Tranmere Rovers F.C.
File:Tranmere Rovers FC.png | |||
Full name | Tranmere Rovers Football Club | ||
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Nickname(s) | Super Whites, Rovers | ||
Founded | 1884 as Belmont F.C. | ||
Ground | Prenton Park Tranmere Birkenhead Wirral | ||
Capacity | 16,567 | ||
Chairman | Peter Johnson | ||
Manager | Les Parry | ||
League | League One | ||
2010–11 | League One, 18th | ||
Website | http://www.tranmererovers.co.uk/page/Home | ||
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Tranmere Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club based at Prenton Park in Birkenhead. The club currently competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They are commonly known as Tranmere, or by their nickname The Rovers.
Tranmere were formed in 1884, but competed in local leagues until joining the Third Division North in 1921. In more recent years, Tranmere have been known for their cup runs, most notably reaching 2000 Football League Cup Final.
History
Tranmere were founded in 1884 as Belmont F.C. by two groups of cricketers. The team changed its name to Tranmere Rovers less than one year later. They initially competed in the local Liverpool & District League and the Lancashire Combination, before stepping up to the Third Division North in 1921. They have remained a League club since.
Since the mid-1990s, Tranmere Rovers have become famous for their cup successes, under the leadership of managers John King, John Aldridge and Brian Little reaching FA Cup quarter-finals in 2000, 2001 and 2004, the League Cup semi-final in 1994 and the 2000 Football League Cup Final.[1][2]
Crest
The club crest has five main elements
- a single lion
- a tree, representing Birkenhead Park
- the sun
- two lions
- horseshoes
The former crest (right) also featured:
- the motto "Ubi Fides ibi Lux et Robur" ("Where there is faith there is light and strength" – also the motto of the former Birkenhead borough[3])
- a ship on a ball, representing Cammell Laird shipyard
Players
- See category "Tranmere Rovers F.C. players" for a list of players, both former and current.
First team squad
- As of 2 August 2011.[4]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable former players
As part of the Club's 125 year anniversary celebrations in 2010, a hall of fame was announced, initially honouring seven former players and managers:[5]
Harold Bell holds the record for the most league consecutive appearances for a British team. He was picked for the first game after World War II in the 1946/47 season and did not miss a match until 30 August 1955, a total of 401 consecutive matches in the Third Division North.[6]
Officials
Current coaching staff
- As of 21 June 2011.[7]
Position | Name |
---|---|
First Team Manager | Les Parry |
Assistant Manager | Kevin Summerfield |
First Team Coach | John McMahon |
Physiotherapist | Gregg Blundell |
Chief Scout | Dave Philpotts |
Head of Youth and Centre of Excellence | Shaun Garnett |
Managers
Since 1912, 25 people have managed the club.[8] Of these, three – Johnny King, John Aldridge and Ray Mathias – have been honoured in the Tranmere hall of fame.[5]
Recent permanent managers have had varied success:[citation needed]
Manager | Period | G | W | D | L | Win % | Point Av. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Johnny King | April 1987 – April 1996 | 488 | 211 | 129 | 148 | 43.2 | 1.56 |
John Aldridge | April 1996 – March 2001 | 268 | 93 | 78 | 93 | 34.7 | 1.33 |
Dave Watson | May 2001 – August 2002 | 55 | 22 | 15 | 18 | 40.0 | 1.47 |
Ray Mathias | October 2002 – September 2003 | 66 | 29 | 18 | 19 | 43.9 | 1.59 |
Brian Little | October 2003 – June 2006 | 147 | 61 | 43 | 43 | 44.2 | 1.54 |
Ronnie Moore | June 2006 – June 2009 | 158 | 65 | 38 | 55 | 41.1 | 1.47 |
John Barnes | June 2009 – October 2009 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 21.4 | 0.76 |
Les Parry | October 2009 – | 40 | 14 | 10 | 16 | 35.0 | 1.37 |
Stadium
Rovers moved to the current Prenton Park in 1912. The ground has had several rebuilds, with the most recent occurring in 1994 in response to the requirement of the Taylor Report to become all-seater. Today's stadium holds 16,567 in four stands: the Kop Stand, the Johnny King stand, the Main Stand and the Cowsheds (for away supporters).[9][10]
Record attendances:
- 24,424 against Stoke City, FA Cup 5 February 1972
- 16,377 against Middlesbrough, 7 May 1995 (as an all-seater stadium)
Rivalries
Despite being geographically closest to Everton and Liverpool, Tranmere's time in the lower leagues has meant that they have formed rivalries with other clubs against whom they regularly compete, such as Bolton Wanderers, Wrexham, Chester City and Oldham Athletic. Local teams such as Cammell Laird, Heswall and Vauxhall Motors regularly play Tranmere during pre-season and there is a friendly rivalry between the clubs and fans.
