Previous Managers
A chronological list of all Coventry City managers (and caretakers) since the club formed in 1883...
William Stanley
1883-1885
Little is known of Coventry City's first manager, although he was recently identified as the club's original founder, organising a team made up of employees from the city's Singers bicycle factory in 1883.
He was also at the centre of a momentous meeting at the Aylesford Inn in October the same year where the club formed in a more official capacity.
As a player, Stanley was a centre-forward and acted as the Sky Blues' secretary for two years, arranged fixture lists and successfully applied for membership of the Warwickshire Football Association.
JG Morgan
1887-1893
A century ago in Coventry, JG Morgan was an instantly recognisable local celebrity. He became club secretary in 1887, the first non-player in that role, and the first figure from this time who most closely resembled the modern notion of a manager.
Under Morgan, the club totally transformed. From an insignificant works side, playing on an open field in front of a handful of friends, it became on of the most famous junior sides in the Midlands, playing in their Stoke Road enclosure before crowds of several thousand.
JG retired in 1892, by which time Singers had achieved everything possible at their level. He died in 1935.
Frank Scott-Walford
1914-1915
Frank Scott-Walford was manager of City for only one season, the 1914-15 campaign.
After completing an amateur playing career, his first managerial post came at Brighton, whom he joined in March 1905. He moved to Leeds City in 1908 but enjoyed little success.
With the World at war, he took over at Coventry City, who had dropped into the second division of the Southern League, and was mainly involved in simply finding 11 players and just keeping the club going.
The season was a financial disaster and when business was wound up, the club accounts revealed Frank was still owed £100 in unpaid wages.
William Clayton
January 1917 - October 1919
Little is know of William Clayton, except he had previously held a part-time appointment with Birmingham and came to Highfield Road with excellent references.
During the war he worked for City on a part-time basis but was an influential figure in getting the club into the Midland section of the Football League in 1918 and became full-time manager during that season.
But the Sky Blues struggled during their first season in league football and Clayton resigned.
Albert Evans
June 1920 - November 1924
Born in Coventry in 1874, Albert Evans was the City manager from 1920 until his resignation in 1924.
Following a distinguished playing career with Aston Villa, West Brom and County Durham, he kept the club in the football league on a shoestring budget during his spell in charge.
James Kerr
July 1925 - February 1928
Kerr's reign presided over three of the most dismal seasons in Coventry City's history.
Indeed, he arrived at a bad time - City had just been relegated to the Third Division North and the club's more senior player were known to be upset at the departure of Albert Evans.
He replaced many of Evans' stars with players from his native Scotland but endured little success.
Dismissed in February 1928, he later managed Walsall and won the Third Division South championship with Norwich in 1934.
However, he didn't live to enjoy his triumph as he died of bronchial pneumonia in February of that year.
James McIntyre
June 1928 - February 1931
Born in Walsall in 1881, James first came to Coventry City as a player in 1905, where he scored hat-tricks in his second and third games for the club.
He enjoyed a successful career and became manager of Southampton in 1919, guiding the Saints into the new Third Division and then to promotion to Division Two in 1922.
He retired in 1924 to run a hotel in Edinburgh, but returned to management with City. His presence was quickly felt as the club ended 1928-29 season in its best ever league position.
But after a long-running dispute with the board over the sale of several star players, McIntyre was sacked in February 1931.
Harry Storer
June 1931 - June 1945 / November 1948 - November 1953
When the Coventry City manager's job became vacant in early 1931, Harry Storer was still a regular in Burnley's First Division team, but at the age of 33 his long playing career was drawing to a close.
After an impressive interview he was immediately offered the post. He guided the Sky Blues into the Second Division for the first time in their history and his players had nothing but respect for his style of management.
Stories of his antics were legion in the game, for Storer the dressing-room was essentially a 'barracks' where a constant vigil had to be kept for 'skivers' and cissies'. Although he was very tactically aware, his style was build around his sergeant major-like figure.
He surprisingly left Highfield Road in 1945, suggesting he had achieved as much as he could at the club, and joined Birmingham City, whom he guided into the First Division.
But the lure of Coventry City was too strong for Storer as he returned in November 1948.
His magic worked in the short-term, but in a longer scale he struggled to push the club on despite spending heavily in the transfer market and he resigned in 1953 - a sad way to depart after 20 years sterling service. He died in May 1967.
