Birmingham City Football Club, an English professionalfootball club based in the city ofBirmingham, was founded in 1875. When league football began, the first team – then playing under the name Small Heath – competed in theFootball Alliance before being elected to the newly formedSecond Division of theFootball League in 1892.[1] At that point, club secretaryAlf Jones – its first paid official – assumed some of what are now seen as managerial responsibilities.
There have been 44 full-time managers:[a] the most recent appointee,Chris Davies, joined in June 2024.Bob McRoberts was appointed in 1911 as Birmingham's first manager whose role did not include secretarial duties.George Liddell has had the longest tenure, of six years and two months (267 matches) in the 1930s, whileTrevor Francis has managed the team for most matches: 290 over five years and five months between 1996 and 2001. All three formerly played for the club. UnderArthur Turner, Birmingham won the1954–55 Second Division title, followed up with what remains the team's highest league finish, sixth place in the1955–56 First Division, and reached the1956 FA Cup Final.Gil Merrick in1963 andAlex McLeish in2011 oversawLeague Cup wins andBarry Fry led his team to a "double" ofthird-tier title andFootball League Trophy in 1994–95.
All managers who have taken charge of at least one competitive match are listed below. Each manager's entry includes his dates of tenure and the club's overall competitive record (in terms of matches won, drawn and lost), honours won and significant achievements while under his care. Caretaker managers are also included, where known, as well as those who have been in permanent charge.
In the early days, team management was undertaken by a club committee. When payment of players was legalised in 1885,Alf Jones began to act as club secretary on a voluntary basis. Small Heath's election to the newly formedSecond Division ofthe Football League in 1892 prompted theboard of directors to appoint him as the club's first paid official, responsible as secretary-manager for matters on the field in addition to his administrative duties. In his first season the club won the inaugural Second Division championship, and gainedpromotion to theFirst Division for the first time the following year via theTest Match system. Jones's 16-year tenure saw three promotions and three relegations, after the last of which in 1908 he resigned.[2][1] The second ofAlex Watson's three seasons in charge ended with the club having to apply forre-election to the league, and in 1911, responsibility for team affairs passed to former playerBob McRoberts, who became the club's first dedicated team manager.[b]
Frank Richards succeeded Watson as club secretary in 1911, and when the First World War broke out he took over the managerial reins as well. Under Richards Birmingham won the Second Division title in 1921 and signed players such asJoe Bradford,Johnny Crosbie andDan Tremelling who did much to keep the club in the top flight through the 1920s. He also forgot to enter them in the 1922FA Cup.[3][4]Billy Beer[5] andBill Harvey[6] kept them in the First Division, albeit in the lower half of the table, before formerArsenal managerLeslie Knighton took charge in 1928. He led them to their first FA Cup final in1931 and a top-half league finish the following year, but left whenChelsea made him an offer Birmingham were unable to match.[7] Former BirminghamdefenderGeorge Liddell kept them in the top tier until they were relegated in the last season completed before the Second World War, resigning in September 1939 when league football was suspended. His tenure of just over six years made him the club's longest-serving team manager.[8]
Harry Storer, appointed just before the war ended, won the championship of the1945–46Football League South wartime league and the Second Division title two years later.[9] UnderBob Brocklebank Birmingham were relegated from the First Division, but they reached the semifinal of the 1951 FA Cup and Brocklebank signed many of the players moulded byArthur Turner into a successful team.[10] Turner won promotion in 1955, the next season led the team to their highest league finish of sixth place and theirsecond FA Cup final,[11] and in 1957 reached the semifinals of both the FA Cup and the inauguralInter-Cities Fairs Cup competition.[12] In 1958 the club's experimental joint appointment, which gave new arrivalPat Beasley dual authority over playing matters while reducing Turner's responsibility for administrative matters, prompted Turner's resignation after seven months. Beasley himself quit when the club decided on a further restructure.[c] He and successorGil Merrick took the team to successive finals of the Fairs Cup in1960 and1961. Merrick managed them to their first major trophy, beating local rivalsAston Villa 3–1on aggregate in the1963 League Cup Final, but after four years of fighting relegation, the board asked for his resignation.[13][14]
