Black and white photograph of Bert Cooke
Bert Cooke in 1921[1]

Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team founded in 1884, and based in Birkenhead, Wirral. As of the end of the 2014–15 season, the club has had 28 managers. The first man to hold this position was Bert Cooke, appointed in 1912. He oversaw the club's entry into the Football League and remained in charge for 23 years, the longest spell of any manager at the club. Major changes were not seen until businessman Dave Russell took over in 1961. His introductions included the team's current all-white kit and regularly arranged floodlit home fixtures on Friday evenings rather than the usual Saturday afternoon.

Tranmere's most successful period came at the end of the twentieth century. John King returned for his third spell at the club in 1987, having previously both played and managed the team. He led them to victory in the League Trophy, and from the bottom of the Fourth Division to reach the play-offs for promotion to the Premier League on three occasions. Success continued under King's replacement, John Aldridge, including an appearance in the 2000 Football League Cup Final.

After Ronnie Moore was sacked in April 2014, assistant John McMahon took over once again as caretaker manager, but he could not stop the club from being relegated into League Two. At the end of 2014, the club announced the appointment of Rob Edwards as their new manager, but following a further decline which had seen Tranmere slump to the bottom of League Two, he was sacked on 13 October 2014. He was followed by the former Leicester City manager Micky Adams, but shortly before the club's relegation from League Two was confirmed in April 2015, he in turn was dismissed and replaced by Gary Brabin. Brabin left the club in September 2016.

History

From their foundation in 1884 until they became a limited company, Tranmere Rovers were run under the presidency of local businessman James McGaul.[2] The first man to hold a position equivalent to what is today referred to as a manager was Bert Cooke, who was appointed manager in 1912,[3] though the directors continued to choose the team for each game.[4] Cooke stayed in charge for 23 years, the longest spell of any manager at the club.[3] He oversaw the club's victory in the Lancashire Combination in 1914,[5] promotion to the Central League in 1919 and, as founder members of Division Three North, their first Football League match on 27 August 1921.[6] He also developed a string of talented local youngsters, including Dixie Dean and Pongo Waring.[7] However, in 1935, Cooke's career ended in discredit; following illegal payments to directors and players, he was sacked and replaced by Jack Carr.[8]

Jim Knowles, a former film extra, took over the following year and led the club to the Division Three North championship.[9][10] This remains their sole championship in the Football League.[7] However, they were relegated the next season having won just 6 of 42 matches,[11] the all-time worst record of any team in Division Two.[7] Knowles left the club at the outbreak of the Second World War.[12]

Tranmere rejoined the peacetime Football League in Division Three North and stayed there until the 1958 restructuring of the football league's lower divisions. Manager Peter Farrell led them to finish 11th in the final season of the Northern Section, securing a place in the new national Division Three where they were again founder members.[13] The final match against Wrexham, also playing for a place in the higher league, attracted a crowd of 19,615, which remains the highest attendance at a Prenton Park league match.[7]

In 1961, Dave Russell joined the club from Bury who were, at the time, two divisions above Tranmere.[14] Considered a shrewd businessman,[15] Russell made some revolutionary changes.[3] He developed a successful youth policy which included England international Roy McFarland among its graduates.[16] More visibly, he introduced an all-white kit to set the team apart from local rivals, Division One club Everton; these have been Tranmere's usual colours since.[17] He also took advantage of the floodlights, regularly arranging home fixtures on Friday evenings rather than the usual Saturday afternoon. This allowed supporters to watch Tranmere on Fridays and Everton or Liverpool on Saturdays; Friday night games continued until the 1990s.[18] Russell guided Rovers back to Division Three in 1967,[19] a year before a new 4,000-seater main stand was opened.[9] He became general manager in 1969, allowing Jackie Wright to take over.[7]

John King joined the club as manager in 1975, having already made 241 appearances as a player, and spent seven years as captain.[20] He secured promotion from the Fourth Division,[21] but was sacked following subsequent relegation.[22] However, in his second spell as manager from 1987, King took the team from the bottom of Division Four to the brink of English football's top league.[3] Under his leadership, they won the League Trophy in 1990,[23] and reached the play-offs for promotion to the newly formed Premier League in 1993,[24] 1994,[25] and 1995.[26] In 1996, King was given the position of director of football and replaced by player-manager John Aldridge.[7]

