The 1996-97 campaign was a season of dramatic, mid-season transformation for Leeds United, as The Whites dismissed manager Howard Wilkinson and appointed the famously defensive George Graham. Graham immediately turned the team into a risk-averse but "solid as a rock" outfit, which clinched an 11th-place Premier League finish despite only scoring a record-low 28 goals. Spearheaded by the defensive brilliance of Lucas Radebe and Nigel Martyn, the side set a club record of 20 clean sheets, ensuring survival in a season that saw joint top league scorers Brian Deane and Lee Sharpe net only 5 times, marking a pragmatic but ultimately successful chapter of history.