Tranmere Rovers boss Nigel Adkins departed the club after a 1-0 loss to fellow League Two strugglers Accrington Stanley last night, but where does the manager rank in the club’s history?
The boos echoed around Prenton Park as Tranmere lost a crucial relegation six-pointer to Accrington Stanley last night.
Chants of “we want Adkins out” could be heard from the crowd as full-time approached and Rovers fans got their wish in the end.
Shortly after the full-time whistle had blown, Tranmere announced that Nigel Adkins had departed the club by mutual consent after a treacherous run of ten games without a win.
Merseysportlive looked at the win percentage of Tranmere managers with over 50 games at the helm, and only four people had a worse record than Nigel Adkins.
Here are the worst managers in Tranmere’s history:
Nigel Adkins (2023-2025) – 30.49%
Born in Birkenhead, the 59-year-old initially returned to his hometown club in May 2023 as a technical director.
However, following the sacking of Ian Dawes in September that year, Adkins stepped in as manager on an interim basis with the club sat 22nd in League Two.
Rovers had slipped to 23rd by the time Adkins was appointed permanently in November 2023, but the Englishman eventually repaid the faith and guided Rovers to safety with a 16th place finish.
Best known for his spell at Southampton (2010-2013) which saw Adkins guide the club to the Premier League after back-to-back promotions, expectations were arguably a bit higher heading into the 2024/25 season.
But this season has proved even tougher for the Birkenhead man.
Adkins leaves Tranmere in the same league position as when he was appointed back in September 2023 with a win percentage of 30.49% from 82 games.
More alarmingly, the departed boss lost 49% of his games on Merseyside.
Ron Yeats (1971-1974) – 29.8%
The late Ron Yeats will always be remembered as the towering centre back who captained Bill Shankly’s Liverpool in the 1960s.
But the 6ft 2 Scotsman also had a spell at Tranmere in the twilight of his career.
After helping Liverpool lay the foundations for future success, the 6ft 2 Scotsman moved across the Mersey to become Tranmere’s player manager for three years in 1971-1974.
Yeats is best known to Tranmere fans as the man who guided Rovers to one of their most famous victories – a 1-0 win over Arsenal in the second round of the 1973 League Cup.
Indeed, the Super White Army are keen to point out that they are the only English club to have a 100% record at Highbury.
But this cup success did not inspire league form, and the following season saw Yeats call on old boss Bill Shankly for help running the side.
Despite a spell of three successive wins, the upturn in form did not last and Yeats was sacked in 1974 with the club in the middle of a relegation battle.
Yeats made 97 appearances as a player and 141 in total as manager.
He was replaced by club legend Johnny King a year later, leaving with a win percentage of 29.8%.
Frank Worthington (1985-1987) – 28.9%
Once described as the working man’s George Best, Worthington was player manager for two years in the mid-80s.
With 21 goals in 57 matches, the Huddersfield man fared better on the pitch than in the dugout during his spell at Prenton Park between 1985 and 1987.
Struggling in League Two at the time, Worthington has the 3rd worst win percentage of any Tranmere manager with 28.9%.
Noel Kelly (1955-1957) – 24.3%
Another player-manager, Kelly joined Rovers in 1955 as the club was re-applying for election into the football league.
Capped once by Ireland in 1954, Kelly briefly played for Arsenal, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest before moving to Merseyside.
His stint at Prenton Park was his last high-profile job in football, as the Irishman retired to run a shop in Bromborough.
Kelly won just under one every four games in his time at the club before being replaced by fellow Irishman, Peter Farrell.
Jackie Wright (1969-1972) – 22.5%
Jackie Wright took over Rovers in 1969 with the club sat in the third division.
Despite possessing the lowest win rate of any Tranmere manager with more than 50 games, he at least helped Rovers avoid relegation during his time in the dugout.
He eventually made way for big Ron Yeats.
Good omens for Tranmere?
Surprisingly, Nigel Adkins sits in esteemed company on the list of Tranmere manager win percentages.
Legendary manager Johnny King first spell at the club sees him sit just one place above Adkins in the all-time win percentage list.
King won 32.5% of his games during his first stint at the club between 1975-1980, achieving promotion back to League One in his first season.
Of course, King fared a lot better in his second spell at the club in 1987-1996, and nearly took Rovers all the way to the Premier League.
Whilst retaining their football league status may seem unlikely right now, it shows that they may only need a manager with a slightly higher win rate to stabilise the club.
It is something positive for Tranmere fans to cling to at least.
(Featured image by Alamy Images under agreed licence)
