Herbert Michael Cooke was a football

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

. He managed

Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ado ...

from 1912–1935, the longest spell of any manager at the club. He oversaw their first Football League match in 1921.

Management career

Born in

Birkenhead Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...

in 1882, Cooke became manager of Tranmere in 1912, and stayed in charge for 23 years, the longest spell of any manager at the club. In 1919, Tranmere were promoted to the

Central League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consi ...

. Within a year,

Division Three North The Third Division North of the Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to ...

was created and, in 1921, Cooke oversaw the club's first Football League match. A string of talented local youngsters were developed by Cooke before moving to First Division clubs - Dixie Dean, Ellis Rimmer, Pongo Waring and Nibbler Ridding. In the 1934–35 season – Cooke's last in charge – Rovers led Division Three North for most of the campaign but, in the last few weeks, blew their promotion chance. They did however win the

Welsh Cup The FAW Welsh Cup ( cy, Cwpan Cymdeithas Pêl-droed Cymru), currently known as the JD Welsh Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams in the Welsh football league system. It is considered the mos ...

that year. He left under acrimonious circumstances, amid FA enquiries into illegal payments to players to induce them to sign for Rovers and the dismissal of several directors. Cooke was replaced by former England international, Jackie Carr. Cooke died in Wirral in 1959, aged 76.

References

External links

* Tranmere Rovers F.C. managers 1882 births 1959 deaths Sportspeople from Birkenhead English Football League managers English football managers {{England-footy-manager-stub