[1] Since returning to the Championship in 2010, most of Leeds' seasons had seen mid-table mediocrity, with occasional struggles against relegation, and very few promotion challenges.

Owner Massimo Cellino nearly sacked Monk, but having seen precious little success with his strategy of chopping and changing managers over the past three years, decided to give him longer.

Cellino was rewarded for his patience when Leeds' form dramatically improved thereafter, with a strong run of form taking them into the play-off places by early November, and even challenging for automatic promotion by the turn of the year, with the goals of Chris Wood, who had already impressed in the previous season, being crucial to their promotion challenge.

While they remained in the play-off places until the final weeks of the seasons, an injury crisis combined with a barren spell for Wood saw the promotion challenge slowly unravel.

Still, the season still marked only the third time since relegation from the Premier League in 2004 that Leeds had finished in the top half of the Championship.