Aldridge had played a large part in Tranmere's success under King, retiring in 1998 with a total of 174 goals in 294 games.[27] As a manager, he is remembered for the team's cup runs. Tranmere reached the 2000 Football League Cup Final,[28] beating top-flight Middlesbrough and Coventry City, before losing 2–1 to Leicester City in the last League Cup game to be played at the original Wembley Stadium.[7] The following season, the club progressed in the FA Cup, beating local Premier League rivals Everton 3–0 at Goodison Park,[29] then Southampton 4–3 (after being 0–3 down),[30] before losing to Liverpool.[31] With the club struggling in the league, Aldridge resigned one week after the Liverpool defeat.[32] Both King and Aldridge have been honoured in the Tranmere Hall of Fame.[33] In 2009, long-serving club physiotherapist Les Parry took over as manager from former England international John Barnes.[34] Parry was sacked on 4 March 2012[35] and replaced by Ronnie Moore.[36]

In February 2014 it was reported that Moore was under investigation by The Football Association, for breaching its rules against betting on competitions in which his club were involved.[37] He was suspended,[38] and after admitting the FA's charges was sacked on 9 April 2014.[39] On 27 May 2014, the club announced that Rob Edwards had been appointed as their new manager,[40] but he was sacked on 13 October 2014.[41] Former Port Vale manager Micky Adams' appointment was announced on 16 October 2014,[42] but he in turn left the club on 19 April 2015, when the club were bottom of the league with two matches remaining.[43] The following week, Tranmere were relegated from the Football League, ending their 94-year stay in the leagues.[44] Gary Brabin was appointed as manager on 5 May 2015.[45]

Managers

This list comprises all those who have held the position of manager of the first team of Tranmere. Each manager's entry includes his dates of tenure and the club's overall competitive record (in terms of matches won, drawn and lost). All full-time managers are listed, along with caretaker managers where known. Statistics are correct as at the end of the match played on 9 September 2023.

List of managers
Manager From To P W D L W% Honours Notes References
Bert Cooke August 1912 30 April 1935 607 258 123 226 042.5 Lancashire Combination champions 1913–14[5]

Welsh Cup finalists 1933–34[46][note 1]

[8][48][note 2]
Jack Carr 28 May 1935 November 1936 60 27 17 16 045.0 [49][50]
Jim Knowles November 1936 January 1939 98 38 16 44 038.8 Third Division North champions 1937–38[10] [51]
Bill Ridding[note 3] January 1939 May 1945 20 3 3 14 015.0 [54]
Ernie Blackburn September 1946 13 December 1955 421 172 83 166 040.9 [55][56]
Noel Kelly 13 December 1955 September 1957 107 26 25 56 024.3 Player-manager [56][57]
Peter Farrell 5 October 1957 12 December 1960 164 63 34 67 038.4 Player-manager [58][59]
Walter Galbraith 7 January 1961 25 November 1961 43 20 3 20 046.5 [60][61]
Dave Russell 15 December 1961 23 December 1969 379 167 82 130 044.1 Fourth Division promotion 1966–67[19] [15][62][63]
Jackie Wright 23 December 1969 9 April 1972 109 25 48 36 022.9 [63][64]
Ron Yeats 10 April 1972 4 April 1975 141 42 41 58 029.8 Player-manager [65][66]
John King 13 April 1975 30 September 1980 246 80 73 93 032.5 Fourth Division promotion 1975–76[21] [67]
Bryan Hamilton 1 October 1980 7 February 1985 205 67 56 82 032.7 Player-manager [68]
Frank Worthington 9 July 1985 11 February 1987 83 24 23 36 028.9 Player-manager [69]
Ronnie Moore 11 February 1987 13 April 1987 12 3 4 5 025.0 Player-manager [70]
John King 13 April 1987 12 April 1996 488 211 129 148 043.2 Third Division promotion 1990–91[71]

Fourth Division promotion 1988–89[72]
League Trophy champions 1989–90[23]
League Trophy finalists 1990–91[23]