Joe Mallett presided over relegation before acting as assistant toStan Cullis,[15] who laid the foundations for the team's future success before retiring from football in 1970.[16] Chosen only after abortive approaches were made toDon Revie,Brian Clough andRonnie Allen,[17]Freddie Goodwin converted the attractive but inconsistent football of Cullis's teams to a skilful, aggressive game capable of winning promotion and maintaining top-flight status.[18] The British-record sale of goalscorerBob Latchford toEverton was partially mitigated by the arrival ofHoward Kendall and emergence ofTrevor Francis,[19][20] but the team struggled. Goodwin survived a vote of confidence in April 1975,[21] but was sacked in September after his reaction to a training-ground incident provokedKenny Burns into a transfer request. First-team coachWillie Bell, initially appointed as acting manager,[22][23] achieved little in two years,[24] and was replaced by club director SirAlf Ramsey, whose brief managerial tenure ended with him leaving the club entirely.[d]Jim Smith brought experienced players to the club[27] but was sacked to make way forRon Saunders, who had just walked out on league champions and local rivals Aston Villa.[e]
Financial difficulties and instability at board level led to six managerial changes in seven years. Saunders resigned after FA Cup defeat to non-leagueAltrincham,[28]John Bond seemed out of touch,[29] and in April 1989, once relegation to theThird Division for the first time in the club's history was confirmed, the club's new owners replacedGarry Pendrey withDave Mackay.[30] Within 18 months, with relegation to theFourth Division a possibility, Mackay resigned.[31]Lou Macari came in, revitalised the side, won theFootball League Trophy atWembley, and three weeks later walked out to joinStoke City.[32]Terry Cooper won promotion back to the second tier and kept the team going during four months ofadministration before he quit, fearing new ownerDavid Sullivan would want to bring in his own man.[33]
Southend United managerBarry Fry, hired at the cost of a record fine for "poaching",[34] failed to avoid relegation but combined the Division Two title with another victorious trip to Wembley in theFootball League Trophy in 1995. After one ineffectual season in the second tier which brought his total of players used up to 61, he was sacked.[35]Trevor Francis introducedPremier League players to the team and took them to the2001 League Cup final, but three successiveplay-off semifinal defeats led to his departure by mutual consent.[36] Two months later, after the dispute over his release from previous employersCrystal Palace reached theHigh Court,Steve Bruce took charge.[37] Bruce, the ninth former player to have served as permanent manager, led the club to promotion via the play-offs in his first season; his tenure of nearly six years made him the club's longest-serving post-war manager.[38] After uncertainty surrounding a takeover bid for the club led him to accept the managerial post atWigan Athletic,[39] formerScotland managerAlex McLeish was appointed in November 2007.[40]
Unable to avoid relegation at the end of his first part-season, McLeish led the team back to the Premier League at the first attempt in 2009,[41] then guided them to a 12-game unbeaten run, a club record in the top division,[42] and a ninth-place finish, their best since 1959.[43] In 2010–11, his Birmingham team beat Arsenal in theLeague Cup Final to win their first major trophy in 48 years, but he could not keep them in the top flight, and resigned to take over at Aston Villa.[44]Chris Hughton's teamnarrowly failed to qualify for theEuropa League knockout phase and reached the play-off semi-finals,[45] but with the club in financial turmoil and under a transfer embargo, he left for Premier LeagueNorwich City.[46]Lee Clark led Birmingham to a mid-table finish in his first season, but escaped relegation to the third tier ongoal difference viaPaul Caddis's stoppage-time equaliser atBolton Wanderers in the last match of 2013–14. Continuing poor form, with only one home league win in more than a year, brought Clark's dismissal in October 2014.[47][48][49]Burton Albion manager and former Birmingham City playerGary Rowett achieved two tenth-place finishes before – with the team just outside the play-off positions, and to widespread surprise – the club's new owners sacked him and his staff and within hours appointed formerItalian international playerGianfranco Zola,[50] thus beginning a cycle of apparently ill-thought-out managerial changes.[51]