Dick Bayliss
June 1945 - April 1947
Dick Bayliss, Harry Storer's chief scout and right-hand-man at Highfield Road since 1931, was the unanimous choice to take over when Storer left to join Birmingham City in June 1945.
A native of Alfreton in Derbyshire, he had a fairly undistinguished career as a player, making a handful of appearances for Luton, Mansfield and Southend in the late 1920's.
As a scout, though, he was considered an excellent judge of a player and concentrated heavily on bringing young players through from the reserves and colts.
His spell in charge arrived at a difficult time because of the end of the war and he struggled to manoeuvre in the transfer market.
Universally popular with the playing staff, a number of whom maintained a vigil at his bedside during the last weeks of his life, Bayliss never really had time to develop his own team but he undoubtedly laid down the foundations for a successful post-war period by developing the youth squad.
Billy Frith
June 1947 - November 1948 / September 1957 - December 1961
When Billy Frith returned to Highfield Road in 1946/47, in time to play a few games in that first post-war season, he had endured a rough introduction to management as player boss of Port Vale.
He came back as assistant to Dick Bayliss and when Bayliss died in April 1947, he was the obvious choice to replace him.
He quickly got into his stride, assembling a useful squad which finished halfway up the Second Division, but things started to go downhill after that and he was sacked, to be replaced by his old mentor, Harry Storer.
Following spells at Rugby Town and Stafford Rangers, he rejoined the club as a coach and was once again appointed manager in September 1957.
He was unable to get City into the newly-formed Third Division, but with a few astute signings and some promising youngsters, he was able to construct a team that climbed out of Division Four at the first attempted and almost made it into the Second Division before running out of steam at the end of the next season.
But things went downhill after that and, in December 1961 he was sacked by chairman Derrick Robins.
Jack Fairbrother
January 1954 - October 1954
Jack's Faithbrother's appointment was another short-lived one during a storm post-war era at Highfield Road.
Following a successful career with Preston and Newcastle, he took his first step into management with Peterborough and a successful spell at London Road meant the young manager had all the right credentials for Coventry City.
But his stay was dogged by ill fortune - within six weeks of his arrival, he became a widower with two young children.
But he built a decent side labelled 'the team that Jack built' and sat on top of the Third Division at the start of the season.
Things started to go wrong, though, and with injuries, enforced sales and general acrimony in the air, he resigned just nine months into the job, stating 'personal reasons' behind his departure.
Charlie Elliott
October 1954 - April 1955
Elliott was a versatile 19 year old soccer player, he had previously been on the books of Sheffield Wednesday but had failed to make a single first team appearance for the owls. Over the next 16 seasons it was going to be the same story at Highfield road. With his appearances mainly depending on other players injuries.
one opportunity came when George Mann was injured. And Elliott came in to centre half and played a couple of 'blinders' as city won the third division south championship.
After a spell in the navy, Elliott returned to Coventry in 1945 and continued to play to his retirement in 1948.
After a spell out of the game he then returned as Coventry chief scoutin the early 1950's and when jack fairbrother resigned in 1954 the Coventry bored appointed Elliott as the clubs caretaker manager.
Jesse Carver
June 1955 - December 1955
Coventry City had suprised the football world when they announced that they had secured the services of of Jesse Carver as the team's manager
In the 1930's Carver was known as a forcefully wing-half for Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United, and Bury after a spell as Huddersfield Town coach he moved to Holland and then to Italy.
No-one quite knows why Carver picked Coventry City over his native land but his name hit the headlines again and again.
But Carver soon realised he made a mistake and wanted to be released from his contract to the city, even before the season had started. Carver was then re-assigned to manager of Lazio.
That wasn't his last visit to England as he returned to the country for a coaching job with Tottenham Hotspur. He failed again and moved on to the US, only to return to the UK to retire in the late 60's.
George Raynor
January 1956 - June 1956
Having a reputation of the most successful coaches in Europe to date, Raynor played for such teams as Sheffield United and Rotherham, he never seemed to reach the potential he wanted.
After having held high level physical training appointments in the war, Raynor then coached the Sweden national squad who won the Olympic Games in 1948 and reached the world cup in 1950.
Once Carver returned to Italy, Raynor was the man the city needed most, but the Swedish FA were keeping involved, especially when the City appointed Harry Warren as manager pushing Raynor to coach and from then on his position and future with the club was in doubt.
