Tranmere Rovers F.C. facts for kids
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| Full name | Tranmere Rovers Football Club | |||
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| Nickname(s) | The Rovers | |||
| Short name | Rovers, Super White Army | |||
| Founded | 1884 (as Belmont FC) | |||
| Ground | Prenton Park | |||
| Capacity | 16,567 | |||
| Owner | Mark & Nicola Palios | |||
| Chairman | Mark Palios | |||
| Manager | Nigel Adkins | |||
| League | League One | |||
| 2018–19 | League Two, 6th of 24 (promoted via play-offs) | |||
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Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football team from Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. They play in League One, which is the fourth level of English football.
The club started in 1884 as Belmont Football Club and changed its name to Tranmere Rovers in 1885. Since 1962, their main uniform has been all white, sometimes with blue or green trim. In 1912, the club moved to its current stadium, Prenton Park. The stadium was updated in 1995 and can now seat 16,567 fans.
Tranmere Rovers played in local leagues until 1921, when they joined the new Football League Third Division North. They won this league in the 1937–38 season. The 1990s were a very successful time for the club. They almost reached the Premier League and made it to the 2000 Football League Cup final. After some ups and downs, including leaving the Football League for three seasons, they returned in 2018 and 2019 through play-off wins.
Contents
Club History
Early Years
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| 1889–1904 kit |
Tranmere Rovers began in 1884 as Belmont Football Club. This happened when two cricket clubs, Lyndhurst Wanderers and Belmont, joined their football teams. On November 15, 1884, they won their first game 4–0 against Brunswick Rovers. This was a friendly match, as there were no official leagues yet.
In 1885, Belmont F.C. changed its name to Tranmere Rovers. The team first played at Steeles Field in Birkenhead. In 1887, they moved to Ravenshaws Field, which was renamed Prenton Park in 1895. However, the team didn't move to the current Prenton Park stadium until 1912.
Tranmere first wore blue shirts, white shorts, and blue socks. In 1889, they changed to orange and maroon shirts, but by 1904, they went back to their original blue and white kit.
In 1886, Tranmere entered their first competition, the Liverpool and District Challenge Cup. They joined the stronger Combination league in 1897 and won it in 1908. In 1910, they moved to the Lancashire Combination league. In 1914, Tranmere won the Lancashire Combination Championship.
The club continued to play football during the First World War.
Between the Wars
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| 1921–37 kit |
In 1921, Tranmere Rovers were invited to join the new Football League Third Division North. On August 27, 1921, they played their first Football League match, winning 4–1 against Crewe Alexandra at Prenton Park. Bert Cooke was the manager for 23 years, which is a club record.
In 1924, a local player named Dixie Dean made his debut at just 16 years old. He scored 27 goals in 30 games for Rovers before moving to Everton for £3,000. Later, in the 1927–28 season, Dean scored a record 60 league goals for Everton. Another talented player, Tom Waring, scored six goals in an 11–1 win over Durham City before joining Aston Villa.
In 1934, an FA Cup game between Rovers and Liverpool at Anfield was watched by 61,036 fans. This was a record crowd for a Tranmere game at the time. In 1935, Bunny Bell scored nine goals in a 13–4 win against Oldham Athletic. The total of 17 goals in that game is still a league record.
Tranmere also played in the Welsh Cup during this period. In 1934, they reached the final but lost. The next season, in 1935, they beat local rivals Chester 1–0 to win their first trophy since joining the Football League.
In 1938, Rovers won their first Football League championship, winning Division Three North. This meant they were promoted to Division Two for the first time. However, they were relegated the very next season.
The Superwhites Era
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| 1962–63 kit |
After World War II, Tranmere rejoined the Football League in Division Three North. In 1958, the league was reorganized, and Tranmere became a founding member of the new national Division Three. A match against Wrexham in 1958 drew 19,615 fans, which is still the highest attendance for a league match at Prenton Park.
In 1961, Tranmere's captain, Harold Bell, left the club. Bell had played in 459 games in a row, a British record that stood for many years. After he left, Rovers were relegated to Division Four for the first time.
The club hired Dave Russell as manager. Russell made a big change: he introduced an all-white uniform. Before this, Tranmere wore blue, like local rivals Everton. Russell wanted Tranmere to have its own unique look, saying, "on Merseyside there's now Liverpool's Red, Everton's blue and Tranmere's white." These white colors have been Tranmere's main kit ever since, earning them the nickname "Superwhites."
