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Alfred Homer

Bristol Rovers first full-time manager, Alfred Homer.

This is a list of Bristol Rovers managers since the club appointed its first secretary-manager in 1899, along with the number of competitive games managed, winning percentage and titles won.

Although the club were founded in 1888, they did not appoint a full-time manager until 1899, when Alfred Homer, who was assistant secretary of Aston Villa, was appointed as manager-secretary of Bristol Rovers, a position he held for twenty-one years. On joining the Football League in 1920, the club appointed Ben Hall to the manager's post. Hall held the job for one year before handing over to Andrew Wilson, the club's first non-English manager.

Mark McGhee

Former manager Mark McGhee

The next significant manager of Bristol Rovers was Albert Prince-Cox, who introduced blue-and-white quarters as the team's kit because he believed it made the players look larger and more intimidating. He also became the first manager to win a major cup competition with the club when they won the Division 3 (South) Cup in 1935. More success followed in the 1952–53 season when Bristol Rovers' longest serving post-war manager, Bert Tann, won a league title for the first time since 1905 and won promotion for the first time ever when the club won Division 3 (South). Tann remained in charge for eighteen years from 1950 to 1968.

Don Megson was the next manager to win a major trophy, taking the Watney Cup in 1972 in only his third game in charge. Following this, only two more managers won any silverware at a national level. These were Gerry Francis, who won the Division 3 title in 1989–90, and most recently Paul Trollope, who won the League 2 play-off final in 2007.

In all the club has had 32 full-time managers (excluding caretaker managers).

Managers[]

  • All statistics are from Bristol Rovers Football Club - The Definitive History 1883-2003 unless otherwise stated.
  • Information correct as at 18 December 2012.
  • Caretaker managers are highlighted in blue.
Name Nationality Bristol Rovers career Games Won Drawn Lost % won[1] Honours Notes
Homer, AlfredAlfred Homer Eng England 1899Summer 1899 –
July 1920
652 243 148 261 37.3 Southern League champions
3 Gloucestershire Cups
Hall, BenBen Hall Eng England 1920July 1920 –
May 1921
45 19 7 19 42.2
Wilson, AndrewAndrew Wilson Sco Scotland 1921June 1921 –
April 1926
230 74 64 92 32.2 Gloucestershire Cup winner
Palmer, JoeJoe Palmer Eng England 1926May 1926 –
April 1929
138 48 22 68 34.8 Gloucestershire Cup winner
McLean, DavidDavid McLean Sco Scotland 1929May 1929 –
September 1930
58 16 12 30 27.6
Prince-Cox, AlbertAlbert Prince-Cox Eng England 1930October 1930 –
October 1936
295 115 67 113 39.0 Division 3 (South) Cup winner
2 Gloucestershire Cups
Smith, PercyPercy Smith Eng England 1936November 1936 –
November 1937
52 17 9 26 32.7
Fletcher, BroughBrough Fletcher Eng England 1938January 1938 –
January 1950
227 80 49 98 35.2 3 Gloucestershire Cups
Tann, BertBert Tann Eng England 1950January 1950 –
April 1968
897 369 216 314 41.1 Division Three (South) champions
Gloucestershire Cups: won 5, shared 5
Ford, FredFred Ford Eng England 1968April 1968 –
July 1969
70 26 16 28 37.1
Dodgin, Sr., BillBill Dodgin, Sr. Eng England 1969August 1969 –
July 1972
163 72 47 44 44.2
Megson, DonDon Megson Eng England 1972July 1972 –
November 1977
269 91 85 93 33.8 Watney Cup winner
2 Gloucestershire Cups
Campbell, BobbyBobby Campbell Sco Scotland 1977November 1977 –
December 1979
91 32 19 40 35.2
Jarman, HaroldHarold Jarman Eng England 1979December 1979 –
April 1980
24 7 9 8 29.2
Cooper, TerryTerry Cooper Eng England 1980April 1980 –
October 1981
68 13 19 36 19.1
Gingell, RonRon Gingell
(caretaker)
Eng England 1981 (1)October 1981 1 0 1 0 0.0
Gould, BobbyBobby Gould Eng England 1981 (2)October 1981 –
May 1983
91 40 17 34 44.0 2 Gloucestershire Cups
Williams, DavidDavid Williams Wal Wales 1983May 1983 –
May 1985
108 51 28 29 47.2 2 Gloucestershire Cups
Gould, BobbyBobby Gould Eng England 1985May 1985 –
June 1987
105 31 25 49 29.5
Francis, GerryGerry Francis Eng England 1987July 1987 –
May 1991
209 86 62 61 41.1 Division Three champions
2 Gloucestershire Cups
Dobson, MartinMartin Dobson Eng England 1991 (1)July 1991 –
October 1991
12 1 2 9 8.3
Rofe, DennisDennis Rofe Eng England 1991 (2)October 1991 –
November 1992
63 21 18 24 33.3 Gloucestershire Cup winner
Allison, MalcolmMalcolm Allison Eng England 1992November 1992 –
February 1993
18 6 4 8 33.3
Cross, SteveSteve Cross
(caretaker)
Eng England 1993 (1)March 1993 3 0 1 2 0.0
Ward, JohnJohn Ward Eng England 1993 (2)March 1993 –
May 1996
181 77 49 55 42.5 2 Gloucestershire Cups
Holloway, IanIan Holloway Eng England 1996June 1996 –
January 2001
249 92 67 90 36.9
Thompson, GarryGarry Thompson
(caretaker)
Eng England 2001 (1)January 2001 –
May 2001
24 7 5 12 29.2 [2]
Francis, GerryGerry Francis Eng England 2001 (2)July 2001 –
December 2001
31 9 10 12 29.0 [3]
Thompson, GarryGarry Thompson Eng England 2001 (3)December 2001 –
April 2002
23 7 5 11 30.4 [2]
Bater, PhilPhil Bater
(caretaker)
Wal Wales 2002 (1)April 2002 3 0 1 2 0.0 [4]
Graydon, RayRay Graydon Eng England 2002 (2)April 2002 –
January 2004
81 22 22 37 27.2 [5]
Bater, PhilPhil Bater
(caretaker)
Wal Wales 2004 (1)January 2004 –
March 2004
12 1 6 5 8.3 [4]
Osman, RussellRussell Osman
Broadhurst, KevanKevan Broadhurst
(joint caretakers)
Eng England
Eng England
2004 (2)March 2004 –
April 2004
6 3 1 2 50.0 [6][7][8]
Atkins, IanIan Atkins Eng England 2004 (3)April 2004 –
September 2005
68 21 26 21 30.9 [9]
Trollope, PaulPaul Trollope Wal Wales 2005September 2005 –
December 2010
284 106 71 107 37.3 League 2 play-off winner [10]
Patterson, DarrenDarren Patterson
(caretaker)
Nir Northern Ireland 2010December 2010 –
January 2011
2 0 0 2 0.0 [11]
Penney, DaveDave Penney Eng England 2011aJanuary 2011 –
March 2011
13 2 2 9 15.4 [12]
Campbell, StuartStuart Campbell
(caretaker)
Sco Scotland 2011bMarch 2011 –
May 2011
12 4 3 5 33.3 [13]
Buckle, PaulPaul Buckle Eng England 2011cJune 2011 –
January 2012
29 8 6 15 27.6 [14]
North, ShaunShaun North
(caretaker)
Eng England 2012aJanuary 2011 3 1 1 1 33.3 [15]
McGhee, MarkMark McGhee Sco Scotland 2012bJanuary 2012 –
December 2012
44 12 12 20 27.3 [16]
Ward, JohnJohn Ward Eng England 2012cDecember 2012 – 0 0 0 0 [17]