Harry Warren
June 1956 - September 1957
Perhaps a strange choice as a manager some would say, but Warren, former Exeter City player, had been manager at Southend United since 1940. His move to Coventry is said to have been the worst move he made in his life.
Not earning much respect from the players at Highfield Road, the players Morale dropped and after the New Year attendances at the City dropped and critics of the club just couldn't stop bad mouthing the club, this came from not only the Press but from Shareholders of the club - Warren was sacked in September 1957.
Jimmy Hill
December 1961 - May 1967
The most spectacular and momentous period in City history only to be looked back on now as the "Sky Blue Era" It was all down to one man and his passion for the game. Jimmy Hill. Earning himself titles that consist of Manager, Chairman and Director of Highfield road.
Hill became more powerful and respected throughout the club, and Hill was never afraid to make at the time, unpopular decisions.
He then unexpectedly, resigned at what was thought as the peak of his time and was a bombshell to both fans and fellow colleagues and he made national headlines with his exit.
Supporters can look back on Hill and say he transformed the club and when he returned as manager in 1975, Hill failed to keep the books and financial side of the club up to the standards he wanted and his new ideas turned quickly into disasters for the city. He resigned not long after.
Noel Cantwell
October 1967 - March 1972
Of course, the next manager in line after Hill would have to live up to his standards and impress the fans with his ideas and enthusiasm.
As a teenager Cantwell played for Cork Athletic before arriving in England in 1952.
He was well known for his coaching for United as he took them to victory in the FA Cup in 1963 and played a large part of the regeneration of the Reds' throughout the 60's.
As he landed the job at City, Cantwell developed a "meaner streak" and the defeats the city were getting just kept putting pressure onto the former United manager. After another cup defeat in 1972, he was sacked and took another managing job at Peterborough United and manager there until 1989.
Bob Dennison
March 1972 - May 1972
Making clear he didn't want the position of manager for long, Dennison lost the city a few first games but then won seven points to get First division safety.He bought many talented players to Coventry City. Blair, Hateley and Thomas just a few. Dennison was told to leave before his contract finished in 1963, but Dennison won a lump sum of money for "unfair dismissal".
Dennison then went to work for Southern League Hereford United in 1963 before being back at the club in 1967. He then decided to retire in 1978.
Joe Mercer OBE
June 1972- July 1975
Becoming general manager in June 1972, Mercer was one of the most popular sports personalities and had helped Arsenal to two league championships.
After being voted Footballer of the year In 1950 he ended his playing career with a broken leg in 1954 and moved into the management side of football.
He started with Sheffield United then to Villa, but again due to his bad health he had to resign.
He returned to the scene in 1965 managing Manchester City and then joined the club in 1972 wanting put a smile back onto the face of English football.
He was made director of Coventry City and retired in 1981.
Gordon Milne
June 1972 - May 1981
Milne was the son of famous Preston player and manager Jimmy Milne. Milne played over 250 games and won two league Championships. Milne became part time manager in 1972 for the England Youth Team.
In 1982 he was released to become manager of Leicester City but left a year later after relegation.
Whilst at Coventry, Milne showed great skill in the transfer market in a generally difficult period. The 1977-8 team was recorded as one of the best but they still failed to fulfil their potential.
This obvious under achievement caused complaints and unlike other managers - he did have the time.
Dave Sexton
May 1981 - May 1983
After just being sacked by Manchester United, Sexton was sacked by the new chairman in 1983 for disagreement over sales; his exit was not liked by the players.
In his time at the City he was never given the ability to spend as much as past managers did.
The highlight of Sexton's stay was the winning of 14 games.
While at Coventry he managed the England Under 21 to victory in Europe. He was described as a modest man, who was not really suited for the role of manager and let the team do the talking on the pitch.
Bobby Gould
May 1983 - December 1984
Having coached at Chelsea and managing Bristol Gould returned to Highfield Road in 1983 and had the job of rebuilding the team from scratch.The majority of which came from lower divisions and by December they were 4th in the table.
The following season, despite the new signings didn't go to plan and dreadful league results kept popping up. Gould was sacked and replaced by his assistant Donald Mackay.
But his experience at the club did no harm and he went back to Bristol Rvers in 1985.