Russell helped Rovers get back to Division Three in 1967. In 1968, a new 4,000-seat main stand was opened at Prenton Park. Three years later, the club's overall record attendance was set when 24,424 fans watched Rovers draw 2–2 with Stoke City in the FA Cup.
In 1972, Ron Yeats became player-manager. He brought in former teammates from Liverpool, like Ian St John, and even had Bill Shankly as a consultant. In 1973, Tranmere had a famous win, beating First Division Arsenal 1–0 at their old Highbury stadium in a League Cup game. However, Tranmere went back to the Fourth Division in 1975. The 1980s were tough for the club, with money problems and low attendance.
In 1979, Steve Mungall joined Tranmere. He played over 500 games for the club in 17 years.
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| 1981–82 kit |
More money troubles hit the club in the 1980s. They almost went out of business in 1987.
The John King Era
Local businessman Peter Johnson took over the club in 1987. This was a huge turning point. Manager John King returned for his second time in charge. He saved the team from finishing last in Division Four.
In 1988, Tranmere played at Wembley Stadium for the first time in the Football League Centenary Tournament. The next season, King led Tranmere to promotion from Division Four. They secured promotion in a 1–1 draw against Crewe Alexandra, where both teams knew a draw would promote them.
In 1990, Tranmere won their first major trophy, the Leyland DAF Trophy, beating Bristol Rovers 2–1 at Wembley. They almost got promoted to Division Two that year but lost in the play-off final. Striker Ian Muir was a key player, scoring 180 goals in eleven seasons. He became the club's record goal scorer.
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| 1999–2000 kit |
In the 1990–91 season, Tranmere won promotion to Division Two after beating local rivals Bolton Wanderers 1–0 in the play-off final. This was their fourth time playing at Wembley in just over a year.
In 1991, former Liverpool player John Aldridge joined Tranmere. He scored 170 goals for the club, second only to Ian Muir. Aldridge was also the first Tranmere player to score at a World Cup. In the early 1990s, Tranmere reached the play-off semi-finals three times in a row, trying to reach the Premier League. They also reached the League Cup semi-final in 1994, losing a close match to Aston Villa on penalties.
A newly built Prenton Park stadium, with all seats, opened in March 1995. It could hold almost 17,000 fans. In 1996, John Aldridge became player-manager.
The 2000s and Beyond
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| 2011–2012 kit |
In the 1999–2000 season, Tranmere had an amazing cup run. They beat two Premier League teams in the FA Cup and reached the 2000 Football League Cup final against Leicester City. It was the first time in the club's history they reached a major final. Despite playing with ten men for part of the game, Tranmere lost 2–1. This was the last League Cup final held at the original Wembley Stadium.
The next season, Tranmere had another great FA Cup run, beating local Premier League rivals Everton 3–0 and Southampton 4–3. However, they struggled in the league and were relegated from Division One after ten years.
Brian Little became manager in 2003. He led Rovers to an FA Cup quarter-final in 2004. After Little left, former player Ronnie Moore took over in 2006. He managed the club for three seasons. In 2009, John Barnes became manager but only stayed for five months. Les Parry, the club's physiotherapist, then took temporary charge and helped the team avoid relegation. He became permanent manager in 2010 but was sacked in 2012. Ronnie Moore returned as manager and helped the team finish in the top half of the league.
In 2014, Moore was sacked after admitting to breaking betting rules. Rob Edwards became the new manager, but Tranmere were relegated to League Two. In October 2014, Mark Palios, a former player and Football Association chief executive, and his wife Nicola took over the club.
Edwards was sacked shortly after, and Mickey Adams took over. However, on April 25, 2015, Tranmere were relegated from the Football League after 94 years.
Non-League Years
Gary Brabin was appointed manager in May 2015. Tranmere finished sixth in the National League, just missing the play-offs.
In the 2016–17 season, Tranmere started well, but Brabin was sacked in September 2016. Former Tranmere player Micky Mellon became manager. Tranmere finished 2nd in the league with 95 points, but still had to go through the play-offs. They reached the play-off final at Wembley but lost 3–1 to Forest Green Rovers.
The 2017–18 season started poorly, but a strong comeback saw Tranmere move into the play-off spots. They won 9 home league games in a row. Tranmere finished as National League runners-up again. In the play-off semi-final, they beat Ebbsfleet United 4–2 after extra time. On May 12, 2018, Tranmere won the play-off final at Wembley, beating Boreham Wood 2–1. This was their first trophy in 27 years, and it meant they were promoted back to the Football League.