After four months and 24 matches, during which the team won just twice and dropped to 20th place, three points outside the relegation zone with three matches remaining, Zola resigned.[52]Harry Redknapp kept the team in the Championship, and signed a 12-month contract, but six consecutive losses in the first eight games of 2017–18 season brought about his dismissal.[53] His former assistantSteve Cotterill's six straight defeats came five months later.[54][55]Garry Monk kept the team out of the relegation places, repeated the feat in 2018–19 despite transfer restrictions and a nine-point deduction for failure to comply with the league's spending rules, and was popular with the fans, but he was sacked after disputes with the ownership over transfer strategy and style of play.[56] His assistant,Pep Clotet, spent five months as caretaker head coach before being appointed on a permanent basis.[f] Before football resumed after theCOVID-19-related hiatus, the club announced that he would leave at the end of the season;[57] the team's form plummeted, Clotet left early, they narrowly avoided relegation, and the BBC's West Midlands correspondent opined that the next appointment was "a decision [the board] cannot afford to get wrong if they are to steer clear of further turmoil and confusion."[58]Aitor Karanka lasted six months of a 2020–21 season playedbehind closed doors before stepping down in favour ofLee Bowyer, who resigned as manager ofCharlton Athletic to convert a Birmingham team "hopelessly out of form" into one that went six games unbeaten to secure safety with two matches remaining.[59][60][61] At the end of yet another relegation-threatened season, Bowyer was replaced byJohn Eustace,[62] who stabilised the team and avoided relegation against a background of two high-profile failed takeovers followed by a successful change of ownership.[63][64]
Two months into the2023–24 season, with the team in the play-off places, in a move with echoes of Rowett's replacement by Zola, the American owners sacked Eustace, citing "the importance of implementing a winning mentality and a culture of ambition".[64] Former England international player and Derby County andD.C. United managerWayne Rooney's 9 defeats in 15 games took Birmingham down to 20th place and set a new club record for shortest tenure, of 83 days.[65][66]Tony Mowbray was appointed in January 2024,[67] but six weeks later medical issues forced his temporary withdrawal from the role. Results were so poor under his assistant,Mark Venus,[68] that the club rehired Gary Rowett as interim manager until the end of the season,[69] but the team were unable to avoid relegation.[70] Mowbray resigned soon afterwards on health grounds,[71] and was replaced byChris Davies, previously assistant head coach atTottenham Hotspur, in his first managerial role.[72]
All first-team matches in national or international competition are counted, except for those inThe Combination of 1888–89, the abandoned1939–40 Football League season and those in wartime leagues and cups. Statistics for theFootball Alliance and for theFA Cup before Small Heath F.C.'s 1892 election to theFootball League are sourced fromMatthews (1995).[73] Dates and statistics thereafter until the end of the 2023–24 season are sourced from theEnglish National Football Archive.[74] Discrepancies are noted and sourced within the table.
Win percentage isrounded to one decimal place.
Statistics are complete up to and including the match played on 3 May 2025.
Key
M: Matches playedW: Matches wonD: Matches drawnL: Matches lost
| Name | Nationality | From | To | M | W | D | L | Win% | Honours and achievements[75] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Committee | 17 October 1881[g] | 1 June 1892 | 100 | 46 | 15 | 39 | 046.0 | |||
| Alf JonesS | English | 1 July 1892 | 1 June 1908 | 566 | 260 | 108 | 198 | 045.9 |
| |
