List of Malmö FF managers

A photograph of a man in an external setting with two people partly covered visible in the background. The man is wearing a blue shirt with white details.
Jon Dahl Tomasson, head coach of Malmö FF. Tomasson has coached the side since January 2020.

Malmö Fotbollförening, also known simply as Malmö FF, is a Swedish professional association football club based in Malmö. The club is affiliated with Skånes Fotbollförbund, and plays home games at Stadion.[1] The club's first team play in Allsvenskan as of 2018, the top league in Swedish football, which takes place from April to October every seasons. Malmö FF won Allsvenskan for the first time in 1944, and most recently repeated this in 2017.[2] Malmö FF were at their strongest during the 1970s, when they won five Swedish championships and four Svenska Cupen titles, and performed well in continental competitions: the team were runners-up in both the 1978–79 European Cup and the 1979 Intercontinental Cup.

Since the club was founded, there have been 32 managers and one caretaker. The honours won by the club under each manager's stewardship are also detailed.[3] As of the start of the 2020 season, 31 men have held the post of Malmö FF manager, the most successful of whom in terms of trophies won is Bob Houghton, who, as manager between 1974 and 1980, led the club to three Swedish league championships and four Svenska Cupen wins. The manager who has won most national league titles with the club is Antonio Durán, who won Allsvenskan four times between 1964 and 1971. Although Roy Hodgson led Malmö FF to the Allsvenskan crown five times in a row between 1985 and 1989, the national championship was decided by a championship play-off during this time, and Malmö FF only won this in 1986 and 1988.[2] Houghton is the club's longest-serving manager, having occupied the position between 1990 and 1992 in addition to the aforementioned period, giving him a total of 10 years in charge. The current manager of Malmö FF is Jon Dahl Tomasson, who has been at the club since 10 January 2020.[4]

Managerial history

Early managers (before 1936)

Not much is known about the management of Malmö FF during its early days following its establishment in 1910. Its first team had no official manager until 1917,[3] when Ernst Hjertberg coached the team for a year. The post was then vacant until 1932, except for the 1922 season, when Hans Ruff was manager. Following Malmö FF's first season in Allsvenskan, 1931–32, it employed Carl Wijk as manager. Wijk remained in charge until 1934, when the club was disqualified after 13 matches for breaching Swedish football's ban on professional players. The team was barred from playing for the rest of the season, and demoted a division. Wijk was temporarily banned, along with several other members of the club's non-playing staff.[5]

First foreign managers, and first honours (1936–71)

With Malmö FF back in Allsvenskan from the start of the 1936–37 season, the club once more employed a manager: Václav Simon from Czechoslovakia became the club's first foreign-born manager. After Simon coached the team for a year, he was replaced by Harry Lundahl, who remained until 1941. Carl Ahlberg coached the team from 1942 to 1944. Following his initial tenure between April and November 1944, Sven Nilsson managed the club for two more periods during that decade. During this time he became the club's first Allsvenskan title winning manager, when the team won the league championship at the end of the 1943–44 season. Two Hungarian managers, István Wampetits and Kálmán Konrád, managed Malmö FF between Nilsson's periods in charge. Konrád secured the club's second league title during the 1948–49 season. The team won its third league title in 1950, with Nilsson in charge. Malmö FF continued to be successful during the 1950s: Welshman Bert Turner managed Malmö FF between 1951 and 1954, and led the club to two league championships and two cup titles during this time. He was replaced in 1955 by another foreign-born manager, Austrian Pepi Stroh. Neither Stroh or his successor, former Malmö FF player Nils-Åke Sandell, won any honours. This dry spell ended following the appointment in 1964 of Spaniard Antonio Durán, who coached the club until 1971. During this time Malmö FF won Allsvenskan four times, lifted the cup in 1967, and entered European competitions with limited success.[6]

Englishmen Bob Houghton and Roy Hodgson manage the club to unprecedented success (1971–89)

A black and white photograph of a middle-aged man of British appearance. The man is clean shaven and sports curly hair. He is wearing formal attire, a striped shirt with a black tie is visible under a grey suit jacket. He is looking past the viewers left.
Bob Houghton (1979 photograph) led the club to the 1979 European Cup Final.