[67]
John Aldridge 12 April 1996 17 March 2001 269 93 78 98 034.6 League Cup finalists 1999–2000[28] Player-manager [73]
Ray Mathias
Kevin Sheedy 		18 March 2001 7 May 2001 11 1 3 7 009.1 Caretakers [74][75]
Dave Watson 20 May 2001 1 August 2002 55 22 15 18 040.0 [76]
Ray Mathias 1 August 2002 29 September 2003 66 29 18 19 043.9 [74]
John McMahon 29 September 2003 12 October 2003 3 1 0 2 033.3 Caretaker (1st spell) [77]
Brian Little 12 October 2003 9 June 2006 147 61 43 43 041.5 [78]
Ronnie Moore 9 June 2006 5 June 2009 158 65 38 55 041.1 [70]
John Barnes 14 June 2009 9 October 2009 14 3 1 10 021.4 [79]
Les Parry 9 October 2009 4 March 2012 131 40 34 57 030.5 [80]
Ronnie Moore 5 March 2012 17 February 2014 111 41 25 45 036.9 [70]
John McMahon 17 February 2014 27 May 2014 6 1 1 4 016.7 Caretaker (2nd spell) [77]
Rob Edwards 27 May 2014 13 October 2014 14 2 4 8 014.3
Micky Adams 16 October 2014 19 April 2015 38 10 11 17 026.3 [81]
Alan Rogers 19 April 2015 5 May 2015 2 0 0 2 000.0 Caretaker [82]
Gary Brabin 5 May 2015 18 September 2016 60 28 15 17 046.7 [83]
Paul Carden 19 September 2016 7 October 2016 3 1 1 1 033.3 Interim [84]
Micky Mellon 7 October 2016 6 July 2020 198 91 45 62 046.0 National League promotion 2017–18
League Two promotion 2018–19 		[85]
Mike Jackson 18 July 2020 31 October 2020 13 3 5 5 023.1 [86]
Ian Dawes
Andy Parkinson 		31 October 2020 21 November 2020 5 4 1 0 080.0 Caretakers [87]
Keith Hill 21 November 2020 11 May 2021 40 20 10 10 050.0 EFL Trophy finalists 2020–21 [88]
Ian Dawes 11 May 2021 30 May 2021 2 0 1 1 000.0 Caretaker [87]
Micky Mellon 1 June 2021 19 March 2023 97 39 25 33 040.2 [85]
Ian Dawes 20 March 2023 10 September 2023 19 3 5 11 015.8 [87]

Notes

  1. ^ The club also won the Welsh Cup on 4 May 1935,[47] days after Cooke's departure.
  2. ^ Statistics from 27 August 1921.
  3. ^ Competitive football was abandoned during the Second World War. Some sources list Jimmy Moreton (1939–42), Bill Ridding (1942–46) and Tommy Jones (1946) as managers,[3] while other sources name only Ridding.[4][52][53]

