.jpg) Lowe withWigan Athletic in 2025. | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ryan Thomas Lowe[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1978-09-18)18 September 1978 (age 47)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Liverpool, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft9+1⁄2 in (1.77 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Wigan Athletic (head coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Liverpool | |||
| 1996–1999 | Southport | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Sandon Dock | |||
| Waterloo Dock | |||
| 1999–2000 | Burscough | ||
| 2000–2005 | Shrewsbury Town | 171 | (32) |
| 2005–2006 | Chester City | 40 | (14) |
| 2006–2008 | Crewe Alexandra | 64 | (12) |
| 2008 | →Stockport County (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | Chester City | 45 | (16) |
| 2009–2011 | Bury | 90 | (49) |
| 2011–2012 | Sheffield Wednesday | 26 | (8) |
| 2012–2013 | Milton Keynes Dons | 42 | (11) |
| 2013–2014 | Tranmere Rovers | 45 | (19) |
| 2014–2016 | Bury | 53 | (15) |
| 2015–2016 | →Crewe Alexandra (loan) | 6 | (2) |
| 2016–2017 | Crewe Alexandra | 22 | (5) |
| 2017–2018 | Bury | 18 | (1) |
| Total | 626 | (184) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2017 | Bury (caretaker) | ||
| 2018–2019 | Bury | ||
| 2019–2021 | Plymouth Argyle | ||
| 2021–2024 | Preston North End | ||
| 2025– | Wigan Athletic | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ryan Thomas Lowe (born 18 September 1978) is an English professionalfootball coach and former player, who is currentlyhead coach ofEFL League One sideWigan Athletic.
Lowe's playing career, as astriker, began atBurscough in 1999 and he became aFootball League player withShrewsbury Town the following year. He played for eight league clubs in all and had three spells atBury and atCrewe Alexandra. In the second half of the 2010–11 season, Lowe established a Bury club record by scoring a goal in each of nine consecutive league games. Lowe ended his playing career at Bury who had signed him again in January 2017, this time as player-coach. He became caretaker-manager twice in 2017–18 after firstLee Clark and thenChris Lucketti were sacked. Lowe retired from playing in March 2018 during his second caretaker appointment.
In May 2018, despite their relegation toLeague Two, Bury offered Lowe the position of full-time manager on a two-year contract to the end of the 2019–20 season. After guiding the club to promotion back to League One, he left Bury on 5 June 2019 to take over at newly relegatedPlymouth Argyle, managing them to an immediate return to League One before joiningPreston North End in December 2021, staying with them until August 2024. He was appointed as Wigan's head coach in March 2025.
Born inLiverpool,Merseyside,[1] Lowe played forLiverpool's youth team between 12 and 13, before breaking his ankle. He returned to the team aged 15 before again leaving the club. While at Liverpool, he formed a friendship withSteven Gerrard.[3]
After Liverpool, Lowe played withSouthport's youth team and non-league Liverpool teams Sandon Dock andWaterloo Dock[4] before joiningBurscough. He moved into theFootball League withShrewsbury Town in time for2000–01.
After almost five years with the Shrews (which included a season in theFootball Conference), Lowe switched toFootball League Two sideChester City on 22 March 2005.[5] He spent a year at Chester, which included scoring twice in a shockFA Cup 3–0 win overNottingham Forest on 3 December 2005[6] before leaving the club by mutual consent shortly after the return of managerMark Wright.[7]
Lowe joinedFootball League One sideCrewe Alexandra in time for2006–07 season. He enjoyed a successful debut for the Railwaymen, scoring the opening goal; assistingDavid Vaughan's goal and earning the man of the match in Crewe's 2–2 draw withNorthampton Town on 5 August 2006. Lowe continued his form over the first few games of the season, scoring a further two goals in late August. However, the arrival ofRodney Jack to the club saw him lose his starting place for much of September. He returned to the starting line up on 30 September 2006 againstCarlisle United. Lowe scored his only hat-trick for Crewe as they ran out 5–1 winners at the Alexandra Stadium.
After spells in and out of the Crewe side, Lowe joinedStockport County on loan on 27 March 2008.[8] His transfer was not made permanent and he was not included in the side which clinched promotion in the play-off final againstRochdale atWembley Stadium.
On 2 July 2008, Lowe returned to Chester on a two-year deal, becoming the club's fifth summer signing afterAnthony Barry,Jay Harris,David Mannix andPaul Taylor.[9] Lowe scored twice including a penalty, in his first home game back for Chester againstLeeds United in a 5–2 loss in theLeague Cup on 12 August 2008 and repeated the feat in a 5–1 thrashing ofBarnet later in the month.