Karl-Erik Hult managed the club to a cup title in 1973, before Bob Houghton replaced him in 1974. Malmö FF chairman Eric Persson was reportedly initially hesitant to employ Houghton, who at 27 was younger than several of the club's players, but was convinced when the Englishman met them and won their respect and confidence. Houghton had never met any of the players, but had researched them thoroughly; he impressed the team by immediately recognising each of them and knowing them by first name.[7] Duly installed as coach, Houghton led Malmö FF to three league titles and four cup wins over the course of seven seasons, as well as the 1979 European Cup Final (which was lost to Nottingham Forest) and the 1979 Intercontinental Cup (in which Olimpia of Paraguay defeated Malmö FF 3–1 over two legs).[8] Houghton left the club in 1980, but is held in high regard at the club to the present day; a corner section of the club's present stadium, Stadion, is named "Bob's Corner" after him.[9] Fellow Englishman Keith Blunt replaced Houghton, and remained for three seasons before Tord Grip took over. Grip managed Malmö FF to a cup title in 1984 before leaving the same year. Another Englishman, Roy Hodgson, managed the club between 1985 and 1990. Under his leadership, the club won five consecutive Allsvenskan titles, and also won the then-extant league championship play-offs on two occasions, in 1986 and 1988. The side also won cup titles in 1986 and 1989. Hodgson's tenure as Malmö FF manager is the most successful in terms of win percentage and Allsvenskan titles won. Like Houghton, Hodgson also has a section at Stadion: "Roy's Corner". "Bob's Corner" and "Roy's Corner" flank the stadium's standing section on each side.[9]

Recent managers (since 1989)

A middle-aged man of Nordic appearance photographed at a sporting press conference. His greying blond hair is brushed back, stubble is clearly visible on his face, and his dark blue eyes look up and to the viewer's right.
Roland Nilsson (2011 photograph) managed the club from 2008 to 2011.

Hodgson's departure from the club in 1989 marked the start of a 15-year period during which Malmö FF failed to win a league or cup title. Houghton initially returned in Hodgson's place, but the former manager's two-year sojourn back at the club proved largely unsuccessful. He was replaced by Dane Viggo Jensen in July 1992. Jensen returned to Denmark at the end of the 1993 season, and was succeeded by Rolf Zetterlund, who managed the club between 1994 and 1996. Zetterlund's time at the club was fairly successful as the club finished each of his years in charge in the top four league places. Dutchman Frans Thijssen took Zetterlund's place in January 1997, and stayed at the club until August 1998 when he was sacked following poor results in Allsvenskan and European competition. Roland Andersson then managed the club until it was relegated at the end of the 1999 season.[10] As the club had never before been relegated (having only previously been removed from the top division by a punitive demotion),[5] Andersson was sacked. He was replaced by Michael Andersson (no relation), who guided the team to promotion back to Allsvenskan at the first attempt.

Tom Prahl, who had guided Halmstads BK to the league title in 1997 and 2000, took Andersson's place before the start of the 2002 season, and during his first year in charge led Malmö FF to second place in Allsvenskan, the club's best league finish since 1996.[11] After finishing third in 2003, expectations were high during early 2004, when the club signed several well-known players, including FC Barcelona defender Patrik Andersson, a former Malmö FF player. The Swedish press compared this spending spree to those of Real Madrid, and labelled Malmö FF's new collection of players "Real Malmö".[12] Malmö FF lived up to these expectations during the 2004 season by winning the club's first league title since 1989.

After Prahl's contract ran out at the end of 2005, he was replaced by Sören Åkeby. Having won consecutive league titles with Djurgårdens IF in 2002 and 2003, Åkeby was widely respected on his appointment,[13] but he proved unable to continue where Prahl left off. He was let go by the club after two seasons, and replaced by Roland Nilsson.[14] After two seasons with the team, Nilsson guided the club to their 19th Allsvenskan title in 2010, the year of the team's centenary. Nilsson left to manage F.C. Copenhagen in June 2011.[15] Former AIK manager Rikard Norling was appointed on 3 June 2011.[16] After being one goal away from qualifying for the group stage of the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League he guided the club to a fourth position in 2011. The 2012 season almost resulted in a new league title as Malmö FF fought for the title until the last round, in the end the club ended in third place. Norling won the club's 17th Swedish Championship and 20th Allsvenskan title in the 2013 season. Norling announced his resignation on 27 November and cited undisclosed reasons for his decision.[17] On 9 January 2014 the club announced the appointment of Norwegian Åge Hareide as the club's new manager.[18] Hareide was the first non-Swedish manager for the club since Dutchman Frans Thijssen who left Malmö FF in 1998. Hareide had immediate success at the club as he led the team to defend their Allsvenskan title and qualify for the group stage of the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League in his first season.[19][20] After a second spell in Champions League in 2015, Hareide left the club to coach Denmark national football team and he was replaced by Allan Kuhn[21]

Managers

A photograph of a grey-haired, middle-aged man at a press conference. He is wearing a black suit, a white shirt and a grey and black striped tie. He is speaking with someone out of frame.
Roy Hodgson won five consecutive Allsvenskan titles and two Svenska Cupen titles during his five years at the club. He is pictured in 2010 as manager of Fulham.

