List of Plymouth Argyle F.C. managers

A man wearing a jacket and bow-tie.
Frank Brettell became the club's first manager in August 1903.[1]

Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English association football club based in Plymouth, Devon. Founded in 1886 as Argyle Football Club,[2] they became a professional club in January 1903,[3] and were elected to the Southern League ahead of the 1903–04 season. The club won the Southern League championship in 1913 and finished as runners-up on two occasions,[4] before being elected to the Football League in 1920, where they compete to this day,[5] as a founder member of the Third Division.[6] Argyle won their first Football League championship, and promotion to the Second Division for the first time, ten years later in 1930.[7] As of May 2011, the club has won five championships in the Football League, gained promotion on eight occasions, and been relegated nine times.[8] Four of those league championships were won in the third tier, which is a divisional record.[9] Argyle have made one appearance at Wembley Stadium, in which they won the 1996 Third Division play-off final.[10] The club has also achieved moderate success in domestic cup competitions; they reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup in 1984,[11][12] and the quarter-finals in 2007.[13][14] Argyle have also reached the semi-finals of the League Cup twice, in 1965 and 1974.[15][16]

In that time, the club has had 37 permanent managers. They are listed below in chronological order. Including caretakers, 49 individuals have held responsibility for team selection. The club's first manager was Frank Brettell, who was appointed in March 1903.[1] He led the club to the Western League title, their first in the professional game, in 1905 before retiring.[17] The most successful person to manage the club is Bob Jack, who was also Argyle's first professional player. He won the Southern League in 1913 and the Third Division South in 1930,[18] having finished as runner-up on six occasions. He then established the club in the second tier of English football and guided them to their joint highest league finish of 4th in the Second Division.[19] He is also the club's longest serving manager. Having spent one year as player-manager during the 1905–06 season, Jack returned in 1910 as manager and club secretary. He retired in 1938 after 29 years of service.[20]

Four people have managed the club in two separate terms, of whom the most recent was Paul Sturrock.[21] The first was Bob Jack in 1910 and it wasn't equalled until 1970 when Ellis Stuttard returned for a second two-year spell.[22] Malcolm Allison was the third in 1978, having previously joined the club in 1964,[23] and Sturrock made it four in November 2007, returning to Home Park three years after departing to manage in the Premier League.[24] 12 of the club's managers have also played for Argyle competitively, not including Ian Holloway who came out of retirement in October 2006 to play for the club's reserve team.[25][26] Outside forward Bob Jack was the first in 1905 and he has been succeeded by full back Jimmy Rae and centre forward Jack Rowley, both of whom also won league titles with the club, among others.[27] 13 other people have been in charge as a caretaker, including former players Steve McCall and Kevin Summerfield (twice).[28] Five managers have won major league championships with the club, of whom both Jack and Sturrock were successful twice. Three others have achieved promotion to a higher division.