Lowe went on to comfortably finish as Chester's leading scorer with 18 goals (16 in the league), in a season which ended with the side suffering relegation fromFootball League Two. He received the club's player of the season award before the final match of the campaign againstDarlington.[10] The following week it was announced Lowe had left Chester by mutual agreement, with several Football League clubs interested in signing him.[11]
On 10 June 2009,Bury confirmed the signing of Lowe on free transfer[12] Lowe scored his first goal for Bury on 18 August 2009 away atHereford United in a 3–1 win. Also, Lowe scored in Bury's 1–0 victory over rivalsRochdale, in the fixture atGigg Lane. He scored his 100th league goal on 9 October 2010, bagging a brace against local rivalsAccrington Stanley.
At the beginning of the 2010–11 season, he was named vice-captain byAlan Knill. On 1 March 2011, Lowe broke a 53-year-old club record by scoring in eight consecutive league games in a 3–0 victory overShrewsbury Town at theGreenhous Meadow. After a goal in the following 3–0 victory over Hereford on 5 March he extended the record to nine games. On 25 April he scored Bury's third in a 3–2 win over league leadersChesterfield in the 87th minute, promoting his side toLeague One.[13]
On 31 August 2011, Lowe joined Bury's fellow League One teamSheffield Wednesday for an undisclosed six figure fee.[14]
On 1 August 2012, Lowe signed for League One side Milton Keynes Dons for an undisclosed fee and was signed on a two-year deal after limited chances at Hillsborough.[15] On 21 June 2013, Lowe agreed to cancel his Milton Keynes Dons contract[16] and agreed to join Tranmere Rovers on a free transfer with a two-year deal.[17]
On 19 May 2014, Bury announced that they had re-signed Lowe on a two-year contract.[18]
On 23 November 2015 Lowe rejoined his former club Crewe Alexandra on loan until 5 January 2016,[19] and in his first appearance scored a stoppage time winner atColchester United.[20] He signed a new full contract with Crewe in May 2016,[21] and on 6 August made his third scoring Crewe debut with the first goal in a 2–1 win atStevenage.[22] Three days later, Lowe scored both Crewe goals in a 2–1 League Cup tie win atSheffield United.[23]
In January 2017, Lowe returned to Bury in a player-coach role.[24] Following the sacking of managerLee Clark in October 2017, Lowe was appointed caretaker-manager, taking charge for Bury's FA Cup first-round tie at National League sideWoking.[25] He remained in charge for six games (two wins, two draws, two defeats) until 22 November whenChris Lucketti was appointed Clark's successor, with Lowe becoming player-coach again.[26] In January 2018, after Lucketti was sacked, Lowe was again appointed caretaker-manager, this time until the end of the season, withRyan Kidd as his assistant.[27] He decided to end his playing career to concentrate on management and coaching. His last match as a player was for Bury againstBristol Rovers on Friday, 30 March 2018 in League One.[28]
In May 2018, Lowe was appointed full-time manager of Bury on a two-year contract.[29] Bury had just been relegated and, to "sort out the mess of the previous season" and prepare for the 2018–19 season inEFL League Two, Lowe was very busy in the transfer market witheleven players being transferred out or released, andanother eleven being transferred in, all of them on free transfers. He said that players who did not fulfil their potential had to go and be replaced by players with some passion who "could get bums off seats at Gigg Lane".[3]
After a shaky start to the season in which the new team found its feet, Bury had reached fourth place in the table when they travelled to promotion rivalsMansfield Town on Boxing Day. They lost that match and dropped to sixth place but then began an unbeaten run which firmly established them in the top three. In addition, Lowe led them to the semi-final stage of theEFL Trophy, Bury's best-ever showing in this tournament, before they were defeated by League OnePortsmouth. In recognition of his success in turning the team around, Lowe was three times awarded theEFL League Two Manager of the Month award – in November 2018, January 2019 and February 2019.[30][31][32]
On 5 June 2019, Lowe was announced as manager ofPlymouth Argyle,[33] guiding them to a third-place finish and an immediate return to League One in a season interrupted by theCOVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.[34]
After guiding his side to four wins and two draws from six matches during an 17-game unbeaten run in the league, in a month that saw Plymouth top the League One table, Lowe was namedEFL League One Manager of the Month for October 2021.[35] On 7 December 2021, Lowe resigned as Plymouth manager, with the club fourth in League One.[36]
Immediately following his departure from Plymouth on 7 December 2021, Lowe was appointed manager ofChampionship sidePreston North End.[37][36] He took Preston to a 13th-place finish in his first season, with the club finishing 12th and 10th in the following two seasons.[38]
