Tranmere

Formative years

Tranmere Rovers were, initially, formed as Belmont Football Club when the football arms of two cricket clubs – Lyndhurst Wanderers and Belmont – came together in 1884.^[] On 15 November 1884, they won their first game 4–0 against Brunswick Rovers. This was a friendly match, as there were no leagues until 1888. Under the presidency of James McGaul,^[] the team had a successful inaugural season, losing only one of their fifteen matches. An unrelated, disbanded side had played under the name "Tranmere Rovers Cricket Club (Association football section)" in 1881–82. On 16 September 1885, before their second season began, Belmont F.C. adopted this name Tranmere Rovers.^[][] Tranmere is historically a large village that was subsumed within the later expansion of the town of Birkenhead.^[]

Tranmere played their first matches at Steeles Field in Birkenhead. In 1887, they bought Ravenshaws Field from Tranmere Rugby Club. In 1895, their ground was renamed Prenton Park, although it was 25 years later that the team moved into the current stadium of the same name.^[] Tranmere first wore a kit of blue shirts, white shorts and blue socks. In 1889 they adopted orange and maroon shirts, but in 1904 returned to wearing their original kit.

In 1886, Tranmere entered their first competition: the Liverpool and District Challenge Cup; in 1889, they entered the West Lancashire League. They joined the Combination, a much stronger league, in 1897,^[] and won the championship in 1908.^[] In 1910, continuing their movement through the leagues, they entered the Lancashire Combination and in 1912 they showed their ambition by moving to the present Prenton Park site, with an 800-seat stand.^[] Tranmere won the Lancashire Combination Championship in 1914, and Stan Rowlands became the first Tranmere player to receive an international cap when he was selected to play for Wales.^[]

Rovers continued to play throughout the First World War, although their players were criticised for avoiding military service, despite being employed in the local shipyards.^[]

Inter-war years

Following the expulsion of Leeds City Reserves in 1919, Tranmere were able to enter the Central League.^[] Their timing was excellent as the following season, four Central League clubs – including Tranmere – were invited to join the new Division Three North.^[] On 27 August 1921, as founder members of the division,^[] they won their first Football League match 4–1 against Crewe Alexandra at Prenton Park.^[] At this time the team were managed by Bert Cooke, who did so for 23 years in total, the club record for longest serving manager.^[]

In 1924, local boy Dixie Dean made his debut aged 16 years 355 days. He played 30 games for Rovers, scoring 27 goals, before being transferred to Everton for £3,000.^[] In the 1927–28 season, Dean scored a record 60 League goals for Everton. After Dean's departure, several talented young players also left for Division One clubs, leading to Cooke's reputation as a shrewd businessman. Among those sold was Pongo Waring who – having scored six goals in the 11–1 victory over Durham City – went to Aston Villa for £4,700. As of 2010, Waring retains the record of scoring most goals for Villa in a single season.

In 1934, an FA Cup tie between Rovers and Liverpool was watched at Anfield by 61,036 fans, then a record crowd for a game involving Rovers.^[] One year later, Bunny Bell netted 57 goals during the 1933–34 season, and nine goals in the 13–4 Boxing Day 1935 victory over Oldham Athletic.^[] As of 2011, the aggregate of 17 goals in one game remained a league record.

During this same period, Tranmere made several appearances in the Welsh Cup, reaching the final on two occasions.^[] In 1934, they lost 3–0 to Bristol City in a replay, after a 1–1 draw.^[] The following season, they went one better by beating local rivals Chester 1–0 to win their first silverware since joining the Football League.^[]

Rovers won their first championship in the Football League in 1938, with victory in Division Three North, and, hence, promotion to Division Two for the first time.^[] It is still Rovers's only championship in the Football League.^[] However, they were relegated the next season, winning six matches – the record for the worst performance of any team in Division Two.^[]

Creation of the Superwhites

Prenton Park emerged from the Second World War largely unscathed.^[] 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 Tranmere 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.^[] The final match against Wrexham, also fighting for a place in the higher league, attracted a crowd of 19,615, which, as of 2010, remained the highest ever attendance at a Prenton Park league match.^[]

In 1961, Tranmere's inspirational captain Harold Bell left the club. Bell had been picked in the first game after the Second World War in the 1946 season, and did not miss a match until he was dropped on 30 August 1955, a total of 459 consecutive appearances for a British team, a record which held until 2011.^[] Rovers certainly missed their captain,^[][] and were relegated to Division Four for the first time in 1961.^[]