References

General
Specific
  1. ^ Bishop, Peter (1 November 1998). Tranmere Rovers Football Club. Images of England. Stroud: Tempus. p. 18. ISBN 978-0-7524-1505-5.
  2. ^ Bishop (1990). "McGaul, James, Hannay J.P". p. 28. ((cite book)): Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ^ a b c d e "Tranmere Rovers Managers Since 1912". Tranmere Rovers F.C. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 10 September 2012.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ a b Bishop (1990). "Managers". p. 28. ((cite book)): Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ^ a b Abbink, Dinant (2 May 2007). "England – Lancashire Combination". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  6. ^ Felton, Paul; Spencer, Barry (14 June 2000). "England 1921–22". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Bishop, Peter (19 August 2010). "History". The Cowsheds. Archived from the original on 10 February 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  8. ^ a b Bishop (1990). "Cooke, Bert". pp. 10–11. ((cite book)): Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ^ a b Bishop, Peter (November 1997). "A Short History of Tranmere Rovers". In Upton, Gilbert; Wilson, Steve (eds.). Tranmere Rovers 1921–1997: A Complete Record. pp. 7–10. ISBN 978-0-9518648-2-1.
  10. ^ a b Felton, Paul; Edwards, Gareth (8 October 2000). "England 1937–38". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  11. ^ Felton, Paul; Edwards, Gareth (8 October 2000). "England 1939–39". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  12. ^ Bishop (1990). "Knowles, Jim". p. 24. ((cite book)): Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. ^ Felton, Paul (22 July 2001). "England 1957–58". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  14. ^ Felton, Paul. "England 1961–62". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  15. ^ a b Bishop (1990). "Russell, Dave". p. 57. ((cite book)): Missing or empty |title= (help)
  16. ^ "Club History". Tranmere Rovers F.C. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 10 September 2012.[permanent dead link]
  17. ^ Moor, Dave. "Tranmere Rovers – Historical Football Kits". Historical Football Kits. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  18. ^ Sturgeon, Karl (December 2009). "Tranmere Rovers 1994". When Saturday Comes. Archived from the original on 4 November 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  19. ^ a b Felton, Paul. "Season 1966–67". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  20. ^ Bishop (1990). "King, John". p. 24. ((cite book)): Missing or empty |title= (help)
  21. ^ a b Felton, Paul (22 July 2001). "Season 1975–76". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  22. ^ Felton, Paul. "Season 1978–79". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  23. ^ a b c Hicks, Jeremy; Ross, James (15 April 2010). "The Football League Trophy". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  24. ^ Felton, Paul. "Season 1992–93". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  25. ^ Felton, Paul. "Season 1993–94". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  26. ^ Felton, Paul. "Season 1994–95". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  27. ^ "John Aldridge". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  28. ^ a b Exenberger, Andreas (27 February 2000). "England League Cup 1999/2000". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  29. ^ "Tranmere shame Everton". BBC Sport. 27 January 2001. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  30. ^ "Tranmere comeback stuns Saints". BBC Sport. 20 February 2001. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  31. ^ "Liverpool cling on to beat Tranmere". BBC Sport. 11 March 2001. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  32. ^ "Aldridge walks out on Rovers". BBC Sport. 17 March 2001. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  33. ^ "Hall of Fame". Tranmere Rovers F.C. Retrieved 10 September 2012.[permanent dead link]
  34. ^ "Tranmere sack Barnes and McAteer". BBC Sport. 9 October 2009. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  35. ^ "Tranmere Rovers sack manager Les Parry". BBC Sport. 4 March 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  36. ^ "Club Statement". Tranmere Rovers F.C. 5 March 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2012.[permanent dead link]
  37. ^ BBC News, "Ronnie Moore: Tranmere boss under FA betting investigation", 14 February 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  38. ^ Dan Kay, "Tranmere suspend manager Ronnie Moore over alleged betting rule breach", Liverpool Echo, 17 February 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2014
  39. ^ The Guardian, "Tranmere sack Ronnie Moore for breaching contract", 9 April 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014
  40. ^ BBC Sport, "Tranmere Rovers appoint Rob Edwards as new manager", 27 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014
  41. ^ BBC Sport, "Rob Edwards: Tranmere Rovers sack manager after five months", 13 October 2014
  42. ^ Micky Adams: Tranmere Rovers appoint ex-Port Vale manager - BBC Sport
  43. ^ "Micky Adams leaves Tranmere Rovers by mutual consent". tranmererovers.co.uk
  44. ^ "Plymouth 3-2 Tranmere", BBC Sport, 25 April 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2015
  45. ^ "Gary Brabin: Tranmere Rovers appoint new manager", BBC Sport, 5 May 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2015
  46. ^ Stokkermans, Karel (31 March 2011). "Wales – List of Cup Finals". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  47. ^ Bishop (1990). "Welsh Cup". p. 66. ((cite book)): Missing or empty |title= (help)
  48. ^ "Bert Cooke". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  49. ^ "Jack Carr". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  50. ^ Bishop (1990). "Carr, Jack". p. 8. ((cite book)): Missing or empty |title= (help)
  51. ^ "Jim Knowles". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  52. ^ Upton, Gilbert; Wilson, Steve (November 1997). Tranmere Rovers 1921–1997: A Complete Record. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-9518648-2-1.
  53. ^ "Tranmere Manager History". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  54. ^ "Bill Ridding". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  55. ^ "Ernest Blackburn". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  56. ^ a b Bishop (1990). "Kelly, Noel". p. 23. ((cite book)): Missing or empty |title= (help)
  57. ^ "Noel Kelly". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  58. ^ "Peter Farrell". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  59. ^ Bishop (1990). "Farrell, Peter". pp. 16–17. ((cite book)): Missing or empty |title= (help)
  60. ^ "Walter Galbraith". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  61. ^ Bishop (1990). "Galbraith, Walter". pp. 17–18. ((cite book)): Missing or empty |title= (help)
  62. ^ "Dave Russell". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  63. ^ a b Bishop (1990). "Wright, Jackie". p. 70. ((cite book)): Missing or empty |title= (help)
  64. ^ "Jackie Wright". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  65. ^ "Ron Yeats". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  66. ^ Bishop (1990). "Yeats, Ron". p. 71. ((cite book)): Missing or empty |title= (help)
  67. ^ a b "John King". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  68. ^ "Bryan Hamilton". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  69. ^ "Frank Worthington". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  70. ^ a b c "Ronnie Moore". Soccerbase. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  71. ^ Felton, Paul. "Season 1990–91". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  72. ^ Felton, Paul. "Season 1988–89". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  73. ^ "John Aldridge". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  74. ^ a b "Ray Mathias". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  75. ^ "Kevin Sheedy". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  76. ^ "Dave Watson". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  77. ^ a b "John McMahon". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  78. ^ "Brian Little". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  79. ^ "John Barnes". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  80. ^ "Les Parry". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  81. ^ "Micky Adams". Soccerbase. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  82. ^ "Alan Rogers". Soccerbase. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  83. ^ "Gary Brabin". Soccerbase. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  84. ^ "Paul Carden". Soccerbase. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  85. ^ a b "Micky Mellon". Soccerbase. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  86. ^ "Mike Jackson". Soccerbase. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  87. ^ a b c "Ian Dawes". Soccerbase. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  88. ^ "Keith Hill". Soccerbase. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
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