Wolves’ Best Managers By Win Percentage

Wolverhampton Wanderers are one of England’s best-supported and most historic clubs, with a past full of ups and downs that most fanbases would kill for.

With a history that stretches as far back as it does, Wolves have also been through a lot of managers, some who were great and some, well, less great.

With that in mind, Football FanCast has taken a look at the win percentages for all of the Old Gold’s past managers and compiled a list of the top 10.

Gary O’Neil’s mixed yet impressive start at Molineux means he is currently in and out of the top 10, but could well sit more comfortably among the best to reside in the Wolves dugout if given more time to develop his mid-table side.

Data correct as of 15th April 2024.

10

Fred Scotchbrook – 42.1%

Whenever O’Neil moves out of the top ten, Fred Scotchbrook takes the spot of 10th.

Now, you’d be forgiven for having no idea who that is, as we are going all the way back to the 1920s for this one, as Scotchbrook was in charge of Wolves for just over a year between March 1926 and June 1927.

During his time in charge, the club played 57 competitive games, winning 24, losing 24, and drawing 9.

Here’s a fun fact: Scotchbrook was born in April 1866, whereas Wolves was founded in 1877, meaning that he was actually 11 years older than the team he was managing – you don’t see that anymore, well, unless you watch MK Dons.

9

Paul Lambert – 42.4%

November 2016 – May 2017

Ninth spot brings us back into the modern day and to a face that should be much more familiar to most football fans: Paul Lambert.

The former Borussia Dortmund star was appointed by the club in November 2016 following the sacking of Walter Zenga, and there was a hope that given his experience of managing in the Premier League with Aston Villa just a few years prior, he’d be the man to get the Old Gold back into the top flight.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, and after just seven months in charge and a 15th-placed finish, the Scotsman left his position and was replaced with someone who had a little more longevity at the club.

In all, Lambert took charge of 33 games during his short tenure as Wolves boss, winning 14, losing 14 and drawing the other five.

8

Andy Beattie – 43.18%

November 1964 – September 1965

We’re once again turning the clock back a little bit here, as the manager with the eighth-best win percentage is Andy Beattie.

Beattie is an interesting one on this list as when he was given the role of manager in November 1964, it was only supposed to be as a caretaker manager, but he ended up staying on for the entire season and nine games into the next.

When he took charge, the club were rock bottom of the league with just three points to their name, and despite a good effort from the former Preston North End player, the club were already too far gone, and they dropped into the Second Division the following season.

Beattie oversaw 19 wins as manager, 18 losses, and seven draws.

7

Graham Turner – 43.4%

October 1986 – March 1994

Graham Turner comes in at number seven, but unlike some of the others on this list, he did actually win a few trophies for the club.

The former Shrewsbury Town centre-back was appointed as manager in October 1986 when Wolves were at one of their lowest points, fighting it out in the fourth tier of English football.

Turner was an experienced manager, having spent the previous two years managing local rivals Aston Villa in the First Division, and he was instantly able to work his magic.

He reached the play-offs in his first season at the club but fell short of achieving promotion.

He guided the team to the title in his second season in charge and did the same in the Third Division in his third season. He would also lift the Football League Trophy in 1988 with the club.

He would eventually leave the club in March 1994, and while he couldn’t quite get them back into the top flight, his time at Molineux cannot be considered anything other than a success.

Turner was manager for 412 games, winning 179, losing 124, and drawing 109.

6

Albert Hoskins – 43.6%

July 1924 – March 1926

Albert Hoskins, or just Bert Hoskins, had an interesting journey to becoming the manager.

After his playing career, he joined Wolves as an office worker and eventually became the club secretary in 1922. During this time, he also acted as the assistant to the first team managers. Once George Jobey left the club in 1924, he assumed the responsibility as first team manager whilst maintaining his role as secretary – talk about a full workload.

His two years as manager didn’t bring the club any silverware, but his side did win 34 of the 78 games he was in charge of.

5

Ronnie Allen – 44%

September 1965 – November 1968

Ronnie Allen first joined Wolves in March 1965 to work as a senior coach under then caretaker Andy Beattie and was there when the club suffered relegation to the Second Division for the first time in over two decades.

He remained when Beattie left his position just nine games into the 1965/66 season, so he was named his successor.

After an initial season of settling in, he guided the club back to the top flight in his second year and helped consolidate their position the following season.

He would ultimately get the sack early on into his fourth season, after which he would move on to manage La Liga side Athletic Bilbao.

He didn’t win any silverware during his time at the club, but out of the 150 games he managed, Wolves won 66.

4

Kenny Jackett – 46%

June 2013 – July 2016

Kenny Jackett was tasked with getting Wolverhampton Wanderers out of League One when he was appointed manager in May 2013. However, with how he started, you’d have thought it was the easiest job in the world.

Jackett would lead the team to five wins out of their first six games, and they remained undefeated in their opening 11 games, which was the best start the club had ever had in a season.

The team would end the season as champions and with a record 103 points.

In his second season in charge, the club would finish in seventh – just outside the playoffs – but his third and final season saw a disappointing 14th-placed finish.

During his tenure, the club played 150 games, won 69, lost 38, and drew 43.

3

Stan Cullis – 46.8%

July 1948 – September 1964

He might be the most successful manager in the club’s entire history, but when it comes to pure win percentage, the late great Stan Cullis finds himself in third place.

Cullis became the manager of Wolves just a month after he had retired from playing for the team, in June 1948. He took over the team from Ted Vizard and built upon the stable foundations built by his former boss.

The no-nonsense centre-back presided over the club’s most successful period, leading them to three First Division titles between 1953 and 1959, two FA Cups, and an FA Charity Shield.

His team would also finish as runners-up in the league three times, demonstrating just how much of a force the Old Gold were during his tenure.

In all, Cullis managed 748 games, winning 350, losing 227, and drawing 171.

2

Nuno Espirito Santo – 47.7%

May 2017 – June 2021

Now, onto the man that many younger fans will likely associate with Wolves above all others: Nuno Espirito Santo.

The Portuguese gaffer was brought into the club in May 2017 to replace Paul Lambert after his middling spell and took very little time to turn things around.

Within his first season, he got the club back into the Premier League, in no small part thanks to his brilliant recruitment of Diogo Jota, Ruben Neves, and Willy Boly.

He guided the club to back-to-back 7th-placed finishes once back in the top flight and even led them on a Europa League campaign – where they made it to the quarter-finals.

Unfortunately, his final season saw the club finish in 13th place, and he would ultimately leave Wolves in May 2021 and join Tottenham Hotspur in the same summer – where he would last less than four months.

He took charge of Wolves for 199 matches, winning 95, losing 55, and drawing the remaining 49.

1

Ted Vizard – 48.9%

April 1944 – June 1948

So here we are then, Wolverhampton Wanderers’ most successful ever manager going by win percentage, and well, it’s Ted Vizard.

For a man who was statistically the most successful manager Wolves have ever had, he didn’t actually win any trophies during his time with the Old Gold.

The Welshman took charge of the club in April 1944, following on from the impressive Major Frank Buckley and remained in charge until May 1948, when he was eventually let go.

During his four years at the club, he led the team out 178 times, winning 87 games, losing 51 and drawing the other 40.

He might have ultimately left empty-handed, but he did get close to glory with the club, finishing third in the old First Division for the 1946/47 season.

He was succeeded by Stan Cullis, who, as we mentioned earlier, enjoyed a far more illustrious period in charge of the Old Gold.

And there we have it, Wolverhampton Wanderers top ten managers by order of their win percentage.