The club brought in Dave Russell as manager, and Russell made made some changes. Tranmere had worn a kit of blue shirts, white shorts and blue socks since 1904 – the same colours as local rivals, Division One club Everton. Russell introduced an all-white strip to set the teams apart; these have been Tranmere's usual colours since.^[][] Russell also developed a successful youth policy which included England international Roy McFarland among its graduates.^[][] Russell guided Rovers back to Division Three in 1967, a year before a new 4,000-seater main stand was opened, and Rovers reached the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time.^[] Three years later the club's record attendance at Prenton Park was established as 24,424 supporters witnessed Rovers draw 2–2 with Stoke City in the FA Cup.^[]

In 1972, Ron Yeats was installed as player-manager. He strengthened Tranmere's connections with local rivals Liverpool by recruiting several former teammates such as Ian St John, and bringing in Bill Shankly in a consultancy role.^[] This team saw one of the most memorable Rovers results of all time when, in a League Cup tie in 1973, Tranmere beat First Division Arsenal 1–0 at their former Highbury home.^[] However, Tranmere returned to the Fourth Division in 1975. The following decade was among the bleakest times in the club's history, with the team usually in the lower reaches of the Fourth Division, beset by financial problems, and attaining crowds of less than 2,000.^[]

In 1979, Steve Mungall joined Tranmere from Motherwell.^[] He went on to make more than 500 league appearances for Rovers in a 17-year period.^[] This spell saw Rovers rise up the league and make several appearances at Wembley.^[][] He remained with the club, on the coaching staff, until October 2000, when he left to pursue business interests.

Another relegation to Division Four in 1979 put the club in financial difficulties.^[] Debts mounted throughout the 1980s, with insolvency forestalled through a series of friendly fixtures, contributions from fans and a £200,000 loan from Wirral Council.^[] This partnership proved an enduring one, as Wirral's logo still appeared on the shirts until 2011.^[][] In July 1984, the club was sold to a Californian attorney, making Tranmere one of the first English clubs to be bought by a foreign owner.^[] Nonetheless, in 1987, the club went into administration.^[]

Johnny King era

Local businessman Peter Johnson took over control and ownership.^[] This proved to be a turning point in Tranmere's history, the club under his ownership experiencing by far the most successful period in its history, in which manager John King took the team from the bottom of Division Four to the brink of English football's top league.^[][] King's first task was to avoid the team finishing bottom of Division Four, which would have resulted in their relegation from the football league. Safety was guaranteed in the last game of the season, with a 1–0 home win over Exeter City on the last day of the season.

The first full season (1987–88) of King's second managerial spell in charge saw Tranmere make their first appearance at Wembley Stadium, when a good mid-season run of form saw them qualify for the Football League Centenary Tournament. Tranmere defeated Division One clubs Wimbledon and Newcastle United, before losing on penalties to eventual winner Nottingham Forest. The following season, King guided Tranmere to promotion as Division Four runner-up. Their final game played to secure promotion was against Crewe Alexandra, with both teams needing a point to gain promotion.^[] The first half was contested as usual, but, in the second half, with the score at 1–1, neither team targeted the goal of the other, leading to combined celebrations when the game had concluded.^[] Earlier that season, they had won several games in the League Cup, including against Division One Middlesbrough, in between wins against fellow Division Four club Stockport County and Division 3 club Blackpool, ultimately losing to Bristol City of Division 3.

At the end their first season in Division Three, Tranmere almost secured promotion to Division 2, losing 2–0 in the play-off final to Notts County, a week after Tranmere's 2–1 victory over Bristol Rovers at Wembley Stadium in the final of the Leyland DAF Trophy had secured the club's first trophy.^[] The form of striker Ian Muir was key to Tranmere's success during this period. He joined the club in 1985, and scored 180 goals in eleven seasons. He became the club's record scorer, and, in 2012, the first inductee to their hall of fame. Fellow hall of fame member John Morrissey joined the club in 1986.^[] The winger spent 14 seasons at the club, making 585 appearances.

In the 1990–91 season, Tranmere won promotion to Division Two for the first time since the 1930s, with a 1–0 play-off win over local rivals Bolton Wanderers.^[] Once again, Rovers made an appearance in the Leyland DAF Trophy final, this time losing 3–2 to Birmingham City. This made the play-off victory over Bolton Wanderers Tranmere's fourth appearance in a Wembley Stadium final in just over a year.^[]

In summer 1991, former Liverpool player John Aldridge joined Tranmere Rovers, signing from Spanish club Real Sociedad for a fee of £250,000; he would remain on the club's payroll for the next 10 years, scoring 170 times to put him behind only Ian Muir in the all-time scoring charts.^[] Aldridge also received 30 caps for the Republic of Ireland, and was the first Tranmere player to score at a World Cup. In 1993, Scotland international Pat Nevin joined the team, forming a four-man attack alongside Aldridge, Malkin and Morrissey.^[][] In three successive seasons, Tranmere reached the play-off semi-finals, missing out on promotion to the newly formed Premier League through defeat to Swindon Town in 1993, Leicester City in 1994, and Reading in 1995. 1994 also saw Tranmere progress to the League Cup semi-final, where they faced Aston Villa over two legs. The home leg was won 3–1 by Tranmere, with Villa scoring their only goal in the 94th minute. The score in the away leg was 2–1 in favour of Villa until the 88th minute when Villa scored again to win the game 3–1, so the match went to extra-time and penalties. With Tranmere one kick away from the final, Mark Bosnich saved Liam O'Brien's sudden death penalty, and Tranmere eventually lost 5–4.

