List of Burnley F.C. managers

Sean Dyche guided Burnley to two promotions to the Premier League.

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

• Statistics are correct as of the match played on 3 May 2025.
• Only competitive matches are counted, except the abandoned 1939–40 Football League season and matches in Wartime Leagues and Cups.
• Names of caretaker managers are highlighted in italics and marked with an asterisk (*).
• Names of player-managers are marked with a double-dagger (‡).

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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Simpson (2007), pp. 12–25
2. 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. 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. Simpson (2007), p. 542
11. Simpson (2007), pp. 540–559
12. Simpson (2007), pp. 284–334, 361–374, 504–507, 546–548
13. "Burnley manager history". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
14. 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. 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. 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. Simpson (2007), pp. 372–386, 400–410, 507–508, 550–551
35. 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. Archived from the original on 22 July 2024. 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.
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.