Graham Turner facts for kids

Graham John Turner (born 5 October 1947) is a famous English footballer and manager. He played as a defender for many years. After his playing career, he became a very successful football manager. His son, Mark, also became a professional footballer. Graham Turner is one of the top four football managers in history for the number of games he has managed. Only Alex Ferguson, Neil Warnock, and Arsène Wenger have managed more games than him.

Graham Turner played football for 19 years as a central defender. He played in the lower divisions of English football. After retiring as a player, he became the manager of Shrewsbury Town. He led them to win the Third Division title. They then spent five seasons in the Second Division. Later, he became the manager of Aston Villa. After two years, he moved to Wolves. He helped Wolves climb from the Fourth Division to the Second Division. He also won the Football League Trophy with them.

He left Wolves in 1994 and took a break from football. A year later, he joined Hereford United. He led them to the play-offs in Division Three. However, the next year, Hereford was relegated to the Conference. Graham Turner later bought most of the club's shares. He became the chairman in 1998. Hereford faced financial problems for five seasons in non-league football. But Turner led them to three second-place finishes in a row. They finally won promotion back to the Football League in 2006.

After finishing in the middle of the table in the 2006–07 season, Turner helped Hereford get another promotion. They finished third in League Two the next season. He was very good at using the loan system to bring in players. The League Managers Association voted him League Two Manager of the Year. However, he could not keep Hereford in League One. He stepped down as manager of Hereford on 24 April 2009. He had been in charge for over 13 years and 723 matches. He returned to manage Hereford again for a short time 11 months later.

Graham Turner's Playing Career

Graham Turner was born in Ellesmere Port, England. He played for the England youth international team. He started his football career at Wrexham. In January 1968, he moved to their rivals, Chester. This move was part of a player exchange deal. He played 218 Football League games for Chester over five years.

His third and final club was Shrewsbury Town. He joined them for £30,000. At his first two clubs, he played as a midfielder. But at Shrewsbury, he became a centre back. He played over 350 league games for Shrewsbury. In the 1970s, he played against Hereford United many times. This was the club he would later buy and manage.

Graham Turner's Managerial Journey

Managing Shrewsbury Town (First Time)

In the 1978–79 season, Graham Turner became the player-manager for Shrewsbury Town. This was the same year the club won the Third Division championship. Shrewsbury spent ten seasons in the Second Division under his leadership. Turner also led them to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup twice. He stopped playing football in 1983. After six seasons, he left Shrewsbury to manage Aston Villa in the summer of 1984.

Managing Aston Villa

Unfortunately, Turner's time at Villa Park was not as successful. He was sacked on 14 September 1986. This was just over two years after he started. Aston Villa was heading for relegation from the First Division at that time.

Managing Wolverhampton Wanderers

On 7 October 1986, he became the manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers. At that time, Wolves were in the Fourth Division. The club was also in serious financial trouble. In his first season, Wolves reached the play-offs but did not get promoted. However, the next two seasons brought two promotions in a row. This was thanks to goalscorer Steve Bull and his striking partner Andy Mutch.

Wolves then finished in the middle of the table in the Second Division. After the Premier League was formed, they were in Division One. Turner left the club in March 1994. He also led Wolves to win the 1987–88 Associate Members' Cup at Wembley Stadium.

Managing Hereford United

Graham Turner became the manager of Hereford United at the start of the 1995–96 season. The club was then in Division Three. His first season was good. They reached the FA Cup third round and the play-offs. They lost to Darlington in the play-offs.

However, the club had financial problems before he arrived. He could not keep several key players for the next season. On 3 May 1997, Hereford was relegated to the Conference. This happened after a 1–1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion. Turner tried to resign, but his resignation was rejected. He then led them to a sixth-place finish in the Conference. When chairman Peter Hill resigned, Turner bought most of the club's shares. He did this with Joan Fennessy. This saved the club from closing down.