The following teams have played the most league games against Tranmere:[citation needed]
Club | Games |
---|---|
Crewe Alexandra | 118 |
Stockport County | 108 |
Halifax Town (club now defunct) | 104 |
Rochdale | 104 |
Hartlepool United | 104 |
Wrexham | 102 |
Chesterfield | 92 |
Darlington | 86 |
York City | 82 |
Southport | 80 |
Barrow | 70 |
Chester City (club now defunct) | 68 |
Tranmere Rovers Ladies
Tranmere Rovers L.F.C. is the women's counterpart affiliated to Tranmere. Since 2009, they have played in the Northern Combination.[11] From 1996 to 2004 they played in the Women's Premiership.
Honours
League
- Third Division
- Promotion: 1990–91
- Third Division North
- Winner: 1937–38
- The Combination
- Winner: 1907–08
Cup
- Welsh Cup
- Winner: 1934–35
- Runner-up: 1933–34
- League Cup
- Runner-up: 1999–2000
Records
Wins and losses
- Home win: 13–4 vs Oldham Athletic, 26 December 1935[13] (The aggregate of 17 goals in one game remains a league record[14] (see English football records).)
- Away win: 7–3 vs Darlington, 31 March 1928
- Defeat: 2–9 vs QPR (away), December 1960
Attendances
- 74,313 against Leicester City in the League Cup final (at Wembley Stadium), 27 February 2000
- Home: 24,424 vs Stoke City, FA Cup, 5 February 1972
- Other: 61,036 vs Liverpool, FA Cup, 27 January 1934 (home tie switched to Anfield)
- Lowest Away: 286 vs U.S. Lecce, Anglo-Italian Cup 1994
- Lowest Home: 937 vs Halifax Town, 1984.
Goals
- Total: 180, Ian Muir
- Season: 40, Bunny Bell (1934–35) and John Aldridge (1991–92)
Appearances
- 741: Harold Bell
- 638: Ray Mathias
Sponsorship
The Metropolitan Borough of Wirral's logo "Wirral" has adorned Tranmere shirts since 1989, making it the longest shirt sponsor in English football and the third longest in European football.[citation needed]
In popular culture
- Physiotherapist (and later manager) Les Parry released a Christmas single in 2006 for the Wirral's Buzz child appeal.
- Something for the Weekend chef Simon Rimmer chose Tranmere as his specialist subject on Celebrity Mastermind.
- Book and film Awaydays, set in late 1970s Birkenhead, features a fictional Tranmere firm called 'The Pack'.
- In the film Goal!, one of the players joined Newcastle United from Tranmere.
- In the film Lucky Break, a cell mate has a Tranmere team poster on the wall of his cell.
- In the Liverpool-based soap opera Brookside, Geoff Rogers had a spell as a youth player at Tranmere.
- Birkenhead group Half Man Half Biscuit are fans of Tranmere Rovers.
- Other famous fans include TV presenter Paul O'Grady (born in Tranmere), presenter and former player Ray Stubbs, actress Patricia Routledge, and actress-cum-MP Glenda Jackson.
- Tranmere is unique in English Football in being the only team in the Football League with a Norwegian Viking name, meaning "heron sandbank", and the club has a strong following in Scandinavia.
References
- ^ "Club History". Official website. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
- ^ "History". TheCowsheds.co.uk. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
- ^ "Brief history". The Birkenhead History Society. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
- ^ "Player Profiles". Official website. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
- ^ a b "Hall of Fame". Official website. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
- ^ "Record breaker". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
- ^ "Club Staff List". Official website. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
- ^ "Tranmere Rovers Managers Since 1912". Official website. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
- ^ "A Guide to Prenton Park". Official website. Retrieved 2 November 2010.
- ^ "Prenton Park". TheCowsheds.co.uk. Retrieved 2 November 2010.
- ^ "Northern Womens Combination League". TheFA.com. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
- ^ a b "Honours & Records". TheCowsheds.co.uk. 19 August 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
- ^ "Football: Festive feats and feasts of goals". The Independent. 26 December 1998. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
- ^ "Goals". The Football League. 3 August 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
External links
- Official website
- Tranmere Rovers F.C. on BBC Sport: Club news – Recent results and fixtures