A reconstructed Prenton Park was opened in March 1995, with the all-seater stadium then holding just under 17,000 supporters. In April 1996, with Rovers struggling for form in the league, chairman Frank Corfe appointed John Aldridge as player-manager, and King was "moved upstairs" to become Director of football. They finished the 1995–96 campaign in 13th position.

2000 and beyond

In the 1999–2000 season, despite severe financial constraints,^[] victories over two Premiership sides (West Ham United, Sunderland, followed by First Division club Fulham) led, not only to a place in the sixth round of the FA Cup, but also, to a place in the 2000 Football League Cup final against Leicester City – the first time in the club's history that Rovers had reached a major final.^[] Matt Elliott scored Leicester's opening goal, before Tranmere's Clint Hill was sent off for a second bookable offence. Despite being reduced to ten men, David Kelly equalised; however, Elliot scored Leicester's second goal three minutes later, and Tranmere lost the match 2–1. This was the last League Cup game held at the original Wembley stadium.

In 2000, the all-white kit was reintroduced and is still used in 2014.^[][] That season, Tranmere Rovers had another cup competition run, beating local Premier League rival Everton 3–0 at Goodison Park, then Southampton 4–3 (after being 0–3 down), before exiting after a loss to another local rival, Premier League club Liverpool. However, Tranmere Rovers struggled during league matches that season; Aldridge quit as manager before Tranmere's relegation to Division Two ended a spell of ten years in Division One.^[]

The club hired Brian Little as manager in 2003. He took Rovers to a play-off semi-final in 2004–05, and a best ever 6th round replay in the 2004 FA Cup, where they lost to eventual finalists, Millwall.^[] At the end of the 2005–06 season, Little left the club and was replaced by former player Ronnie Moore. In Moore's three seasons in charge, the club finished 9th, 11th and 7th, narrowly missing out on qualifcation for in the play-offs in his final season.^[] Moore was sacked in 2009, with former England winger John Barnes, whose only previous domestic managerial experience was with Celtic 10 years earlier, replacing him.^[] It was duirng Barnes's time as manager that long-serving kitman, Mark Trevor, ended his 12-year "Labour of Love", washing the kit of his local team. Having been at the club since 1997, he washed his last kit in August 2009, ahead of the club's home game against Charlton Athletic. Barnes's term as manager lasted considerably less time, and it was a five months before long-serving club physiotherapist Les Parry was given temporary charge. Rovers finished the season in 19th place in League One, avoiding relegation on the final day of the season, thanks to a 3–0 victory at Stockport County. In June 2010, Parry was given the manager's job on a permanent basis. He was sacked on 4 March 2012, after a 1–0 defeat by Chesterfield left the club only one point above the relegation zone, and replaced by Ronnie Moore for the remainder of the season. Moore won six of his thirteen games in charge at the end of the season, guiding Tranmere to a mid-table position, as they finished the season in the top half for the first time in several^[] years.^[] In April 2012, Moore signed a new one-year deal with Tranmere, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2012–13 season.

Towards the end of the 2013–14 season, Moore admitted breaking the Football Association's betting rules, and Tranmere sacked him when the club were just clear of the relegation zone.^[] Assistant John McMahon took over as caretaker manager,^[] but Tranmere were relegated to League Two in the final gameof the season on the final day of the season. Rob Edwards was subsequently appointed as new manager.

On 11 August 2014, it was announced that former player and Football Association chief executive Mark Palios and his wife Nicola were taking a controlling interest in the club from outgoing chairman Peter Johnson. Mark Palios would become executive chairman of the club, with Johnson becoming its honorary president.

After a poor start to the season, the home loss to Plymouth Argyle on 11 October 2014 saw Tranmere in last place in the Football League for the first time since 27 August 1987 after they had lost their first two matches of that season.^[] Edwards was sacked as manager on 13 October. Mickey Adams took over a week later, with the aim of saving the club from relegation to the Conference.^[] However, on 25 April 2015, after another defeat to Plymouth Argyle in the reverse fixture, Tranmere were relegated, ending their 94-year stay in the Football League.