With the club in debt, he had to go through several difficult seasons. He had to sell key players to keep the club running. The financial situation became very bad in the 2001–02 season. After a big loss to Hayes, Turner gave his first-team duties to player-coach Phil Robinson. Turner focused on fixing the club's money problems. Hereford finished 17th that season. Turner again offered his resignation, thinking it was enough. But after talks, he decided to stay, even with a big debt deadline coming up.

The 2002–03 season was a turning point. Turner built a completely new team. He kept only six players from the previous season. This new team, made up of free transfers, became one of the best in the Conference. They finished second in a record-breaking 2003–04 season. But Hereford lost in the play-off semi-final against Aldershot Town. Important decisions went against them. They finished second again and lost in the play-offs the next season.

However, the 2005–06 season was different. Hereford defeated Halifax Town in the 2006 Conference play-off final. This secured their promotion back to the Football League. After the match, Turner said he felt "relief" after many tough seasons. Hereford survived their first season back in the Football League, finishing 16th.

In the 2007–08 season, Turner used the loan system very well. He did not pay any transfer fees for players. The team stayed in the top 5 all season. They achieved promotion to the league's third tier. This was their first time in that division in 30 years.

After finally getting the promotion he had aimed for since 1995–96, Turner again used the loan system in League One. He bought only one player for an unknown fee. But this plan was not as successful in 2008–09. Hereford struggled in League One and were relegated on 18 April 2009. Turner then announced he was stepping down as manager. He apologized for the team's performance that season. On 24 April 2009, as chairman, he appointed John Trewick as his replacement.

Turner remained chairman, director of football, and majority shareholder of Hereford United until the end of the 2009–10 season. During his nearly 14 years at Hereford, he helped the club's finances. They made a profit for six seasons in a row. He bought only three players: Neil Grayson (£20,000 in 1997), Ben Smith (£20,000 in 2007), and Matt Done (undisclosed fee in 2008). Toumani Diagouraga also joined permanently as part of a deal. On 8 March 2010, Hereford United announced they had sacked John Trewick. Turner took over as manager temporarily. On 16 April 2010, Turner said he and co-chairperson Joan Fennessy would sell their shares in the club. He felt the club needed new energy. His decision to return to Shrewsbury Town likely influenced this choice.

Return to Shrewsbury Town (Second Time)

On 11 June 2010, Graham Turner was announced as the new Shrewsbury Town manager. He returned 26 years after he first left. Turner signed a three-year deal as manager. He also had the option of an extra year as director of football.

His first season back at Shrewsbury Town was the 2010–11 season. They finished fourth, just below the automatic promotion spots. This meant Town had to play a two-legged play-off semi-final against Torquay United. They lost 2–0 on aggregate. The next season was even better. He guided Shrewsbury Town to a second-place finish and automatic promotion to League One. The club set a record for points. For the second time in Turner's career, he led Shrewsbury Town to be unbeaten at home for a whole season. This was 33 years after his first achievement.

He led them to a good 16th-place finish in the 2012–13 season. This was their first time in the third tier in 15 years. However, Turner could not build on this success the next season. On 21 January 2014, Graham Turner resigned as manager of Shrewsbury Town. This was halfway through the 2013–14 season. Shrewsbury was later relegated that season.

Graham Turner's Managerial Statistics

Awards and Achievements

Team Honours

Shrewsbury Town

• Football League Third Division: 1978–79 (Champions)
• Football League Two second-place promotion: 2011–12
• Welsh Cup: 1978–79, 1983–84

Wolverhampton Wanderers

• Football League Third Division: 1988–89 (Champions)
• Football League Fourth Division: 1987–88 (Champions)
• Associate Members' Cup: 1987–88 (Winners)

Hereford United

• Football League Two third-place promotion: 2007–08
• Conference National play-off winners: 2006

Individual Awards

• Football Conference Manager of the Month: December 2002
• Football League Two Manager of the Month: February 2011, April 2012

Special Recognition

In October 2010, Graham Turner received a special award. He was given the Freedom of the City of Hereford. This is a great honour from the city.