Donald Mackay
December 1984 - April 1986
The assistant of Gould, Mackay had little to lose and the City were in desperate trouble. In his first week he won two vital league games and the rest of the season was and uphill struggle. But Mackay inspired the team to persist and win the last three games which gave Mackay a three year contract with the club.
High hopes were held by fans for the following season but Mackay's tactics were never clever and to add to the pressure the teams' finances weren't up to scratch. But after losing to Anfield, the next day Mackay resigned.
His high spirit and strong characters did win him friends, after leaving Highfield Road, he coached at Ibrox and then became a manager at Blackburn Rovers.
George Curtis
April 1986 - May 1987
Making his name as a stalwart throughout the 50's and 60's, Curtis had already make a name for himself and was warmly welcomed back to the club after a small time job with Aston Villa. Curtis returned to work in the commercial department and became managing director finally.
The following season was perhaps the most successful in the clubs' history when the FA cup was won.
Curtis stepped back when Sillett was appointed team manager.
John Sillett
May 1987 - November 1990
Making his name during the reign of Jimmy Hill as a player, Sillet played a large part in the Sky Blue revolution.
He coached also for six years at Bristol City before landing the job of Manager of Hereford United in 1974 and won the Third Division Manger of the Year award for 1975-6.
Mackay re-employed him and Sillett became chief coach in May 1986, when Mackay resigned.
John Sillett was rewarded for the teams wins with promotion to team manager.
After commenting he didn't wish to continue with his contract, setting high standards with the cup wins, these were now rarely lived up to.
In June 1991, the public was informed that he would be returning to Hereford United as manager.
Terry Butcher
November 1990 - January 1992
Butcher became the youngest manager that the city had ever seen when he was appointed in November 1990.
The former England captain was a major influence in the resurgence of Glasgow Rangers and played over 300 games for Ipswich Town in his past.
Spotted at Ipswich, Butcher was an excellent ambassador of the pitch but was an extremely competitive defender. Injury after injury, Butcher needed two blood transfusions but after recovering he returned to play a key role in the 1982 World Cup.
It was certainly a gamble for City to take on an inexperienced manager and only time would tell if it was the right move to take. He started to make hard decisions such as the selling of Speedie and Livingstone and released the ever popular, but ageing, Cyrille Regis.
Don Howe
January 1992 - June 1992
After Butcher's relatively short stint, Don Howe was assigned to the job.
A highly respected coach and manager having done decent jobs at both West Brom and Arsenal, Howe introduced young players like Tony Adams, David Rocastle and Niall Quinn to the team.
He also enjoyed a two-year spell at Queens Parks Rangers, his home before the role of caretaker manager at Coventry City in 1992.
Half a season in charge saw City flirt with relegation and his record read three wins, eight draws and nine defeats.
He would later return to coach England under Terry Venables during the mid-1990s, including Euro 96.
Bobby Gould
June 1992 - October 1993
Bobby Gould reprised his role as City boss for just a year in 1992.
And this time, the former fans' favourite as a player made a greater impact on the managerial scene as he steered the Sky Blues clear of relegation for another season.
However, midway through his second season in the hotseat Gould resigned and later became Welsh national coach before short spells with Cardiff and Cheltenham.
Phil Neal
October 1993 - February 1995
Bobby Gould was replaced by former Liverpool player Phil Neal, who built a team capable of playing some attractive football.
During his spell in charge Neal secured an 11th place finish and will go down as the man who signed Dion Dublin before being sacked in February 1995, with Coventry battling relegation for the first time in three years.
Ron Atkinson
February 1995 - November 1996
A man who needed little introduction, 'Big Ron' Atkinson took over at Highfield Road and immediately steered the club away from relegation trouble.
Having achieved great managerial success with West Bromwich Albion, Manchester United, Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa, he moved quickly to draft in Leeds United midfielder Gordon Strachan as his assistant as well as signing Villa midfielder Kevin Richardson as club captain.
Soon after, Zimbabwean wing wizard Peter Ndlovu became the first visiting player in 33 years to score a hat-trick against Liverpool at Anfield.
Atkinson steered Coventry to Premiership survival in 1995 and 1996 before he became Director of Football in November 1996 and Strachan took over as manager.
Gordon Strachan
November 1995 - September 2001
As he started his career at Dundee, where he was the youngest ever captain, Gordon Strachan's passion for football was there for all to see.
