Rocco Dean

Rocco Dean is a British soccer author and podcast presenter whose work focuses on Leeds United. A supporter from childhood, he wrote factual and imagined match reports as a boy before returning to sustained writing during the pandemic. His books combine detailed accounts of matches with the perspective of a fan whose own life has developed alongside the team’s changing fortunes.

Dean began documenting Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds in 2019 after learning that he would become a father. The project was intended to preserve the story for his son, Alessandro Marcelo. His first book appeared in 2021, followed by accounts of the club’s League One years, its return to the Premier League, and Don Revie’s successful side. Dean has written and presented for the Leeds, That! podcast since 2021.

Soccer Books

Marcelo Bielsa vs The Damned United: The Extraordinary Story of a Club Reborn: Dean recounts Leeds United’s first two seasons under Marcelo Bielsa as the club pursued a return to the Premier League. Match reporting and a supporter’s experience follow disappointment and eventual promotion after sixteen years outside the top division. The account examines the changes Bielsa brought to the team and the emotional effect of that transformation on a fan base accustomed to setbacks. Published in 2021.

League One Leeds: A Journey Through the Abyss: Dean revisits Leeds United’s three seasons in League One, beginning with the fifteen-point deduction that complicated an already difficult fall into the third tier. Winning runs, unexpected defeats, and repeated reversals accompany the struggle to recover. Contributions from players and manager Simon Grayson are woven into the author’s memories, leading toward the dramatic conclusion of the promotion campaign. Published in 2022.

The period includes defeats at Histon and Hereford as well as the FA Cup victory at Manchester United. Those contrasting results illustrate how difficult it was to predict the club’s direction. Jermaine Beckford, Jonny Howson, Bradley Johnson, David Prutton, Casper Ankergren, and Luciano Becchio contribute firsthand recollections, adding dressing-room perspectives to a narrative grounded in the stands.

Marcelo Bielsa vs the Premier League: Living, Loving and Losing Bielsaball: This match-by-match account follows Leeds through their first two Premier League seasons under Marcelo Bielsa. Dean records the excitement of the team’s approach alongside the unusual experience of games played without spectators. The return to stadiums brings renewed participation but also a relegation struggle, ending with the departure of a manager whose influence had become central to supporters’ understanding of the club. Published in 2023.

The Sons of Revie: Leeds United's Decade of Dominance: Dean examines the decade in which Don Revie’s Leeds developed from a Second Division club into a major force. The narrative follows a squad built around young players through sustained competition for leading honors. Achievements sit beside controversies and decisive disappointments, considering why a team remembered for its quality also acquired an unusually contested reputation within English soccer. Published in 2024.

Sgt Wilko's Defending Champions: Leeds United at the Dawn of Modern Football: Dean recalls Leeds United’s defense of their league title during the inaugural Premier League season. A match-by-match narrative is seen through the experience of a young supporter becoming a season-ticket holder for the first time. Personal memory accompanies the team’s difficult adjustment to a new era, linking the expectations created by a championship with the uncertainties of learning to follow a club. Published in 2026.

Howard Wilkinson’s team entered the new competition as the last champions of the old First Division. For Dean, the season also marked the beginning of a more regular personal relationship with Elland Road. The book places those two starting points together: a successful side facing unfamiliar competitive circumstances, and a child discovering the costs and rewards of lasting attachment to a team.