On 12 August 2024, after just one game of Preston's2024–25 season (a 2–0 home defeat bySheffield United), Lowe left the club by mutual consent;[39][38] Preston directorPeter Ridsdale said Lowe had asked to leave - "He told me he wanted a break, a change. ... we didn't initiate it."[40]
On 12 March 2025, Lowe was appointed head coach of League One sideWigan Athletic on a three-and-a-half year contract.[41] Preston North End CEO Peter Ridsdale said he was "delighted" for Lowe.[42] On 1 April 2025, Lowe was red-carded following angry exchanges in the technical area after Wigan conceded a 92nd-minute goal in a home defeat byBolton Wanderers.[43] Lowe gained his first win as manager in his seventh game, a 1–0 win at his former club and already relegatedShrewsbury Town on 18 April 2025.[44]
Lowe's managerial style has been influenced byJürgen Klopp,Pep Guardiola,Rafa Benítez and Lowe's long-time friend Steven Gerrard, among others.[3] He is attack-minded, and Bury in2018–19 were one of the Football League's highest-scoring teams; their style, described as "gung-ho",[3] soon brought success as the club finished second inLeague Two and earned promotion back toLeague One.[45] Lowe explained in an interview withThe Guardian that he wanted to instil a "winning philosophy" and that, by outscoring their opponents, Bury would have a greater chance of achieving that goal. The on-field strategy was effectively a 3-1-4-2 formation.[3]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Shrewsbury Town | 2000–01[46][47] | Third Division | 30 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 34 | 4 |
| 2001–02[48] | Third Division | 38 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 39 | 7 | |
| 2002–03[49] | Third Division | 39 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5[a] | 4 | 49 | 13 | |
| 2003–04[50] | Football Conference | 34 | 9 | 1 | 0 | — | 4[b] | 1 | 39 | 10 | ||
| 2004–05[51] | League Two | 30 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 34 | 3 | |
| Total | 171 | 32 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 5 | 195 | 37 | ||
| Chester City | 2004–05[51] | League Two | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 |
| 2005–06[52] | League Two | 32 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 13 | |
| Total | 40 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 17 | ||
| Crewe Alexandra | 2006–07[53] | League One | 37 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5[a] | 3 | 44 | 12 |
| 2007–08[54] | League One | 27 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 1 | 30 | 5 | |
| Total | 64 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 74 | 17 | ||
| Stockport County (loan) | 2007–08[54] | League Two | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Chester City | 2008–09[55] | League Two | 45 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1[a] | 0 | 48 | 18 |
| Bury | 2009–10[56] | League Two | 39 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 43 | 18 |
| 2010–11[57] | League Two | 46 | 27 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 50 | 28 | |
| 2011–12[58] | League One | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | |
| Total | 90 | 49 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 100 | 53 | ||
| Sheffield Wednesday | 2011–12[58] | League One | 26 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 9 |
| Milton Keynes Dons | 2012–13[59] | League One | 42 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 12 |
| Tranmere Rovers | 2013–14[60] | League One | 45 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 50 | 20 |
| Bury | 2014–15[61] | League Two | 34 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1[a] | 1 | 38 | 11 |
| 2015–16[62] | League One | 19 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 6 | |
| Total | 53 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 60 | 17 | ||
| Crewe Alexandra (loan) | 2015–16[63] | League One | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| Crewe Alexandra | 2016–17[63] | League Two | 22 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2[c] | 1 | 28 | 9 |
| Bury | 2016–17[63] | League One | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 |
| 2017–18[28] | League One | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
| Total | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 626 | 184 | 34 | 8 | 19 | 9 | 29 | 11 | 708 | 212 | ||
| Team | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||||
| Bury (caretaker) | 30 October 2017[25] | 22 November 2017 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 033.33 | |||
| Bury | 15 January 2018[27] | 5 June 2019 | 75 | 32 | 21 | 22 | 042.67 | |||
| Plymouth Argyle | 5 June 2019[33] | 7 December 2021 | 128 | 55 | 29 | 44 | 042.97 | |||
| Preston North End | 7 December 2021[33] | 12 August 2024 | 125 | 47 | 31 | 47 | 037.60 | |||
| Wigan Athletic | 12 March 2025[65] | Present | 34 | 9 | 15 | 10 | 026.47 | |||
| Totals | 367 | 145 | 98 | 124 | 039.51 | |||||
Shrewsbury Town
Bury
Sheffield Wednesday
Individual
Bury
Plymouth Argyle
Individual