Return to the Football League
Under Mark Palios and Micky Mellon, Tranmere played in League Two for the 2018–19 season. They finished 6th and reached the play-offs again. On May 25, 2019, Tranmere won their second straight promotion, beating Newport County 1–0 at Wembley in the 119th minute. This sent them to League One for the 2019–20 season.
In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic stopped the season early. League One clubs voted to end the season based on points per game. This meant Tranmere were moved back down to League Two, which the club chairman Mark Palios felt was unfair.
Mike Jackson became manager in July 2020 but was sacked in October. Keith Hill took over in November 2020. He was sacked in May 2021, even though the team reached the play-offs. Morecambe then beat Tranmere in the play-off semi-final. At the end of May 2021, Micky Mellon returned as manager for his second time. He was sacked in March 2023. After a short period with Ian Dawes as manager, Nigel Adkins was appointed interim manager in September 2023.
Team Colors and Crest
Belmont F.C. and early Rovers wore blue shirts and white shorts. In 1889, they tried maroon and orange shirts to "dazzle" opponents. But in 1904, they went back to blue and white.
In 1962, manager Dave Russell introduced an all-white uniform with blue trim. He wanted Tranmere to have its own identity, different from Liverpool's red and Everton's blue. Since then, white has been Tranmere's main color, leading to their nickname "Superwhites."
Tranmere first put a badge on their shirt in 1962. It was the coat of arms of Birkenhead, with the motto "Ubi fides ibi lux et robur" (meaning "Where there is faith there is light and strength"). In 1972, a simpler badge was used, and in 1981, a blue and white shield. In 1987, a more detailed crest was introduced, which included a football and the TRFC logo. The current simpler badge was adopted in 1997 and slightly changed in 2009 for the club's 125th anniversary. It uses parts of the Birkenhead coat of arms, like the crosier and lion (from Birkenhead Priory), an oak tree (for Tranmere), a star (for Bebington), two lions (for Oxton), and crescents (possibly for the Laird family).
For the 2021–22 season, Tranmere went back to their badge used before 1997.
Prenton Park Stadium
Tranmere Rovers first played at Steeles Field in Birkenhead. In 1887, they moved to a new site, which was later named "Prenton Park" in 1895. Because that land was needed for houses and a school, Tranmere had to move again. The current Prenton Park stadium opened on March 9, 1912. It had stands on both sides of the pitch and open terraces. This layout stayed mostly the same until 1994.
Major changes were made to the stadium in 1994 and 1995 because of new rules. All stadiums in the top two English football divisions had to have only seats. So, three sides of Prenton Park were rebuilt with new all-seater stands: the Borough Road Stand (now the Johnny King Stand), the Cowshed, and the new Kop. The Main Stand was kept. This increased the stadium's capacity to 16,567 seats. The new stadium officially opened on March 11, 1995, costing £3.1 million.
About 8,000 fans watched the first game at the current stadium, where Tranmere beat Lancaster Town 8–0. The biggest crowd ever at Prenton Park was 24,424 for an FA Cup match against Stoke City in 1972.
Fans and Rivalries
In the 2018–19 season, Tranmere Rovers had an average home attendance of 6,552 fans. This made them the 4th best-supported club in League Two. The club has several fan groups, including the Tranmere Rovers Supporters Trust.
Even though Everton and Liverpool are geographically closest, Tranmere has rarely played them because they have spent most of their history in lower leagues. Instead, Tranmere has traditional rivalries with nearby teams like Wrexham, Chester, and Southport.
Here are the teams Tranmere has played against most often in the Football League, as of the end of the 2022–23 season:
| Opponents | Games Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crewe Alexandra | 120 | 53 | 26 | 41 | 44.2 |
| Hartlepool United | 118 | 52 | 28 | 38 | 44.1 |
| Rochdale | 113 | 54 | 23 | 36 | 47.8 |
| Stockport County | 108 | 40 | 31 | 37 | 37.0 |
| Halifax Town | 104 | 42 | 28 | 34 | 40.4 |
| Wrexham | 102 | 38 | 25 | 39 | 37.3 |
| Chesterfield | 94 | 31 | 19 | 44 | 33.0 |
| Bradford City | 86 | 36 | 20 | 30 | 41.9 |
| Darlington | 82 | 38 | 13 | 31 | 46.3 |
| Southport | 80 | 38 | 22 | 20 | 47.5 |
Tranmere Rovers Ladies Team
Tranmere Rovers Ladies Football Club started in 1990. They are connected to the men's team and play their home games at Villa Park in Wallasey. From 1996 to 2004, they played in the FA Premier League National Division, which was the top women's league in England at the time. Since 2011, they have played in the North West Regional League, Premier Division. As of 2011, they have won the Cheshire Cup a record 11 times.
