List of Burnley F.C. managers

Burnley Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Burnley, Lancashire. Founded on 18 May 1882, the club was one of the first to become professional (in 1883), putting pressure on the Football Association (FA) to permit payments to players.[1] In 1885, the FA legalised professionalism, so the team entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1885–86, and were one of the twelve founding members of the Football League in 1888–89.[1] Burnley have played in all four professional divisions of English football from 1888 to the present day.[2] The team have been champions of England twice, in 1920–21 and 1959–60, have won the FA Cup once, in 1913–14, and have won the FA Charity Shield twice, in 1960 and 1973.[2][3] Burnley were the second, and are one of only five teams to have won all four professional divisions of English football, along with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Preston North End, Sheffield United and Portsmouth.[4][5]

From 1882 to 1894, the Burnley team was selected by the board of directors or a committee whose secretary had the same powers and role as a manager has today.[6] In August 1894, the club appointed a team manager for the first time. Burnley-born Harry Bradshaw was appointed; he had been involved with the club since its foundation in 1882 and he had been a committee member since 1887.[6] Scotsman Frank Hill, who was in charge of Burnley from October 1948 to August 1954, was the first non-English manager in the club's history.[7] From 1954 to 1983, under chairman Bob Lord, only managers with a previous playing career at the club were appointed—this trend ended when John Bond took the post in June 1983.[8][9] Two Burnley managers have died in the job—Spen Whittaker and John Haworth.[10]

The longest-serving person to manage Burnley is Harry Potts, who was in charge of the club for a total of 745 competitive matches: from February 1958 to February 1970 and from February 1977 to October 1979.[11][12] Haworth and Potts are Burnley's most successful managers in terms of competitive honours won, as Haworth claimed one FA Cup (1913–14) and one First Division title (1920–21), while Potts won one First Division championship (1959–60) and the 1960 Charity Shield.[11]

From the beginning of the club's official managerial records in 1894 to the present, Burnley have had 30 permanent managers and 6 caretakers.[11][13] The club's current manager is Scott Parker, who was appointed in July 2024.[14]

List of managers

Key
List of Burnley F.C. managers
Name Nationality From To Matches Won Drawn[a] Lost Win%[b] Honours Notes Refs.
Harry Bradshaw  England August 1894 June 1899 172 68 39 65 039.53 Second Division title: 1897–98 [c][d] [15]
Ernest Mangnall  England March 1900 October 1903 133 47 27 59 035.34 [e] [17]
Spen Whittaker  England October 1903 April 1910 262 107 46 109 040.84 [e][f] [18]
John Haworth  England July 1910 December 1924 456 205 110 141 044.96 Second Division promotion: 1912–13
FA Cup winners: 1913–14
First Division runners–up: 1919–20
First Division title: 1920–21
FA Charity Shield runners–up: 1921
[e] [19]
Albert Pickles  England January 1925 August 1932 335 117 72 146 034.93 [g] [20]
Tom Bromilow  England October 1932 July 1935 127 50 27 50 039.37 [h] [22]
Selection Committee July 1935 September 1939 177 63 44 70 035.59 [i] [24]
Cliff Britton  England May 1945 September 1948 107 52 31 24 048.60 FA Cup runners–up: 1946–47
Second Division promotion: 1946–47
[25]
Frank Hill  Scotland October 1948 August 1954 257 102 67 88 039.69 [26]
Alan Brown  England August 1954 July 1957 135 56 31 48 041.48 [j] [30]
Billy Dougall  Scotland July 1957 January 1958 30 14 4 12 046.67 [j][k] [31]
Harry Potts  England February 1958 February 1970 605 272 142 191 044.96 First Division title: 1959–60
FA Charity Shield winners (shared): 1960
First Division runners–up: 1961–62
FA Cup runners–up: 1961–62
[j][l] [12]
Jimmy Adamson  England February 1970 January 1976 284 112 73 99 039.44 Second Division title: 1972–73
FA Charity Shield winners: 1973
Texaco Cup runners–up: 1973–74
[j] [32]
Joe Brown  England January 1976 February 1977 52 11 16 25 021.15 [j] [33]
Harry Potts  England February 1977 October 1979 140 49 35 56 035.00 Anglo–Scottish Cup winners: 1978–79 [j][l] [12]
Brian Miller  England October 1979 January 1983 180 67 53 60 037.22 Third Division title: 1981–82 [j][m] [34]
Frank Casper*  England January 1983 June 1983 26 11 6 9 042.31 [j][n] [35]
John Bond  England June 1983 August 1984 57 21 16 20 036.84 [36]
John Benson  Scotland August 1984 May 1985 57 16 15 26 028.07 [37]
Martin Buchan  Scotland June 1985 October 1985 13 5 2 6 038.46 [38]
Tommy Cavanagh  England October 1985 June 1986 39 14 10 15 035.90 [39]
Brian Miller  England July 1986 January 1989 140 50 32 58 035.71 Associate Members' Cup runners–up: 1987–88 [j][m] [34]
Frank Casper  England January 1989 October 1991 150 54 38 58 036.00 [j][n] [35]
Jimmy Mullen  England October 1991 February 1996 252 102 67 83 040.48 Fourth Division title: 1991–92
Second Division play–off winners: 1993–94
[40]
Clive Middlemass*  England February 1996 March 1996 3 0 1 2 000.00 [41]
Adrian Heath  England March 1996 June 1997 72 27 17 28 037.50 [j] [42]
Chris Waddle  England July 1997 May 1998 57 17 16 24 029.82 [43]
Stan Ternent  England June 1998 June 2004 312 122 82 108 039.10 Second Division (third tier) promotion: 1999–2000 [j] [44]
Steve Cotterill  England June 2004 November 2007 169 55 48 66 032.54 [45][46]
Steve Davis*  England November 2007 November 2007 1 1 0 0 100.00 [j] [27][47]
Owen Coyle  Ireland November 2007 January 2010 116 49 29 38 042.24 Championship play–off winners: 2008–09 [48][49]
Brian Laws  England January 2010 December 2010 44 13 9 22 029.55 [j] [50]
Stuart Gray*  England December 2010 January 2011 4 2 1 1 050.00 [51][52]
Eddie Howe  England January 2011 October 2012 87 34 19 34 039.08 [53]
Terry Pashley*  England October 2012 October 2012 3 2 0 1 066.67 [j] [54][55]
Sean Dyche  England October 2012 April 2022 425 149 118 158 035.06 Championship promotion: 2013–14
Championship title: 2015–16
[56][57]
Mike Jackson*  England April 2022 May 2022 8 3 2 3 037.50 [58][59]
Vincent Kompany  Belgium June 2022 May 2024 96 41 24 31 042.71 Championship title: 2022–23 [60][61]
Scott Parker  England July 2024 50 30 16 4 060.00 Championship promotion: 2024–25 [o] [63][64]

