Johnny Is Crowned King

Played Won Drawn Lost

246      80     73    93

Played Won Drawn Lost

488     211   129     148

Played Won Drawn Lost

734     291   202    241

This is why King will always be fondly thought of at Prenton Park despite both managerial spells ending with the sack. In fact at the start of the 2002-03 season Tranmere took the decision to re-name the Borough Road Stand after the man himself who was present with his family before the first home game of the season against Colchester to unveil the Stand’s new name.

Following Tranmere’s relegation to the then Fourth Division in 1975, Manager Ron Yeats was sacked and replaced by Johnny King.

By the end of his first season in charge, Tranmere had gained promotion to Division 3 where they remained for three seasons before relegation back to the Fourth Division in 1979 and the following year King was sacked and replaced by Bryan Hamilton.

In 1987, a year that was to change the long-term future of Tranmere Rovers dramatically, millionaire businessman Peter Johnson took over the club after large debts had been run up. In the same year, after Ronnie Moore had been player-manager for a brief period, John King was once again appointed Manager of Rovers for what was to be a much more successful spell the second time around.

In 1989, Rovers finished the season in 2nd place and gained promotion back to the then Third Division and in the two years that followed John King guided Tranmere to four Wembley visits in two seasons resulting in a Leyland Daf Cup win in 1990 and a 1-0 play-off final victory over Bolton the following year to gain promotion to what was then Division 2. Glory Days indeed for Tranmere Fans who were, as we know, to remain in the heights of English Football’s second tier for almost 10 years. Added to these successes in 1994 was a run all the way to the League Cup semi-final and an agonising defeat on penalties to eventual winners Aston Villa – then managed by none other than Brian Little.

John King will also be fondly remembered for some of the Players he both nutured from youth or brought in during his time as Manager, particularly in his second spell. The most famous of these signings and possibly the best bargain Tranmere will ever have, was the signing of ex-Liverpool Striker John Aldridge in 1991 for an almost ridiculous £250,000 from Real Socieadad. As we know, Aldo went on to score a phenomenal 174 goals in 287 games and I’m almost certain he will crop up later on in the Tranmere Dream Team Series. Other big names that John King signed during his reign included ex-Everton and Scotland Winger Pat Nevin, former Rangers defender Gary Stevens and ex-Villa defender Shaun Teale.

There can be no doubt that John King, in his second spell as Manager, oversaw more changes at the club than any other Manager has done. These included a completely new look for all four sides of Prenton Park with an increase in capacity, a new chairman or two and the introduction in English Football of a Premier League to which Tranmere were so close on three successive occasions in the mid 1990’s.

A man who had – and no doubt still has – Tranmere in his heart, I personally along with most Rovers fans old enough to remember, will always have fond memories of John King and his time as Tranmere Manager and there could have been no more fitting way to pay tribute to the man than to invite him along to Prenton Park to unveil the stand now named after him.

So Johnny King is the Manager of the Total Tranmere Dream Team but who’s up next? Over the next seven days its up to you to decide who is Tranmere’s all-time greatest Goalkeeper by using the poll on the Homepage of this site! Candidates are: John Achterberg, Joe Murphy, Eric Nixon, Danny Coyne and Steve Simonsen so get voting and spread the word!