| Alex WatsonS | English | 1 July 1908 | 20 June 1911 | 118 | 34 | 25 | 59 | 028.8 | [b] | |
| Bob McRobertsP | Scottish | 20 June 1911 | 30 May 1915 | 163 | 65 | 38 | 60 | 039.9 | [b] | |
| Frank RichardsS | English | 30 May 1915 | 31 May 1923 | 173 | 78 | 36 | 59 | 045.1 | Second Division championship1920–21 | |
| Billy BeerP | English | 31 May 1923 | 1 March 1927 | 163 | 62 | 36 | 65 | 038.0 | ||
| Bill HarveyP | English | 1 March 1927 | 31 May 1928 | 58 | 20 | 16 | 22 | 034.5 | ||
| Leslie KnightonS | English | 1 July 1928 | 8 May 1933[h] | 229 | 87 | 51 | 91 | 038.0 | FA Cup runner-up1930–31 | |
| George LiddellP | English | 1 July 1933 | 30 September 1939 | 267 | 82 | 76 | 109 | 030.7 | [i] | |
| Bill CamkinSW | English | October 1939[15] | 16 August 1943[84] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— | [j] | |
| Ted GoodierW | English | 16 August 1943[84] | 28 October 1943[87] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— | [j] | |
| Bill CamkinSW | English | 28 October 1943[87] | 31 May 1945 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— | [j] | |
| Harry Storer | English | 1 June 1945 | 29 November 1948 | 118 | 60 | 30 | 28 | 050.8 |
| |
| Walter Taylor † | 30 November 1948 | 31 January 1949 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 020.0 | [k] | ||
| Bob Brocklebank | English | 31 January 1949 | 7 October 1954 | 255 | 101 | 67 | 87 | 039.6 | [l] | |
| Committee † | 7 October 1954 | 16 November 1954 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 040.0 | [l] | ||
| Arthur TurnerP | English | 16 November 1954 | 4 February 1958 | 164 | 73 | 34 | 57 | 044.5 |
| [l][m][c] |
| 4 February 1958 | 4 September 1958 | 18 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 033.3 | [c] | ||
| Pat Beasley | English | 4 September 1958 | 23 May 1960 | 95 | 39 | 20 | 36 | 041.1 | Inter-Cities Fairs Cup runner-up1958–60 | [c][m] |
| Gil MerrickP | English | 1 June 1960 | 28 April 1964[14] | 202 | 64 | 46 | 92 | 031.7 |
| |
| Joe Mallett | English | 1 July 1964 | 27 December 1965 | 66 | 15 | 16 | 35 | 022.7 | ||
| Stan Cullis | English | 27 December 1965 | 18 March 1970 | 214 | 87 | 51 | 76 | 040.7 | ||
| 18 March 1970 | 29 May 1970 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 016.7 | |||
| Freddie Goodwin | English | 29 May 1970 | 18 September 1975 | 270 | 99 | 84 | 87 | 036.7 | Second Division promotion1971–72 | |
| Willie Bell | Scottish | 18 September 1975 | 5 September 1977 | 91 | 28 | 20 | 43 | 030.8 | ||
| Sir Alf Ramsey | English | 8 September 1977 | 6 March 1978 | 28 | 11 | 4 | 13 | 039.3 | ||
| Jim Smith | English | 12 March 1978 | 15 February 1982 | 182 | 59 | 50 | 73 | 032.4 | Second Division promotion1979–80 | |
| Norman Bodell † | English | 15 February 1982 | 22 February 1982 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 050.0 | [e] | |
| Ron Saunders | English | 22 February 1982 | 16 January 1986 | 202 | 72 | 53 | 77 | 035.6 | Second Division promotion1984–85 | [e] |
| Keith Leonard † | English | 16 January 1986 | 22 January 1986 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 000.0 | ||
| John Bond | English | 23 January 1986 | 27 May 1987 | 65 | 17 | 20 | 28 | 026.2 | ||
| Garry PendreyP | English | 28 May 1987 | 26 April 1989 | 98 | 20 | 27 | 51 | 020.4 | ||
| Dave Mackay | Scottish | 26 April 1989 | 23 January 1991 | 91 | 34 | 27 | 30 | 037.4 | ||
| Bill Coldwell † | English | 23 January 1991 | 7 February 1991 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 066.7 | ||
| Lou Macari | Scottish | 7 February 1991 | 18 June 1991 | 24 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 050.0 | Associate Members' Cup1990–91 | |
| Terry Cooper | English | 9 August 1991 | 29 November 1993 | 135 | 48 | 36 | 51 | 035.6 | Third Division promotion1991–92 | |
| 29 November 1993 | 10 December 1993 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 000.0 | |||
| Barry Fry | English | 10 December 1993 | 7 May 1996 | 156 | 68 | 44 | 44 | 043.6 |
| |
| Trevor FrancisP | English | 10 May 1996 | 15 October 2001 | 290 | 139 | 70 | 81 | 047.9 | League Cup finalist2000–01 | |
| 15 October 2001 | 12 December 2001 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 041.7 | |||
| Steve BruceP | English | 12 December 2001 | 23 November 2007 | 269 | 100 | 69 | 100 | 037.2 |
| [n] |
| Eric Black † | Scottish | 23 November 2007 | 27 November 2007 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 000.0 | [n] | |