Information correct as of matches played up until 8 December 2021

Table headers
  • Nationality – If the manager played international football as a player, the country he played for is shown. Otherwise, the manager's nationality is given as their country of birth.
  • From and To – The dates for Hans Ruff up to Michael Andersson are the dates for the first and last competitive match since the exact arrival and departure dates for these managers are unavailable. The exact dates for arrival and departure is displayed from Tom Prahl up to Jon Dahl Tomasson.
  • P – The number of games managed for Malmö FF, only competitive matches are counted.[A]
  • W – The number of games won as a manager.
  • D – The number of games draw as a manager.
  • L – The number of games lost as a manager.
  • GF – The number of goals scored under his management.
  • GA – The number of goals conceded under his management.
  • GD – The goal difference under his management.
  • Win% – The total winning percentage under his management.
  • Allsvenskan titles – The Allsvenskan title winning seasons while managing Malmö FF, the cell is sorted by number of titles won.
  • Other honours – Other notable honours the manager has achieved while managing Malmö FF. W = Winners and RU = Runners-up. The cell is sorted by number of honours won.
Name Nation From To P W D L GF GA GD Win%[B] Allsvenskan titles[C] Other honours Ref
Ernst Hjertberg  Sweden 1917[D] 1917[D] 1 0 0 1 1 4 −3 000.0 – – [22]
Hans Ruff  Sweden 30 April 1922 12 November 1922 12 2 2 8 12 22 −10 016.7 – – [23]
Carl Wijk  Sweden 31 July 1932 2 April 1934 35 13 3 19 69 104 −35 037.1 – – [24]
Václav Simon  Czechoslovakia 9 August 1936 13 June 1937 22 9 3 10 39 45 −6 040.9 – – [25]
Harry Lundahl  Sweden 17 August 1937 2 November 1941 102 30 39 33 141 145 −4 029.4 – – [26]
Carl Ahlberg  Sweden 12 April 1942 16 April 1944 50 29 8 13 99 65 +34 058.0 – – [27]
Sven Nilsson  Sweden 23 April 1944 12 November 1944 26 17 4 5 83 34 +49 065.4 1943–44 1944 Svenska Cupen – W [28]
István Wampetits  Hungary 15 April 1945 3 June 1945 13 9 1 3 36 16 +20 069.2 – – [29]
Sven Nilsson  Sweden 29 July 1945 10 November 1946 43 26 9 8 105 50 +55 060.5 – 1946 Svenska Cupen – W
1945 Svenska Cupen – RU 		[30]
Kálmán Konrád  Hungary 13 April 1947 6 November 1949 72 46 13 13 217 93 +124 063.9 1948–49 1947 Svenska Cupen – W [31]
Sven Nilsson  Sweden 10 April 1950 5 November 1950 23 18 4 1 70 24 +46 078.3 1949–50 – [32]
Bert Turner  Wales 15 April 1951 7 November 1954 97 57 16 24 223 121 +102 058.8 1950–51
1952–53 		1951 Svenska Cupen – W
1953 Svenska Cupen – W 		[33]
Pepi Stroh  Austria 17 April 1955 19 December 1958 87 44 21 22 182 118 +64 050.6 – – [34]
Nils-Åke Sandell  Sweden 19 April 1959 20 October 1963 110 51 21 38 189 167 +22 046.4 – – [35]
