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Tranmere Rovers F.C.

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Tranmere Rovers
File:Tranmere Rovers FC.png
Full nameTranmere Rovers Football Club
Nickname(s)Super Whites, Rovers
Founded1884 as Belmont F.C.
GroundPrenton Park
Tranmere
Birkenhead
Wirral
Capacity16,567
ChairmanPeter Johnson
ManagerLes Parry
LeagueLeague One
2010–11League One, 18th
WebsiteClub website
Current season

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

Main article: History of Tranmere Rovers F.C.

Tranmere were founded in 1884 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

File:OldTranmereRoversCrest.png
The former 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 1 July 2011.[4]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
5 DF Jamaica JAM Ian Goodison
6 DF Northern Ireland NIR Mark McChrystal
7 FW Nigeria NGA Enoch Showunmi
8 MF England ENG John Welsh
9 MF England ENG Andy Robinson
10 MF Northern Ireland NIR Robbie Weir
11 MF Ireland EIR Alan Mahon
12 MF Wales WAL Ash Taylor
17 DF England ENG Michael Kay
21 FW England ENG Dale Jennings
No. Pos. Nation Player
22 MF England ENG Max Power
23 GK England ENG Andy Coughlin
24 DF Ivory Coast CIV Zoumana Bakayogo
25 MF England ENG Joss Labadie
26 FW Northern Ireland NIR Adam McGurk
27 FW England ENG Lucas Akins
— DF England ENG Liam Benson
— DF England ENG Danny Holmes
— GK Wales WAL Owain Fôn Williams

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]

  1. Ian Muir
  2. John Aldridge
  3. Johnny King
  4. Ray Mathias
  5. Steve Mungall
  6. John Morrissey
  7. Pat Nevin

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 Two 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

Main article: List of Tranmere Rovers F.C. 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

Main article: Prenton Park

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:

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

Main article: Tranmere Rovers L.F.C.

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

[12]

League

Cup

  • Welsh Cup
    • Winner: 1934–35
    • Runner-up: 1933–34

Records

[12]

Wins and losses

Attendances

Goals

Appearances

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]

References

  1. ^ "Club History". Official website. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
  2. ^ "History". TheCowsheds.co.uk. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
  3. ^ "Brief history". The Birkenhead History Society. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
  4. ^ "Player Profiles". Official website. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
  5. ^ a b "Hall of Fame". Official website. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
  6. ^ "Record breaker". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  7. ^ "Club Staff List". Official website. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
  8. ^ "Tranmere Rovers Managers Since 1912". Official website. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
  9. ^ "A Guide to Prenton Park". Official website. Retrieved 2 November 2010.
  10. ^ "Prenton Park". TheCowsheds.co.uk. Retrieved 2 November 2010.
  11. ^ "Northern Womens Combination League". TheFA.com. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
  12. ^ a b "Honours & Records". TheCowsheds.co.uk. 19 August 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
  13. ^ "Football: Festive feats and feasts of goals". The Independent. 26 December 1998. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  14. ^ "Goals". The Football League. 3 August 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
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