Bristol Rovers' 6 worst managers in order of win percentage (Ranked) | OneFootball

Having been appointed by Bristol Rovers in February 2021, Joey Barton is one of the more longer serving managers in the EFL when others don't get as much time to try and succeed.

Barton led the Gas out of League Two in the 2021-22 season and then comfortably kept them in the third tier of English football the following year, showing that he perhaps has something good going on at the Memorial Stadium

Whilst Barton has so far been a success at the club, what about the least successful bosses in Bristol Rovers' history based on win percentage?

Based on head coaches that have been in charge for at least 10 matches, let's take a look at the SIX worst managers in the Gas' existence.

6 Paul Tisdale - 26.3%

Following the disappointing reign of Ben Garner, who will perhaps be on this list further down the line, Bristol Rovers turned to Tisdale in November 2020, whose best work came at Exeter City in a long stint as their boss.

Tisdale however could not replicate those achievements, and in the end he only lasted a mere three months with the club before getting the sack himself in February 2021.

In his 19 matches in charge, Tisdale won just five times and just three of those came in the league, with a 2-0 home defeat to Oxford United proving to be the final straw for the hierarchy.

The Gas were eventually relegated later on that season, with Tisdale's time in charge not helping their cause one bit.

5 Terry Cooper - 19.1%

In April 1980, with Rovers in the second tier of English football, club legend Harold Jarman was dismissed as manager, and his replacement was his own first-team coach in the form of Cooper, who saw fit to keep Jarman on his own staff.

Cooper's first managerial job would not go as planned though and in his first season in charge, Rovers would be relegated to the third tier of English football.

He only lasted a few months into the 1981-82 season before being sacked, winning just 13 matches out of his 68 in charge in all competitions.

4 Ben Garner - 18.2%

As already mentioned, Garner's arrival as head coach in December 2019 did not end well and he did not even make it to a full year in charge.

Rovers finished 14th in League One in Garner's first season in charge, but he bit the bullet in his first senior managerial role a few months into the 2020-21 season, having lost five of their first 11 third tier matches of the campaign.

By the time his reign ended, Garner had only won six of his 33 games in charge, and he's now currently the manager of Colchester United in League Two.

3 Dave Penney - 15.4%

Replacing a long-serving, popular manager in Paul Trollope, Penney was always going to have to hit the ground running - but he didn't do that.

Arriving in January 2011, Penney's appointment did nothing to arrest the club's slide and after just 13 matches in charge and winning twice, he was sacked in favour of appointing Stuart Campbell as caretaker boss.

That proved to be Penney's last managerial job, and at the age of 59 there looks to be no signs of him returning to be a number one anywhere anytime soon.

2 Martin Dobson - 8.3%

After Gerry Francis decided to leave in order to become Queens Park Rangers manager, Rovers had to search for his successor and landed upon Dobson, who had previously managed Bury for three years.

Dobson had a disastrous start though, winning just one of his first 12 matches in charge of the Gas, and by October 1991 he was out of a job.

Rovers survived in the second tier after Dennis Rofe took the reins, but Dobson did nothing to help at the beginning of the season.

1 Phil Bater - 7.1%

Whilst Bater, who played over 300 times for the club as a player, was never a permanent manager for Rovers, he oversaw enough matches as a caretaker to perhaps unfortunately rank on this list.

Bater's first caretaker spell came in 2002 after the sacking of Garry Thompson, and then two years later when Ray Graydon left he was given a longer period in charge.