Leeds

Coordinates: 53°47′59″N 1°32′57″W / 53.79972°N 1.54917°W / 53.79972; -1.54917 Leeds ⁱ/liːdz/ is a city in West Yorkshire, England. Historically in Yorkshire's West Riding, the history of Leeds can be traced to the 5th century when the name referred to a wooded area of the Kingdom of Elmet. The name has been applied to many administrative entities over the centuries. It changed from being the appellation of a small manorial borough in the 13th century, through several incarnations, to being the name attached to the present metropolitan borough. In the 17th and 18th centuries Leeds became a major centre for the production and trading of wool. Then, during the Industrial Revolution, Leeds developed into a major mill town; wool was the dominant industry but flax, engineering, iron foundries, printing, and other industries were important. From being a compact market town in the valley of the River Aire in the 16th century Leeds expanded and absorbed the surrounding villages to become a populous urban centre by the mid-20th century. The main built-up area sub-division has a population of 474,632 (2011), and the City of Leeds metropolitan borough of which it is a part which has an estimated population of 757,700 (2011).

Leeds United F.C.

Leeds United Football Club is an English football club in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club was formed in 1919 following the disbanding of Leeds City F.C. by the Football League and took over their Elland Road stadium. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.

Leeds United have won three First Division league titles, one FA Cup and one League Cup. The club also won two Inter-Cities Fairs Cups. The majority of the honours were won under the management of Don Revie in the 1960s and 1970s. Leeds lost the 1975 European Cup Final against Bayern Munich and reached the semi finals of the tournament's successor Champions League in 2001.

Leeds United play in white. The club badge features the White Rose of York and "LUFC".

History Summary

Pre-Leeds United

Leeds United's predecessor team, Leeds City, was formed in 1904, and were elected League members in 1905. At first they found it hard to draw big crowds to Elland Road but their fortunes improved following Herbert Chapman's arrival. In 1914 Chapman declared; "This city is built to support top-flight football", but Leeds City were forcibly disbanded and forced to sell off all their players by The Football League in 1919 in response to allegations of illegal payments to players during the First World War. In 1919, Leeds United was formed and they received an invitation to enter the Midland League. Leeds United were voted into the Midland League on 31 October 1919, taking the place vacated by Leeds City Reserves. Following Leeds City's disbanding, Yorkshire Amateurs bought their stadium Elland Road. Yorkshire Amateurs offered to make way for the new team under the management of former player Dick Ray.

Bolton Wanderers F.C.

Bolton Wanderers Football Club ⁱ/ˈboʊltən/ is an English professional football club based in Bolton. The club currently competes in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.

The club was formed as Christ Church Football Club in 1874, and adopted its current name in 1877. Founder members of the Football League in 1888, Bolton have spent the highest number of seasons of any club in the top flight without winning the title (the 2011–12 season was their 73rd, non-consecutive year in the top flight). The closest they have come to the title is third in the First Division on three occasions (1891–92, 1920–21 and 1924–25). As of 2015, the club has spent more seasons in the top division than any other club outside the current Premier League.

Bolton were a successful cup side in the 1920s, winning the FA Cup three times. The club won the cup a fourth time in 1958. A leaner spell followed, reaching a nadir in 1987 when the club spent a season in the Fourth Division. The club regained top-flight status in 1995 after a 15-year absence. In a period of relative success, the club qualified for the UEFA Cup twice, reaching the last 32 in 2005–06 and the last 16 in 2007–08.

Thomas Christiansen

Thomas Christiansen Tarín (born 11 March 1973) is a retired footballer who played as a striker, and the current coach of AEK Larnaca FC.

Left-footed, he played for a number of clubs in Danish, Spanish and German football, being crowned the top goalscorer of the 2002–03 Bundesliga.

Christiansen also briefly represented the Spanish national team, in a 15-year professional career.

Playing career

Early years

Born in Hadsund to a Spanish mother, Christiansen was raised in Copenhagen also in Denmark. He started playing football aged nine in Avedøre IF, then spent one year at Brøndby IF before moving on to Hvidovre IF.

Christiansen trained with the youth team of Spanish giants Real Madrid, but when his mother forbade him to join the club, he moved to another Danish club, Boldklubben af 1893. In May 1991 he scored six goals in a youth team match against Kjøbenhavns Boldklub, and went back to Spain to train with defending La Liga champions FC Barcelona.

Barcelona

Christiansen signed a four-year contract with Barcelona in July 1991, when Johan Cruyff was club manager, with a dream of playing alongside the club's Danish playmaker Michael Laudrup. he started competing as a senior with the reserve side FC Barcelona B, where he soon was joined by compatriot Ronnie Ekelund; during this period, he was frequently called up to train with the main squad.

Champions League

Champions League most commonly refers to the UEFA Champions League. It may also refer to:

Association football