, and storytelling; Dave to research, chronology, finance, and the decisions behind events. It is a combination that also underpins their work together at Legacy 11 Books.

That same combination has also taken them into live events, book launches, interviews, and projects celebrating the people and history of Leeds United.

LEGACY 11 BOOKS

Legacy 11 Books grew out of Dave and Robert’s work together during 2025. What began as a shared belief in independent publishing quickly developed into something more ambitious: an imprint through which they could create, develop, and publish football books on their own terms.

For Dave, Legacy 11 brings together many of the strands that have run through his writing—research, history, storytelling, and a determination to understand the people and decisions behind the events on the pitch.

The imprint has already developed beyond its original Leeds United foundations. Dave and Robert now work together selecting, developing, editing, and publishing their own books and those of other writers.

Dave also brings his experience of business and publishing to the partnership as Legacy 11 grows beyond its beginnings, while retaining its central purpose: independent football books with personality, authenticity, and a story worth telling.

DAVE TOMLINSON

WRITING, BROADCASTING AND COLLABORATION

LEGACY 11 BOOKS

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