Accrington Stanley's top 10 best ever managers in order of win percentage (Ranked) | OneFootball

Accrington Stanley had a horrible end to the 2022/23 season as the club was relegated from League One. The club would only win three of the last fourteen games of the campaign, a detrimental run that would ultimately cost them.

Accrington would not sack their manager, John Coleman, despite the poor form, and they have kept their faith in him to return the club to League One at the first attempt.

This decision to keep Coleman in the managerial role got us thinking here at Football League World about who Accrington’s top 10 best managers are in order of their win percentage, from lowest to highest.

Accrington Stanley would join the Football League in 2006, and during this time the club has only had four permanent managers. So, while compiling this list, we have looked back as far as when the club was in the North West Counties League Division One.

10 James Beattie – 27.6%

James Beattie comes in as Accrington’s tenth-best manager in terms of win percentage.

Beattie was signed to the club in November 2012 as a player-coach; however, following the departure of Leam Richardson in May 2013, Beattie would be appointed manager of the club.

Beattie would finish 15th in League Two in his first season in management. However, early into the next season, Beattie would lose his job as the club struggled.

This has been Beattie’s only job in football management thus far, with his most recent role being assistant manager at Wigan Athletic. Beattie would manage a total of 58 fixtures, winning 16 of them, giving him a win percentage of 27.6%.

9 Leam Richardson – 29.7%

Leam Richardson would have two spells as a caretaker manager at the club, first in January 2012 and then in October 2012; he would win every fixture as caretaker manager.

This good performance would lead to the permanent appointment of Richardson as manager of the club in November 2012.

Richardson would lead the club to an 18th-place finish in League Two that season. But he would be replaced by Beattie that summer.

Richardson would manage a total of 37 matches, winning 11 of them, giving him a win percentage of 29.7%.

8 Ken Wright – 33.3%

Ken Wright was in charge of the 1993/94 season for the club in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.

The club would finish 16th in the division. The club deemed this not good enough and would look to another manager to drive them towards the Football League for the next season.

Wright would manage a total of 42 matches, winning 14 of them, giving him a win percentage of 33.3%.

7 John Coleman – 39.8%

The current manager, John Coleman, is the club’s seventh-best manager in terms of win percentage.

Coleman would be appointed manager twice, the first being in May 1999. In this first spell, Coleman would achieve promotion to the Football League, following a number of promotions from the lower levels of the English pyramid.

Coleman would win the Northern Premier League Division One in his first season in charge and would follow this up with the Northern Premier League Premier Division in 2003.

Accrington would then spend three seasons in the National League before winning the title in that third season, meaning they would then join the Football League for the 2006/07 season.

Coleman would then keep the club in League Two until he was dismissed by the club in January 2012. This dismissal came following a poor performance that season, following a great campaign the campaign before, where Coleman would guide the club to the play-off semi-final but would ultimately lose to Stevenage Town.

Coleman would rejoin the club in September 2014 and keep the club in the Football League as the side battled relegation from League Two.

Coleman would turn things around rapidly for the following season, as he would lead them to a play-off semi-final, losing to AFC Wimbledon.

Coleman would eventually achieve promotion to League One in 2018 as they won the League Two title. Coleman would keep the club in the division until their relegation back to League Two in the 2022/23 season.

Coleman has so far managed 1055 fixtures, winning 420, giving him a win percentage of 39.8%.

6 Stan Allen – 40.5%

Stan Allen was in charge of the 1995/96 season.

Allen would guide the club to an eighth-place finish in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.

He would be replaced for the next season, having managed a total of 42 games, winning 17 of them, giving him a win percentage of 40.5%.

5 Tony Greenwood – 40.9%

Tony Greenwood would replace Allen as manager of Accrington.

Greenwood would achieve a mid-table finish in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.

Greenwood would only manage one full season at the club, winning 18 of 44 matches, giving him a win percentage of 40.9%.

4 Eric Whalley – 44.8%

Eric Whalley would have two spells as manager of the club.

Whalley’s first spell would start with the 1986/87 season with the club in North West Counties League Division One, finishing second. Whalley would then guide the club to a fourth-place finish the following season in the Northern Premier League Division One. Whalley would leave the position after this season.

However, Whalley would be manager again for the 1994/95 season. Whalley would guide the club to a mid-table finish in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.

Whalley would manage a total of 116 fixtures, winning 52, giving him a win percentage of 44.8%.

3 Phil Stanley – 46%

Phil Stanley would be in charge of three seasons between 1990 and 1993.

Stanley would win promotion to the Northern Premier League Premier Division in his first season, as they won promotion through the play-offs.

Stanley would achieve two top-half finishes in the Northern Premier League Premier Division before leaving the club.

Stanley would manage a total of 126 games, winning 58, giving him a win percentage of 46%.

2 Gary Pierce – 50%

Gary Pierce would be in charge of the club for the 1988/89 season.

The 1974 League Cup-winning goalkeeper with Wolverhampton Wanderers would lead the club to a sixth-place finish in the Northern Premier League Division One.

Pierce would win 21 of the 42 games he was in charge of, giving him a win percentage of 50%.

1 David Thornley – 52.4%

David Thornley is the club’s current best manager when it comes to win percentage.

Thornley was appointed manager for the 1989/90 season following the departure of Pierce.

Thornley would achieve a third-place finish in the Northern Premier League Division One for his only season in charge.