Antonio Durán  Spain 12 April 1964 24 October 1971 211 111 46 54 414 261 +153 052.6 1965
1967
1970
1971 		1967 Svenska Cupen – W
1970–71 Svenska Cupen – RU 		[6]
Karl-Erik Hult  Sweden 16 April 1972 27 October 1973 57 26 14 17 100 63 +37 045.6 – 1972–73 Svenska Cupen – W [36]
Bob Houghton  England 13 April 1974 25 June 1980 226 131 58 37 373 174 +199 058.0 1974
1975
1977 		1979 Intercontinental Cup – RU
1978–79 European Cup – RU
1973–74 Svenska Cupen – W
1974–75 Svenska Cupen – W
1977–78 Svenska Cupen – W
1979–80 Svenska Cupen – W 		[37]
Keith Blunt  England 2 July 1980 24 October 1982 82 35 21 26 117 95 +22 042.7 – – [38]
Tord Grip  Sweden 17 April 1983 10 October 1984 60 31 13 16 123 71 +52 051.7 – 1983–84 Svenska Cupen – W [39]
Roy Hodgson  England 14 April 1985 15 November 1989 165 98 38 29 306 140 +166 059.4 1985[E]
1986
1987[E]
1988
1989[E] 		1985–86 Svenska Cupen – W
1988–89 Svenska Cupen – W 		[40]
Bob Houghton  England 8 April 1990 19 July 1992 78 28 29 21 93 66 +27 035.9 – – [41]
Viggo Jensen  Denmark 16 August 1992 24 October 1993 42 18 7 17 68 54 +14 042.9 – – [42]
Rolf Zetterlund  Sweden 4 April 1994 26 October 1996 102 52 27 23 159 109 +50 051.0 – 1995–96 Svenska Cupen – RU [43]
Frans Thijssen  Netherlands 6 April 1997 22 August 1998 51 20 14 17 88 60 +28 039.2 – – [44]
Roland Andersson  Sweden 23 August 1998 30 October 1999 43 17 7 19 60 65 −5 039.5 – – [45]
Michael Andersson  Sweden 16 April 2000 27 October 2001 63 33 11 19 97 84 +13 052.4 – 2000 Superettan – RU [46]
Tom Prahl  Sweden 1 January 2002 31 December 2005 129 68 23 38 228 143 +85 052.7 2004 – [47]
Sören Åkeby  Sweden 1 January 2006 31 December 2007 56 21 15 20 92 70 +22 037.5 – – [48]
Roland Nilsson  Sweden 1 January 2008 29 May 2011 109 54 24 31 179 121 +58 049.5 2010 2011 Svenska Supercupen – RU [49]
Rikard Norling  Sweden 3 June 2011 30 November 2013 105 56 27 22 173 114 +59 053.3 2013 2013 Svenska Supercupen – W [50]
Åge Hareide  Norway 9 January 2014 8 December 2015 95 49 20 26 166 121 +45 051.6 2014 2014 Svenska Supercupen – W [18]
Allan Kuhn  Denmark 8 January 2016 19 November 2016 37 26 4 7 77 35 +42 070.3 2016 2015–16 Svenska Cupen – RU [21]
Magnus Pehrsson  Sweden 23 November 2016 14 May 2018 48 28 10 10 88 50 +38 058.3 2017 2017–18 Svenska Cupen – RU [51]
Daniel Andersson (caretaker)  Sweden 14 May 2018 12 June 2018 3 1 1 1 5 4 +1 033.3 – – [52]
Uwe Rösler  Germany 12 June 2018 13 December 2019 83 51 22 10 158 57 +101 061.4 – – [53]
Jon Dahl Tomasson  Denmark 10 January 2020 30 December 2021 93 52 21 20 187 104 +83 055.9 2020
2021 		2019–20 Svenska Cupen – RU [4]
Miloš Milojević  Serbia 7 January 2022 29 July 2022 25 15 4 6 0 0 +0 060.0 – 2021–22 Svenska Cupen – RU [54]