Managers

A man wearing a football shirt.
Bob Jack led the club into the Football League in 1920.[29]
A man wearing a shirt, tie and jacket.
Peter Shilton guided the club to the play-offs for the first time.[30]
A man wearing a shirt, tie and jacket; holding a microphone.
Ian Holloway's side finished 11th in the Championship in 2007.[31]
As of 24 April 2021.[32]
Name[A] Nationality From To P W D L Win % Achievements Notes Refs[B]
Frank Brettell  England 1 August 1903 31 May 1905 115 57 27 31 049.57 1 Western League title [C] [33][34]
Bob Jack  Scotland 1 August 1905 31 May 1906 57 25 16 16 043.86 — [D] [29][35]
William Fullarton  Scotland 1 August 1906 31 May 1907 49 15 15 19 030.61 — — [36][37]
Committee — 1 August 1907 31 May 1910 151 63 36 52 041.72 — [E] [33][36]
Bob Jack  Scotland 1 August 1910 31 May 1938 1,036 483 248 305 046.62 1 Southern League title
1 Third Division South title 		[D][F][G] [29][38]
Jack Tresadern  England 1 August 1938 31 August 1947 89 29 13 47 032.58 — [H] [39][40]
Jimmy Rae  Scotland 1 September 1947 31 January 1955 297 112 78 107 037.71 1 Third Division South title [D][I] [41][42]
Jack Rowley  England 1 February 1955 1 March 1960 238 93 52 93 039.08 1 Third Division title [D][J] [43][44]
Neil Dougall  Scotland 1 March 1960 1 November 1961 77 32 16 29 041.56 — [D] [45][46]
Ellis Stuttard  England 1 November 1961 1 October 1963 84 29 22 33 034.52 — [D] [22][47]
Andy Beattie  Scotland 1 October 1963 1 May 1964 34 8 13 13 023.53 — — [48][49]
Malcolm Allison  England 1 May 1964 30 April 1965 42 16 8 18 038.10 — — [23][50]
Derek Ufton  England 1 May 1965 1 February 1968 111 31 28 52 027.93 — — [51][52]
Billy Bingham  Northern Ireland 1 February 1968 1 March 1970 98 34 25 39 034.69 — — [53][54]
Ellis Stuttard  England 1 March 1970 1 October 1972 116 39 34 43 033.62 — [D][F] [22][47]
Tony Waiters  England 11 October 1972 21 April 1977 206 79 56 71 038.35 1 Third Division promotion [K] [55][56]
Mike Kelly  England 1 May 1977 14 February 1978 32 6 10 16 018.75 — — [57][58]
Malcolm Allison  England 16 March 1978 5 January 1979 34 12 12 10 035.29 — [F] [23][50]
Bobby Saxton  England 5 January 1979 31 May 1981 116 43 32 41 037.07 — [D] [59][60]
Bobby Moncur  Scotland 1 June 1981 30 September 1983 99 39 21 39 039.39 — — [61][62]
Johnny Hore  England 1 October 1983 19 October 1984 60 17 16 27 028.33 — [D] [63][64]
Dave Smith  Scotland 1 November 1984 30 June 1988 184 78 43 63 042.39 1 Third Division promotion [L] [65][66]
Ken Brown  England 6 July 1988 6 February 1990 85 26 20 39 030.59 — — [67][68]
David Kemp  England 1 March 1990 28 February 1992 102 29 33 40 028.43 — [D] [69][70]
Peter Shilton  England 2 March 1992 11 January 1995 151 62 31 58 041.06 — [D] [71][72]
Steve McCall  England 11 January 1995 29 March 1995 15 3 3 9 020.00 — [D] [73]
Neil Warnock  England 22 June 1995 3 February 1997 88 35 24 29 039.77 1 Third Division promotion [M] [74][75]
Mick Jones  England 3 February 1997 21 June 1998 68 17 22 29 025.00 — — [76][77]
Kevin Hodges  England 21 June 1998 4 October 2000 123 39 38 46 031.71 — [D] [78][79]
Paul Sturrock  Scotland 31 October 2000 4 March 2004 178 85 47 46 047.75 1 Third Division title
1 Second Division title 		[N] [80][81]
Bobby Williamson  Scotland 20 April 2004 6 September 2005 58 19 12 27 032.76 — [O] [82][83]
Tony Pulis  Wales 23 September 2005 14 June 2006 39 12 15 12 030.77 — — [84][85]
Ian Holloway  England 28 June 2006 21 November 2007 71 28 23 20 039.44 — — [86][87]
Paul Sturrock  Scotland 27 November 2007 10 December 2009 99 28 22 49 028.28 — [F] [88][89]
Paul Mariner  England 10 December 2009 6 May 2010 28 7 6 15 025.00 — [D] [89][90]
Peter Reid  England 24 June 2010 18 September 2011 61 16 9 36 026.23 — — [91][92]
Carl Fletcher  Wales 19 September 2011 1 January 2013 70 17 27 26 024.29 — [D] [93]
John Sheridan  Ireland 6 January 2013 28 May 2015 126 48 31 47 038.10 — — [94]
Derek Adams  Scotland 11 June 2015 28 April 2019 213 90 45 78 042.25 1 League Two Runner Up — [95]
Ryan Lowe  England 5 June 2019 7 December 2021 128 55 29 44 042.97 1 League Two Promotion — [96]
Steven Schumacher  England 7 December 2021 19 December 2023 108 57 21 30 052.78 1 League One title — [97]
Ian Foster  England 7 January 2024 1 April 2024 16 3 4 9 018.75 - — [98]
Wayne Rooney  England 25 May 2024 31 December 2024 25 5 6 14 020.00 - — [99]
Miron Muslic  Austria 5 January 2025 - — -