Players
First-team squad
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Famous Former Players
In 2010, for the club's 125th anniversary, Tranmere announced a hall of fame. The first players and managers honored were Ian Muir, John Aldridge, John King, Ray Mathias, Steve Mungall, John Morrissey, and Pat Nevin.
Harold Bell holds a record for playing the most consecutive league games for a British team. He played in every match from the first game after World War II in 1946 until August 30, 1955, making 401 consecutive appearances.
Club Officials
Coaching Staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | Nigel Adkins |
| Assistant Manager | Neil Danns |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Joe Murphy |
| First Team Coach | Andy Parkinson |
| Player Development Manager | Alan Morgan |
| Physiotherapist | Karly Bland |
| Sports Scientist | Mark Cowan |
| Chief Scout | Ollie Knight |
| Performance Analyst | Kevin Mulligan |
Managers
The first manager of Tranmere Rovers was Bert Cooke, appointed in 1912. He was in charge for 23 years, the longest of any manager at the club. He led the club into the Football League.
Dave Russell became manager in 1961. He introduced the team's famous all-white kit. He also often arranged home games on Friday evenings instead of Saturday afternoons. The band Half Man Half Biscuit, who are Tranmere fans, even wrote a song about this called "Friday Night And The Gates Are Low."
Tranmere's most successful period was at the end of the 20th century. John King returned as manager in 1987. He led the team from the bottom of the Fourth Division to win the League Trophy and reach the play-off semi-finals for promotion to the Premier League three times. After King, John Aldridge became manager, and Tranmere reached the 2000 Football League Cup final.
More recently, Les Parry, the former club physiotherapist, managed the team from 2009 to 2012. Ronnie Moore then returned for a second spell. In 2014, Moore was sacked after admitting to breaking football betting rules.
Rob Edwards was appointed manager in May 2014 but was sacked in October of the same year. Micky Adams took over but left in April 2015. Gary Brabin then managed the team until September 2016. Micky Mellon was appointed manager the following month. He led the team to two straight play-off final victories in 2018 and 2019, which brought the club back to League One. Mellon left in July 2020.
Mike Jackson became manager in July 2020 but was sacked in October. Keith Hill took over in November 2020. He was sacked in May 2021, even though the team had reached the League Two play-offs. At the end of May 2021, Micky Mellon returned to Tranmere for his second time as manager.
Club Achievements
Here are some of the main achievements of Tranmere Rovers:
League Titles
- Third Division North / Third Division (level 3)
- Champions: 1937–38
- Play-off winners: 1991
- Fourth Division / League Two (level 4)
- Runners-up: 1988–89
- Promoted: 1966–67, 1975–76
- Play-off winners: 2019
- National League (level 5)
- Play-off winners: 2018
- The Combination
- Champions: 1907–08
- Lancashire Combination
- Champions: 1913–14
Cup Competitions
- Football League Cup
- Runners-up: 1999–2000
- Associate Members' Cup / Football League Trophy / EFL Trophy
- Winners: 1989–90
- Runners-up: 1990–91, 2020–21
- Welsh Cup
- Winners: 1934–35
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Club Records
- Highest league finish: 4th in First Division (level 2), 1992–93
- Best FA Cup performance: Quarter-finals, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2003–04
- Best League Cup performance: Runners-up, 1999–2000
- Best League Trophy performance: Winners, 1989–90
- Best FA Trophy performance: Semi-finals, 2016–17
- Record win:
- 13–4, against Oldham Athletic, December 26, 1935 (17 goals in one game, a league record)
- 9–0 against Solihull Moors, April 8, 2017
- Record defeat:
- 1–9 against Tottenham Hotspur, FA Cup 3rd round replay, January 14, 1953
- Highest home attendance: 24,424, against Stoke City, February 5, 1972, FA Cup
- Most goals (total): Ian Muir, 180 goals
- Most goals in a season: Bunny Bell (1934–35) and John Aldridge (1991–92), 40 goals
- Most appearances: Ray Mathias, 637 games
Images for kids
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First Football League match in 1921
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Chart of yearly table positions of Tranmere Rovers in the Football League.
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Tranmere Rovers v Sheffield United in the 2012–13 season
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Tranmere Rovers' 1962 crest
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Prenton Park in 1986
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Tranmere playing against Bristol Rovers in the final of the 1990 Football League Trophy
See also
In Spanish: Tranmere Rovers Football Club para niños