Footnotes

A. ^ The competitions counted here are: Division 2, Superettan, Svenska Serien, Allsvenskan, Svenska Mästerskapet, Svenska Supercupen, Svenska Cupen, the UEFA Intertoto Cup, the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, the UEFA Europa League including the UEFA Cup, the UEFA Champions League including the European Cup and the Intercontinental Cup.
B. ^ Each manager's winning percentage is rounded to one decimal place.
C. ^ These titles are all equivalent to Swedish championship titles, except for those years noted below in footnote E.[2]
D. ^ The exact dates for Hjertberg's arrival and departure from the club are not known. Malmö FF took part in only one competitive match during the 1917 season: a 4–1 defeat to IFK Malmö in the Svenska Mästerskapet qualifying round.[22]
E. ^ Between and including the 1982 and 1990 seasons, the Swedish football championship was decided not by the final standings in Allsvenskan, but by a play-off held following the Allsvenskan season, which pitted the four best-placed clubs against each other in a two-legged cup format. The Malmö FF team won Allsvenskan five times in a row between 1985 and 1989, but had to contest these play-offs each time to claim the national title. Though they won the play-offs in 1986 and 1988, they failed to do so in 1985, 1987 and 1989, and therefore were not Swedish champions those years.[2]

References

General
  • Smitt, Rikard (2009). Ända sen gamla dagar... Project Management AB. ISBN 978-91-633-5767-1. (Swedish)
Specific
  1. ^ "Kontaktuppgifter och tävlingar 2012 – Malmö FF" [Contact information and competitions 2012 – Malmö FF] (in Swedish). Scanian Football Association. Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d "Svenska mästare 1896–1925, 1931–" [Swedish champions 1896–1925, 1931–] (in Swedish). The Swedish Football Association. Archived from the original on 2 December 2009. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
  3. ^ a b Smitt, 2009, p. 312.
  4. ^ a b "Välkommen till Malmö FF, Jon Dahl Tomasson!" (in Swedish). Malmö FF. 5 January 2020. Archived from the original on 7 February 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  5. ^ a b Smitt, 2009, pp. 26–27.
  6. ^ a b Smitt, 2009, pp. 282–287.
  7. ^ Smitt, 2009, p. 64–65.
  8. ^ "1978/79: Forest join élite club". UEFA. Archived from the original on 1 May 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  9. ^ a b "Årskort 2011 – den kompletta guiden" [Season ticket 2011 – the complete guide] (in Swedish). Malmö FF. Archived from the original on 23 May 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  10. ^ Smitt, 2009, p. 304.
  11. ^ "Tom Prahl klar som tränare för Malmö FF" [Tom Prahl confirmed as new Malmö FF manager] (in Swedish). Malmö FF. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  12. ^ "Real Malmö". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  13. ^ "Malmö FF:s fotbollsorganisation 2006 börjar ta form" [The 2006 football organisation for Malmö FF is beginning to emerge] (in Swedish). Malmö FF. Archived from the original on 30 July 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  14. ^ "Roland Nilsson blir Malmö FF:s nye tränare" [Roland Nilsson is Malmö FF's new manager] (in Swedish). Malmö FF. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  15. ^ "Roland Nilsson tiltræder den 1. juni" [Roland Nilsson will assume the manager position on 1 June] (in Danish). FC Copenhagen. Archived from the original on 25 November 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  16. ^ "Rikard Norling ny tränare i Malmö FF" [Rikard Norling new manager for Malmö FF] (in Swedish). Malmö FF. Archived from the original on 2 June 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  17. ^ "Rikard Norling säger upp sig från MFF" (in Swedish). Malmö FF. 27 November 2013. Archived from the original on 30 November 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  18. ^ a b "Ny sportslig ledning i MFF" (in Swedish). Malmö FF. 9 January 2014. Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  19. ^ "Malmö FF är svenska mästare 2014" [Malmö FF are Swedish Champions 2014] (in Swedish). Malmö FF. 5 October 2014. Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  20. ^ "Malmö FF är inne i Champions League" [Malmö FF into the Champions League] (in Swedish). Malmö FF. 28 August 2014. Archived from the original on 31 August 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  21. ^ a b "KLART: Han tar över Malmö FF". Sportbladet (in Swedish). 8 January 2016. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  22. ^ a b Smitt, 2009, p. 258.
  23. ^ Smitt, 2009, p. 259.
  24. ^ Smitt, 2009, p. 264.
  25. ^ Smitt, 2009, p. 266.
  26. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 266–268.
  27. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 268–269.
  28. ^ Smitt, 2009, p. 270.
  29. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 270–271.
  30. ^ Smitt, 2009, p. 271.
  31. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 271–273.
  32. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 273–274.
  33. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 274–277.
  34. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 277–279.
  35. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 279–281.
  36. ^ Smitt, 2009, p. 288.
  37. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 289–293.
  38. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 293–294.
  39. ^ Smitt, 2009, p. 295.
  40. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 296–299.
  41. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 299–300.
  42. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 300–301.
  43. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 301–302.
  44. ^ Smitt, 2009, p. 303.
  45. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 303–304.
  46. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 304–305.
  47. ^ Smitt, 2009, pp. 305–307.
  48. ^ Smitt, 2009, p. 308.
  49. ^ Smitt, 2009, p. 309, Malmö FF (2011). MFF-aren 2010 (in Swedish). Malmö FF. pp. 139–153. ISSN 2000-8414., Malmö FF (2012). MFF-aren 2011 (in Swedish). Malmö FF. pp. 140–157. ISSN 2000-8414.
  50. ^ Malmö FF (2012). MFF-aren 2011 (in Swedish). Malmö FF. pp. 140–157. ISSN 2000-8414.
  51. ^ "Magnus Pehrsson ny tränare i Malmö FF" (in Swedish). Malmö FF. 23 November 2016. Archived from the original on 24 November 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  52. ^ "Daniel Andersson ny huvudtränare i Malmö FF" (in Swedish). Malmö FF. 14 May 2018. Archived from the original on 15 May 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  53. ^ "Välkommen till Malmö FF, Uwe Rösler!" (in Swedish). Malmö FF. 12 June 2018. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  54. ^ "Välkommen till Malmö FF, Milos Milojevic!" (in Swedish). Malmö FF. 7 January 2022. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2022.