Notes

  1. ^ Drawn matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.
  2. ^ Win% is rounded to two decimal places
  3. ^ Harry Bradshaw combined managerial and secretarial duties from March 1897.[6]
  4. ^ Following Harry Bradshaw's departure to Woolwich Arsenal in June 1899, team affairs remained in the hands of the board of directors until Ernest Mangnall was appointed in March 1900.[6]
  5. ^ a b c Ernest Mangnall, Spen Whittaker and John Haworth combined managerial and secretarial duties during their tenures.[16]
  6. ^ Following the death of Spen Whittaker in April 1910, team affairs were placed in the hands of the directors until the end of the season.[10]
  7. ^ Albert Pickles also assumed secretarial duties until May 1931.[10]
  8. ^ Tom Bromilow also assumed secretarial duties until November 1932.[21]
  9. ^ After Tom Bromilow left the club in 1935 to manage Crystal Palace, the directors decided to not appoint a team manager due to economical reasons. Team affairs became a joint effort between chairman Tom Clegg, secretary Alf Boland and senior trainer Billy Dougall.[23]
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Formerly played for the club[11][27][28][29]
  11. ^ After Billy Dougall was hospitalised in November 1957, Ray Bennion assumed first-team duties. Dougall was forced to step down in January 1958 due to ill health, but remained at Burnley as physiotherapist until 1965.[31]
  12. ^ a b Harry Potts served two terms as manager. His cumulative managerial statistics read as – 745 matches, 321 wins, 177 draws, 247 losses, and a winning percentage of 43.09%.[12]
  13. ^ a b Brian Miller served two terms as manager. His cumulative managerial statistics read as – 320 matches, 117 wins, 85 draws, 118 losses, and a winning percentage of 36.56%.[34]
  14. ^ a b Frank Casper served two terms as manager, including one spell as caretaker manager. His cumulative managerial statistics read as – 176 matches, 65 wins, 44 draws, 67 losses, and a winning percentage of 36.93%.[35]
  15. ^ Scott Parker was named head coach instead of manager[14][62]