| Alex McLeish | Scottish | 28 November 2007 | 12 June 2011 | 168 | 62 | 51 | 55 | 036.9 |
| |
| Chris Hughton | Irish | 22 June 2011 | 7 June 2012 | 62 | 26 | 21 | 15 | 041.9 | ||
| Lee Clark | English | 26 June 2012 | 20 October 2014 | 116 | 33 | 35 | 48 | 028.4 | ||
|
| 20 October 2014 | 27 October 2014 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 000.0 | ||
| Gary RowettP | English | 27 October 2014 | 14 December 2016 | 106 | 42 | 32 | 32 | 039.6 | ||
| Gianfranco Zola | Italian | 14 December 2016 | 17 April 2017 | 24 | 2 | 8 | 14 | 008.3 | ||
| Harry Redknapp | English | 18 April 2017 | 16 September 2017[53] | 13 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 030.8 | ||
| Lee Carsley † | Irish | 16 September 2017[53] | 1 October 2017 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 033.3 | [o] | |
| Steve Cotterill | English | 2 October 2017 | 3 March 2018[55] | 27 | 7 | 5 | 15 | 025.9 | [o] | |
| Garry Monk | English | 5 March 2018 | 18 June 2019 | 59 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 032.2 | ||
| Pep Clotet | Spanish | 20 June 2019 | 8 July 2020 | 47 | 13 | 15 | 19 | 027.7 | [f] | |
| 9 July 2020 | 30 July 2020 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 000.0 | |||
| Aitor Karanka | Spanish | 31 July 2020 | 16 March 2021 | 38 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 021.1 | ||
| Lee BowyerP | English | 16 March 2021 | 2 July 2022 | 59 | 17 | 16 | 26 | 028.8 | ||
| John Eustace | English | 3 July 2022 | 9 October 2023 | 63 | 21 | 16 | 26 | 033.3 | ||
| Wayne Rooney | English | 11 October 2023 | 2 January 2024 | 15 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 013.3 | ||
| Steve Spooner † | English | 2 January 2024 | 8 January 2024 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 000.0 | ||
| Tony Mowbray | English | 8 January 2024 | 21 May 2024 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 050.0 | [p] | |
| Mark Venus † | English | 19 February 2024 | 19 March 2024 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 000.0 | [p] | |
| Gary Rowett † | English | 19 March 2024 | 5 May 2024 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 037.5 | [p] | |
| Chris Davies | Welsh | 6 June 2024 | present | 60 | 44 | 10 | 6 | 073.3 |
| [99][100] |
Today Walter Adams, secretary of the club said: 'Mr. Gil Merrick met the board this morning who notified him that changes and complete reorganisation of the club were to take place, and asked him to resign. To this Mr. Merrick agreed.'
Cotterill will formally take over on Monday, with Carsley, who has so far overseen a draw and a win in his two games in charge, remaining at the helm for Saturday's trip to Hull City.
Assistant Manager, Mark Venus, will assume temporary responsibility for the team with immediate effect.
It was announced yesterday that at his own request Mr. Leslie Knighton, secretary-manager of Birmingham F.C., will be released from his contract at the end of the present season in order to take over a similar position with Chelsea F.C. ... It is understood that Mr David Calderhead is to retire on a pension from the position of secretary-manager of Chelsea, having held the post for more than a quarter of a century.
Mr. Leslie Knighton, former manager of Birmingham, yesterday left the Midland club and took over his duties in a similar capacity with Chelsea, at Stamford Bridge.
Birmingham City's former centre half-back and captain was yesterday appointed manager of the club in succession to Mr. Bob Brocklebank, who resigned on October 7. Though Arthur does not take over officially until next Tuesday, he was at St. Andrew's this afternoon on the occasion of the match with Blackburn Rovers 'just to get the atmosphere.'
Meanwhile the directors with the help of the coach, Ray Shaw, will make all the necessary team decisions.
He will have dual authority with Mr. Arthur Turner, who until today was sole manager of the club. ... The players and playing affairs will be in the hands of the two managers, with Mr. Adams [club secretary] looking after the business side.
The seven-month-old Birmingham City experiment of having two joint managers ended yesterday when Mr. Arthur Turner, who had been in sole charge from November, 1954, until last February, resigned.
A statement from the chairman of the Board, Mr. Harry Morris, said that Mr. Beasley decided to resign "in view of the changed policy at St. Andrew's." ... In recent months Mr. Beasley has been advised by a small committee of directors and Mr. Adams.