When 'Big Ron' became Coventry City's Director of Football in November 1996, Strachan - his assistant - was promoted to the manager's seat.
The former Scotland international star picked up with the club hovering perilously close to the relegation zone, but a superb last gasp effort saw the Sky Blues defeat Tottenham 2-1 at White Hart Lane on the final day of the season to stay up by a single point.
He then led the club to three successive mid-table finishes before a desperate battle against relegation ended in vain in 2000/01 after a 34-year stay in the top-flight.
He departed the club after a poor start to the 2001-02 Division One campaign.
Roland Nilsson
September 2001 - April 2002
The experienced Swede, a fans favourite during his time as a player at the club, was appointed Strachan's short-term successor on a player-caretaker basis.
Despite having no managerial experience, following a number of wins in his caretaker role, Nilsson was given the manager's job on a permanent basis shortly after.
However, his side failed to live up to their early promise and the team were dogged by inconsistency for most of the season.
And as supporters became frustrated, Nilsson announced his retirement from playing in order to focus on managing the club, but left just before the end of the season.
He later worked as a youth team coach at his former club Helsingborg before becoming manager of GAIS in 2002.
Gary McAllister
April 2002 - December 2003
A hugely talented midfielder, Gary McAllister took his first step into management with the Sky Blues after helping Liverpool win a cup treble in 2002.
Having played out the tail-end of his career at Highfield Road, McAllister's appointment was met with great enthusiasm.
Having built a young side, City under McAllister featured a much more attractive style of football seen since relegation from the Premiership and his side stood a good chance of making the Division One play-offs.
However, they won only one league game after the turn of 2003 and finished 20th in the final table - just two places above the relegation zone.
Their form in 2003-04 fared slightly better but McAllister left halfway through the season to spend time with his seriously ill wife.
Eric Black
December 2003 - May 2004
McAllister's assistant, Eric Black took charge and kept the club well clear of the drop zone and some exciting, high scoring games had looked set to earn the Scot the job on a permanent basis.
However, he was replaced by Peter Reid in what proved to be an unpopular decision amongst the Sky Blues faithful.
Black has since assisted Steve Bruce at Birmingham.
Peter Reid
June 2004 - January 2005
A former England international who had previously established Sunderland as a Premier League outfit, Reid arrived in controversial fashion in June 2004.
City struggled under his stewardship, winning 10, drawing eight and losing 13 during his seven months in charge.
With the club looming around the relegation zone, he left the club by mutual consent in January 2005 club's board replaced Reid with former Leicester City manager Micky Adams.
Micky Adams
January 2005 - January 2007
Adams helped the Sky Blues stay clear of the Championship drop zone in their final season at Highfield Road before relocating to the Ricoh Arena.
As an ex-Coventry player from 1983 to 1987, the former Leicester City boss was a popular choice with fans as he had a genuine fondness for the club and preferred a more technical approach to playing than his predecessor.
In the 2005-06 season, a fantastic end to the campaign saw the Sky Blues finish a respectable 8th in the Championship (missing out on the Premiership play-offs by only two league places), which represented good progress from the previous season's narrow escape from relegation.
However, a disappointing start to the 2006/07 season brought an end to his two-year reign following an FA Cup defeat at the hands of Bristol City in January 2007.
Iain Dowie
February 2007 - February 2008
Iain Dowie quickly established a reputation as one of the brightest young managers in the English game and was unveiled as Coventry City's new manager on Monday, February 19, 2007, succeding Micky Adams in the Sky Blues' hot-seat.
After impressing during his first managerial post at Oldham and proceeding to guide Crystal Palace into the Premier League in his first six months in charge at Selhurst Park, Dowie spent an unsuccessful spell at Charlton before joining City.
A former striker for Palace, Southampton and West Ham, he made an immediate impact at the Ricoh Arena, winning four and drawing two of his first six matches in charge to steer the club away from any relegation trouble.
After several summer recruits, most of whom were free transfers, City began the 2007/08 campaign in style with a 4-1 win at Barnsley and they topped the table at the beginning of September.
Dowie also guided the Sky Blues to an unforgettable 2-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Carling Cup while superb away victories at Stoke and West Brom kept up a hopeful play-off challenge.
However, he was relieved of his duties along with assistant Tim Flowers and chief scout Bob Dowie, his elder brother, on Monday February 11, leaving the club 19th in the Championship table.