References

Specific
  1. ^ a b Simpson (2007), pp. 12–25
  2. ^ a b Rundle, Richard. "Burnley". Football Club History Database. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  3. ^ Ross, James M. (5 August 2019). "England – List of FA Charity/Community Shield matches". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  4. ^ Tyler, Martin (9 May 2017). "Martin Tyler's stats: Most own goals, fewest different scorers in a season". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 14 April 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Club honours & records". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d Simpson (2007), p. 540
  7. ^ Simpson (2007), pp. 540–545
  8. ^ Quelch (2017), pp. 24–39
  9. ^ McParlan, Paul (27 February 2018). "Burnley, Total Football and the pioneering title win of 1959/60". These Football Times. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  10. ^ a b c Simpson (2007), p. 542
  11. ^ a b c d Simpson (2007), pp. 540–559
  12. ^ a b c d Simpson (2007), pp. 284–334, 361–374, 504–507, 546–548
  13. ^ "Burnley manager history". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  14. ^ a b Hafez, Shamoon (5 July 2024). "Burnley appoint Parker as new head coach". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 22 August 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  15. ^ Simpson (2007), pp. 54–74, 540
  16. ^ Simpson (2007), pp. 540–542
  17. ^ Simpson (2007), pp. 74–92, 540–541
  18. ^ Simpson (2007), pp. 90–116, 541–542
  19. ^ Simpson (2007), pp. 118–168, 542
  20. ^ Simpson (2007), pp. 167–198, 542–543
  21. ^ Simpson (2007), pp. 543–544
  22. ^ Simpson (2007), pp. 198–210, 543–544
  23. ^ Simpson (2007), p. 544
  24. ^ Simpson (2007), pp. 210–227, 544
  25. ^ Simpson (2007), pp. 236–250, 544
  26. ^ Simpson (2007), pp. 248–272, 545
  27. ^ a b Bevan, Chris (11 November 2007). "Davis hopeful over Burnley post". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  28. ^ "Burnley appoint Brian Laws as new manager". BBC Sport. 13 January 2010. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  29. ^ "Terry Pashley has not considered Burnley manager's job". BBC Sport. 18 October 2012. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  30. ^ Simpson (2007), pp. 272–284, 545–546
  31. ^ a b Simpson (2007), pp. 284–286, 545–546
  32. ^ Simpson (2007), pp. 332–358, 505–506, 548–549
  33. ^ Simpson (2007), pp. 357–362, 506, 550
  34. ^ a b c Simpson (2007), pp. 372–386, 400–410, 507–508, 550–551
  35. ^ a b c Simpson (2007), pp. 384–388, 408–422, 507–509, 551–552
  36. ^ Simpson (2007), pp. 388–392, 507, 552–553
  37. ^ Simpson (2007), pp. 392–396, 507, 553–554
  38. ^ Simpson (2007), pp. 396–398, 508, 554
  39. ^ Simpson (2007), pp. 396–400, 508, 554–555
  40. ^ Simpson (2007), pp. 420–438, 509, 555–556
  41. ^ Simpson (2007), pp. 436–438
  42. ^ Simpson (2007), pp. 436–442, 510, 556–557
  43. ^ Simpson (2007), pp. 444–448, 510, 557–558
  44. ^ Simpson (2007), pp. 448–470, 510, 558–559
  45. ^ Simpson (2007), pp. 472–482, 511, 559
  46. ^ "Steve Cotterill". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Archived from the original on 21 November 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  47. ^ "Steve Davis". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  48. ^ Fletcher, Paul (25 May 2009). "Burnley 1–0 Sheff Utd". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 22 November 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  49. ^ "Owen Coyle". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Archived from the original on 13 June 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  50. ^ "Brian Laws". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  51. ^ Boden, Chris (17 January 2014). "Former Burnley coach Stuart Gray is back with hope of Owls job". Burnley Express. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  52. ^ "Stuart Gray". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Archived from the original on 13 June 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  53. ^ "Eddie Howe". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  54. ^ "Burnley: Sean Dyche named as new manager at Turf Moor". BBC Sport. 30 October 2012. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  55. ^ "Terry Pashley". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Archived from the original on 13 June 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  56. ^ "Sean Dyche's five years at Burnley". Sky Sports. 30 October 2017. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  57. ^ "Sean Dyche". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  58. ^ "Burnley sack manager Sean Dyche with eight games left of Premier League season". BBC Sport. 15 April 2022. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  59. ^ "Michael Jackson". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Archived from the original on 19 October 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  60. ^ "Vincent Kompany". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Archived from the original on 27 August 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  61. ^ "Burnley 3–0 Cardiff City". BBC Sport. 8 May 2023. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  62. ^ Jones, Andy; Rutzler, Peter (22 July 2024). "What to expect from Scott Parker's Burnley as they plot immediate return to Premier League". The Athletic. Retrieved 22 July 2024. One important detail is that Burnley have appointed a head coach rather than a manager. Kompany was unique, holding a lot of power and involving himself in all football and non-football matters. There is little difference between the titles in modern football but the slightly altered strategy will see Parker focusing his attention just on football matters, while maintaining a key influence in recruitment.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  63. ^ "Scott Parker". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  64. ^ "'We've done remarkably this year' – Parker on Burnley promotion". BBC Sport. 3 May 2025. Archived from the original on 3 May 2025. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
General
  • Quelch, Tim (2017). From Orient to the Emirates: The Plucky Rise of Burnley FC. Pitch Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1785313127.
  • Simpson, Ray (2007). The Clarets Chronicles: The Definitive History of Burnley Football Club 1882-2007. Burnley F.C. ISBN 978-0955746802.