Footnotes

A. ^ : Managers are listed in chronological order. Caretakers are not included.[28]
B. ^ : Statistics are sourced to Danes (2009), Complete Record, up to and including the 2008–09 season,[100] and to Soccerbase thereafter.[32]
C. ^ : Bretell won the Western League title in 1905.[101]
D. a b c d e f g h i j k l m n : Managers who also played for the club competitively.[27][93]
E. ^ : The club chose to operate with a committee between 1907 and 1910.[33]
F. a b c d : Managers who returned for a second term.[20]
G. ^ : Jack won the Southern League in 1913,[102] and Third Division South in 1930.[103]
H. ^ : Matches played in the abandoned 1939–40 season and subsequent wartime competitions, including the 1945–46 Football League season, are generally not included by football statisticians.
I. ^ : Rae won the Third Division South title in the 1951–52 season.[104]
J. ^ : Rowley won the Third Division title in the 1958–59 season.[105]
K. ^ : Waiters won promotion from the Third Division in the 1974–75 season.[106]
L. ^ : Smith won promotion from the Third Division in the 1985–86 season.[107]
M. ^ : Warnock won promotion from the Third Division via the play-offs in the 1995–96 season.[108]
N. ^ : Sturrock won the Third Division in 2002,[109] and the Second Division in 2004.[110]
O. ^ : Williamson achieved the unlikely feat of winning a league title in his first game as manager. He succeeded Paul Sturrock, who was in charge for 34 league games that season.[111]
P. ^ : Win / Draw / Loss Updated following the game on 11 August 2018

References

General
  • Knight, Brian (1989). Plymouth Argyle: A Complete Record 1903–1989. Derby: Breedon Books. ISBN 0-907969-40-2.
  • Riddle, Andy (2002). Plymouth Argyle: 101 Golden Greats. Westcliff-on-Sea: Desert Island. ISBN 1-874287-47-3.
  • Cowdery, Rick; Curno, Mike (2009). Plymouth Argyle: Miscellany. Plymouth: Pitch Publishing. ISBN 978-1-905411-40-5.
  • Danes, Ryan (2009). Plymouth Argyle: The Complete Record. Plymouth: Breedon Books. ISBN 978-1-85983-710-8.
Specific
  1. ^ a b Cowdery & Curno (2009), Miscellany. p. 42.
  2. ^ Danes (2009), Complete Record, pp. 10–11.
  3. ^ Danes (2009), Complete Record, pp. 14–15.
  4. ^ Cowdery & Curno (2009), Miscellany, p. 42.
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  22. ^ a b c Danes (2009), Complete Record, pp. 129–130.
  23. ^ a b c Danes (2009), Complete Record, pp. 130–131.
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  34. ^ Danes (2009), Complete Record, pp. 144–147.
  35. ^ Danes (2009), Complete Record, pp. 148–149.
  36. ^ a b Danes (2009), Complete Record, p. 127.
  37. ^ Danes (2009), Complete Record, pp. 150–151.
  38. ^ Danes (2009), Complete Record, pp. 158–205.
  39. ^ Danes (2009), Complete Record, pp. 127–128.
  40. ^ Danes (2009), Complete Record, pp. 206–211.
  41. ^ Danes (2009), Complete Record, p. 128.
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  46. ^ Danes (2009), Complete Record, pp. 234–239.
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  48. ^ Danes (2009), Complete Record, p. 130.
  49. ^ "Andy Beattie's managerial career". Soccerbase. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
  50. ^ a b "Malcolm Allison's managerial career". Soccerbase. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
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  52. ^ "Derek Ufton's managerial career". Soccerbase. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
  53. ^ Danes (2009), Complete Record, pp. 131–132.
  54. ^ "Billy Bingham's managerial career". Soccerbase. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
  55. ^ Danes (2009), Complete Record, p. 132.
  56. ^ "Tony Waiters's managerial career". Soccerbase. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
  57. ^ Danes (2009), Complete Record, pp. 132–133.
  58. ^ "Mike Kelly's managerial career". Soccerbase. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
  59. ^ Danes (2009), Complete Record, p. 133.
  60. ^ "Bobby Saxton's managerial career". Soccerbase. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
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  74. ^ Danes (2009), Complete Record, pp. 137–138.
  75. ^ "Neil Warnock's managerial career". Soccerbase. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
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  104. ^ "England – 1951–52 season". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Stuart Jackson. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
  105. ^ "England – 1958–59 season". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Stuart Jackson. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
  106. ^ "England – 1974–75 season". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Stuart Jackson. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
  107. ^ "England – 1985–86 season". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Stuart Jackson. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
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