Simon Grayson was appointed the new manager of Leeds United of December 23 2008 following the departure of previous manager Gary McAllister.

The 39-year-old joined the club after a six-year stint at Blackpool, first as a player then as manager, during which he guided the Seasiders to their highest league placing for over 40 years.

Grayson presided over the Blackpool side which won the League One Play-Off final in 2007 to secure Championship status.

The Yorkshireman enjoyed a 17-year playing career that saw him make over 500 career appearances.

Simon started his career at Elland Road as an apprentice and made a handful of senior appearances for the club, including one at Wembley in the Mercantile Credit Centenary Tournament, before joining Leicester City in 1992.

From Leicester he enjoyed successful stints with Aston Villa and Blackburn Rovers before loan spells with Sheffield Wednesday, Stockport County, Notts County, and Bradford City.

His playing career ended after a century of appearances for Blackpool when, after a successful spell as player-caretaker manager he was handed the managerial job on a permanent basis in the summer of 2006.

His first game as United manager was a 1-1 draw against Leicester at Elland Road with his first win coming at Stockport two days later. His first defeat as manager came with a 2-0 loss against Carlisle on January 10.

Simon slowly settled the Leeds United ship, and following defeat at Hereford in February, his team embarked on an 11-game unbeaten run, losing only one in the final 15, which was enough to secure a Play-Off spot.

United suffered defeat at the hands of Millwall, but there were no signs of a hangover as Grayson masterminded the club's best ever start to the following season, winning the first eight games in all competitions.