History of Tranmere Rovers F.C.

Tranmere Rovers F.C. are an English association football club founded in 1884 by two groups of cricketers, based in Birkenhead, Wirral. They joined Division Three North in 1921, and have remained a League club since. They currently play in League One.

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 they reached FA Cup quarter-finals in 2000, 2001 and 2004, the League Cup semi-final in 1994 and the 2000 Football League Cup Final.

Formative years

1889–1904 kit

The football club were formed as Belmont F.C. when two cricket clubs - Lyndhurst Wanderers and Belmont — came together in 1884. Under the presidency of James McGaul, the team won their first recorded match against Brunswick Rovers 4–0 on 15 November 1884, and lost just one of their fifteen matches in their inaugural season. Just prior to the start of their second season, on 16 September 1885, they were renamed Tranmere Rovers, taking the name of a previous team that had disbanded.

Tranmere played their first matches in open ground known as Steeles Field, on Borough Road, Birkenhead, in a kit of blue shorts, white shirts and blue stockings. In 1887 they bought Ravenshaws Field, also on Borough Road, from Tranmere Rugby Club. This was a fenced ground, allowing gate money to be taken. In 1895 their ground was renamed Prenton Park, although it was not until 1912 that the team moved into the current stadium of the same name, having spent 25 years at the Ravenshaws site.

Not satisfied with playing friendlies against local opposition, Tranmere entered the Liverpool and District Challenge Cup for the first time in 1886 and followed that by entering into the West Lancashire League in 1889. By 1897, they had joined The Combination, a much stronger league, winning the championship in 1908. They continued their rise up the league pyramid joining the Lancashire Combination in 1910, swiftly followed by the move to the present Prenton Park site and conversion into a limited company. Tranmere won the Lancashire Combination Championship in 1914 and Stan Rowlands was selected for international duty with Wales — the first such recognition for the club.

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

1921–1937 kit

Following the expulsion of Leeds City Reserves in 1919, Tranmere were promoted to the Central League. Within a year, Division Three North was created and, on 27 August 1921, 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, a Birkenhead youth named Dixie Dean made his debut at the age of just 16 years 355 days. He played just 30 games for Rovers, scoring 27 goals, before being transferred to Everton for £3,000. In the season 1927–28, Dixie netted a record 60 League goals for Everton.

After Dixie's departure, a string of talented youngsters also left for First Division clubs. In 1928, winger Ellis Rimmer went to Sheffield Wednesday for £3,000. Pongo Waring — who had scored a club record six goals in the 11–1 thrashing of Durham City — went to Aston Villa, where he is still their all-time record scorer in a single season, for £4,700. A fourth local youngster, Nibbler Ridding, was sold to Manchester City in early 1930, for £3,500.

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 in all competitions during the 1933–34 season, and nine goals in the 13–4 Boxing Day 1935 victory over Oldham Athletic. The aggregate of 17 goals in one game remains a league record.

Rovers claimed their first ever Championship in the Football League in 1938 when a tally of 56 points was enough to capture the Division Three North title and a place in Division Two for the first time. It is still Rovers' sole championship in the Football League. However, they were relegated the next season having won just six of 42 matches — the all-time worst record of any team in Division Two.

Creation of the Superwhites

1962–1963 kit

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, secured a place in the new national Third Division. The final match against Wrexham, also fighting for a place in the higher league, attracted a crowd of 19,615, which remains the highest ever attendance at a Prenton Park league match.

In 1961, Tranmere's inspirational captain Harold Bell left the club. Bell was 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 holds to this day. 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 who revolutionised the club — bringing in the all-white strip used today and developing a successful youth policy which saw many club stalwarts through its ranks — including England international Roy McFarland. Russell guided Rovers back to Division Three in 1967, a year before a new 4,000 seat 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 Liverpool connections by recruiting former team-mates such as Ian St John, and even 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.

Such glories were short-lived, and Tranmere returned to the Fourth Division in 1975. The following decade was among the bleakest times in the club's history, with the club usually in the lower reaches of the division, beset by financial problems, and attaining crowds of less than 2,000.

The 1980s

1981–1982 kit

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, a "Save the Rovers" fund and a £200,000 loan from Wirral Council. However, in 1987 the club went into administration, with local businessman Peter Johnson taking over control and ownership. This proved to be a turning point in Tranmere's history, the club under his ownership enjoying 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 finishing bottom of Division Four and be relegated from the football league. Safety was guaranteed on the last game of the season with a 1–0 home win over Exeter City.

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 were the surprise stars of the event, beating Division One Wimbledon and Newcastle United before losing on penalties to eventual winners Nottingham Forest.

In his second season, King guided Tranmere to promotion as Division Four runners-up. In the same season, they achieved a string of cup successes against sides from the Division One, beating Middlesbrough, Millwall, Aston Villa, Chelsea and Coventry.

Promotion was almost achieved in their first season in Division Three, losing 2–0 in the Play-off Final to Notts County. Consolation was achieved a week later as Tranmere beat Bristol Rovers 2–1 at Wembley, in the final of the Leyland DAF Trophy, thus clinching the club's first piece of silverware.

Wembley years

1999–2000 kit

Tranmere Rovers went one better in the 1990–91 season, winning 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 Tranmere's fourth appearance in a Wembley final in just over a year. Another notable event that season was in Tranmere's home match against Southend United on New Year's Day 1991, when right back Tony Thomas scored after just eight seconds, at the time the fastest televised goal in history.

Former Liverpool striker John Aldridge, joined the club that summer, signing from Spain's Real Sociedad for £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.

Tranmere reached the play-offs in three successive seasons missing out on promotion to the newly-formed Premier League through defeat to Swindon Town, Leicester City and Reading, respectively. 1994 also saw Tranmere progress to the League Cup semi-final, losing to Aston Villa on penalties.

A reconstructed Prenton Park was opened in March 1995, with the all seater stadium now holding just under 17,000 supporters. One year later, John Aldridge was appointed player/manager in 1996 and held that position for five years; he retired from playing in 1999.

2000 and beyond

2010–2011 kit

The 1999–2000 season however turned out to be one of the momentous in the clubs history. Despite severe financial constraints, victories over a succession of Premiership sides led not only to a place in the sixth round of the FA Cup but a place in the 2000 Football League Cup Final — the first time Rovers had ever reached a major final. However, after coming from a goal down to equalise, Tranmere eventually lost the match 2–1 against Leicester City.

The following season they enjoyed yet another run in Cup competitions beating Everton 3-0 at Goodison Park, then Southampton 4-3 (after being 0-3 down) before finally bowing out to Liverpool. They nevertheless struggled in League matches, Aldridge quit before Tranmere's relegation to Division Two ended a spell of ten years in Division One.

Brian Little was appointed 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 FA Cup where they lost to eventual finalists, Millwall. In 2006, Little was replaced by former player Ronnie Moore. In Moore's three seasons in charge at Tranmere, the Club finished 9th, 11th and 7th, just missing out the play-offs in the final season.

At the end of the 2005–06 season, Brian Little left the Club and was replaced by former player Ronnie Moore. Despite the club finishing close to the play-offs in Moore's three seasons in charge, he was sacked in 2009 and replaced by former England winger John Barnes, whose only previous domestic managerial experience was with Celtic 10 years earlier.

Barnes' reign lasted merely 5 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 with a 3-0 victory at Stockport County. In June 2010, Parry was given the manager's job on a permanent basis.