Non-League years

Gary Brabin was appointed as manager on 5 May 2015. It was a season of ups and downs,^[] with poorer home form than away form.^[] It took a while^[] for Rovers to adjust to life in the non-league, with erratic form during the season.^[] Tranmere finished sixth, one place outside the play-off zone, in Gary Brabin's first season.^[]

Tranmere started the 2016–17 season well, ranking at the top of the non-league table at the end of August, after which Brabin received an award for manager of the month.^[] Form later dipped which resulted in one goal scored in the next four games, with a 1–0 defeat to Sutton United on BT Sport resulting in Brabin being sacked on 18 September 2016.^[][] Assistant manager, ex-Southport boss Paul Carden took over on an interim basis.^[] On 6 October 2016, former Tranmere player Micky Mellon was appointed permanent manager. His first game in charge was against cross-border rivals Wrexham, and ended with a 2–0 victory for Tranmere. Despite a 2nd-place finish and a club record 95-point haul, this still was not enough to gain automatic promotion back to the league.^[] Tranmere faced Aldershot Town in the play-offs. A goal from James Norwood and a brace from Cole Stockton in the first leg away at the Recreation Ground saw Rovers take a 3–0 lead back to Prenton Park for the second leg, which ended in a 2–2 draw, Norwood and Stockton once again on the scoresheet. This gave Tranmere a 5–2 aggregate win and their first Wembley appearance in 17 years.^[] On 14 May 2017, Tranmere lost 3–1 in the National League play-off final the 3–1 to Forest Green, Connor Jennings with Rovers's first goal at Wembley since the 2000 League Cup final.^[]

Tranmere's 2017–18 season got off to a poor start, with 3 wins from the first 12 games.^[] Tranmere slipped to 18th in the table, their lowest ever league position.^[] A spectacular winter turnaround saw Tranmere move into the play-offs,^[] where they remained for the rest of the season. This turnaround included a record-breaking run of 9 consecutive home league wins. This record-breaking stint was ended in February by a 4–1 defeat to eventual title winner Macclesfield Town.^[] Tranmere responded to this defeat by winning 8 out of their next 9 games, finishing the season as National League runners-up for the second time in as many years, qualifying for the play-offs.^[] In the play-off semi-final, Tranmere met Ebbsfleet United at home. Tranmere came from behind twice to take the game to extra time, the full-time score being 2–2, James Norwood with the first goal and Burnley loannee Josh Ginnelly with the second. An extra time free kick from James Norwood, followed by a goal from Larnell Cole saw Tranmere run out 4–2 victors after extra time, a result which sent Tranmere to Wembley Stadium for the National League play-off final.^[] On 12 May 2018, a crowd of 16,306 were at Wembley for the final against Boreham Wood. Tranmere were 2–1 victors, their first trophy in 27 years, and were promoted back to the Football League.^[]

Return to the Football League

Under the chairmanship of Mark Palios and the management of Micky Mellon, Tranmere played in League Two for the 2018–19 season, finishing 6th and thereby reaching the play-offs. On 25 May 2019, Tranmere secured back-to-back promotions, beating Newport County 1–0 at Wembley Stadium. They did so with a goal from Connor Jennings in the 119th minute, thus securing their spot in League One for the 2019–20 season.

By March 2020, the team were within the relegation zone, but with a game in hand on their nearest rivals and on a run of three successive victories. The cancellation of fixtures due to the COVID-19 pandemic meant that the season could not be completed, and a vote was taken by League One clubs on 9 June to resolve promotion and relegation issues on a points per game (PPG) basis. This meant that Tranmere would be demoted to League Two for the 2020–21 season. Club chairman Mark Palios said that the decision was unfair and that he was considering legal action as a result. He also announced that 20 members of staff would have to be made redundant.

With the team back in League Two, Mike Jackson was named as manager of Tranmere on 18 July 2020. He was sacked on 31 October 2020.^[] Keith Hill succeeded temporary manager Ian Dawes on 21 November 2020. He was sacked on 11 May 2021, after the side reached the play-offs, but before the play-off matches had started.^[] Morecambe defeated Tranmere in the play-off semi-final. At the end of May 2021, Tranmere announced that Micky Mellon was returning to the club as manager, having spent the season apart in charge of Dundee United. Despite a strong start to the season,^[] Tranmere sacked Mellon on 19 March 2023, following results that included a total of six wins since mid-October 2022. Dawes oversaw seven games as caretaker manager before being appoinbted the permanent manager, but Tranmere sacked him in early September 2023 after six consecutive defeats; Tranmere appointed their technical director Nigel Adkins as interim manager.