Notes[]

  1. Rounded to one decimal place
  2. 2.0 2.1 Garry Thompson's managerial career. Soccerbase. Retrieved on 2007-05-31.
  3. Gerry Francis's managerial career. Soccerbase. Retrieved on 2007-05-31.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Phil Bater's managerial career. Soccerbase. Retrieved on 2007-05-31.
  5. Ray Graydon's managerial career. Soccerbase. Retrieved on 2007-05-31.
  6. Russell Osman and Kevan Broadhurst were appointed joint caretaker managers at the end of the 2003–04 season
  7. Russell Osman's managerial career. Soccerbase. Retrieved on 2007-05-31.
  8. Kevan Broadhurst's managerial career. Soccerbase. Retrieved on 2007-05-31.
  9. Ian Atkins's managerial career. Soccerbase. Retrieved on 2007-05-31.
  10. Paul Trollope's managerial career. Soccerbase. Retrieved on 2007-11-08.
  11. Darren Patterson's managerial career. Soccerbase. Retrieved on 7 January 2011.
  12. Dave Penney's managerial career. Soccerbase. Retrieved on 22 May 2012.
  13. Stuart Campbell's managerial career. Soccerbase. Retrieved on 22 May 2012.
  14. Paul Buckle's managerial career. Soccerbase. Retrieved on 22 May 2012.
  15. Shaun North's managerial career. Soccerbase. Retrieved on 22 May 2012.
  16. Mark McGhee's managerial career. Soccerbase. Retrieved on 22 May 2012.
  17. John Ward's managerial career. Soccerbase. Retrieved on 18 December 2012.

References[]

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