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

Highlights

Swindon Town will be hopeful to have a better 2023/24 season compared to that of 2022/23. The season was disjointed as the club went through three managers: Ben Garner left the club in the summer leading up to the campaign, Scott Lindsey left to join Crawley Town in January, and finally Jody Morris would have a bad tenure from January until May, resulting in his sacking before the season's end.

The Robins will be hopeful that the 2023/24 season will be more stable and that this will help push the club towards a promotion battle. The club has appointed Michael Flynn as manager, believing he is the man to achieve the club’s ambitions.

The appointment of Flynn got us thinking here at Football League World about who Swindon’s top 10 best managers are in order of their win percentage, from lowest to highest.

10 Glenn Hoddle – 42.5%

Glenn Hoddle was appointed player-manager in April 1991 and would be in this role until July 1993.

The English legend would have an incredible spell at the club, as he joined a club that was struggling following their involvement in a financial scandal that denied their promotion to the old First Division.

Hoddle would ensure that they were not relegated to the old Third Division that season, and in the next, he would lead them to a finish of eighth in the old Second Division during the 1991/92 season.

In his final season with the club, he would guide the club to the Premier League. Hoddle managed the side through the play-offs, beating Leicester in the final at Wembley 4-3, even scoring Swindon’s first goal in the fixture.

Hoddle would leave the club to become player-manager at Chelsea for the next season, and by this stage, he had managed 120 games, winning 51, giving him a win percentage of 42.5%.

9 Danny Williams – 42.5%

Danny Williams would have two spells in charge of the club, with both spells lasting four years each.

The first spell would be his first full-time managerial role, and it would be incredibly successful as he guided the club to the Football League Cup and the Anglo-Italian League Cup in 1969.

Williams would leave the club at the end of that season but return in March 1974. His second spell would not be as successful as he maintained the club's old Third Division status.

Williams would manage a total of 449 fixtures, winning 191, giving him a win percentage of 42.5%.

8 Sam Allen – 42.6%

Sam Allen is recognised as the first manager to take charge of Swindon, and his tenure would be from 1902 until 1933.

Allen would guide the club through one of its most successful periods, 1908–1914, as they won the Southern League title twice, reached the FA Cup semi-final twice, and won the Dubonnet Cup.

He would lead the club into the Football League in 1920 and keep the club in the old Third Division South throughout this period. He would relinquish his duties as manager in 1933 but continue on as club secretary.

Allen would keep the club alive during World War Two, as the Town closed down during the war, unlike other clubs.

Allen would die in 1946, having ensured the survival of the club, leaving the club with a record of 508 wins from 1,192 fixtures, giving him a win percentage of 42.6%.

7 Richie Wellens – 44.4%

Richie Wellens was appointed manager in November 2018 following the sacking of Phil Brown.

Wellens would guide the club to a 13th-place finish in this first season, a platform for the success he would have the next season.

The club would win the League Two title in 2020, from the points-per-game end of the league, but Wellens had brought that success and promotion to Swindon.

His tenure would end with Wellens joining Salford City as their manager. The Mancunian would leave the club with a win percentage of 44.4%, having won 32 of the 72 matches he was in charge of.

6 Bobby Smith – 47.7%

Bobby Smith joined the club in May 1978 and would be in charge until September 1980.

Smith would challenge for promotion from the old Third Division in his first season in charge.

The second season would see the club finish mid-table but have an impressive League Cup campaign as they reached the semi-final, losing to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Smith would be sacked in September 1980 as the club spent massively in the summer, but a poor start and a failure to meet expectations witnessed Swindon looking elsewhere, despite Smith having a win percentage of 47.7%, having won 63 of the 132 matches.

5 Lou Macari – 48.4%

Lou Macari would start his managerial career with Swindon Town, being appointed in July 1984.

Macari was sacked in April 1985 along with assistant manager Harry Gregg due to the growing rift between them and the style of play that the side should play; however, following fan pressure, Macari was reinstated a week later.

This would be a great decision, as he would guide them to consecutive promotions, first winning the old Fourth Division in 1986 and then winning the play-offs in the old Third Division.

His tenure would end with controversy as he was fined by the FA for betting against Swindon in an FA Cup fixture against Newcastle United in 1989.

This controversy would not stop his move to West Ham in July 1989, with the Scotsman leaving the club with a win percentage of 48.4%, having won 138 of the 285 fixtures he was in charge of.

4 David Flitcroft – 50%

David Flitcroft would only manage the club for nine months from his appointment in June 2017.

Flitcroft left the club sitting seventh in League Two, having taken over after the club had been relegated from League One the previous season. He would move to Mansfield Town, a League Two rival at the time.

Flitcroft would manage a total of 42 fixtures, winning 21 of them, giving him a win percentage of 50%.

3 Paul Sturrock – 50%

Paul Sturrock would join the club in October 2006, replacing the team of Dennis Wise and Gus Poyet that took charge of Leeds United.

Sturrock would only be in charge for one season before moving to take the managerial job at Plymouth Argyle in November 2007.

Sturrock would be incredible successful in his time in charge of Swindon as he guided them to promotion from League Two.

Sturrock would manage a total of 52 fixtures, winning 26 of them, giving him a win percentage of 50%.

2 Ben Garner – 50%

Ben Garner would only manage the club for one season, as he left Swindon for Charlton Athletic in June 2022.

Garner would join the club under a transfer embargo and with only seven senior players. He would miraculously guide the club to the FA Cup third round for the first time in ten years and to the play-offs, losing the semi-final to Port Vale.

Garner would manage a total of 56 games, winning 21 of them, giving him a win percentage of 50%.

1 Paolo Di Canio – 56.8%

Paolo Di Canio is the best manager Swindon has ever had in terms of win percentage.

Swindon would be the first managerial role that the Italian would be employed in, and his tenure would be incredibly successful.

Di Canio was appointed in May 2011; in his first season, he would achieve promotion back to League One at the first attempt and inspire the giant-killing of Premier League side Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup.

The following season was not as successful, but it was still impressive nonetheless. Di Canio would leave the club in February 2013, as the club was struggling financially and the relationship broke down over transfers and the sale of the club.