Lennie Lawrence
Encyclopedia
Robin Michael Lawrence, commonly known as Lennie Lawrence, (born 12 December 1947 in Brighton
, England) is a British football manager who is assistant manager of Crystal Palace
. He has managed a number of English clubs and one Welsh club in a coaching career spanning over 30 years. His most recent post was as Director of Football
at Bristol Rovers
, which he held from 2006 until May 2010. He is one of a select few managers to have managed over 1,000 games.
Lawrence never played league football. He turned out at non-league level for , Carshalton Athletic
and . He got his first managerial appointment at Plymouth Argyle
as caretaker. He later worked as a coach at , helping them win promotion from Division Four
in the 1980–81
season.
Lawrence moved to as reserve-team manager, and was later promoted to full-time manager in 1982. During his first few years in charge, the club was in a poor financial situation and came close to going out of business in 1984, and even left its home ground, The Valley, in 1985. Despite this, Lawrence not only kept Charlton in the Second Division
but gained promotion to the First Division
in 1986, ending Charlton's 29-year absence from the top-flight. With limited resources, he kept Charlton at this level for four years, before being relegated in 1990. He remained in charge for a further season.
Before the start of the 1991–92
season, Lawrence moved on to manage . Under his stewardship, Middlesbrough finished Second Division runners-up in his first season as manager and gained promotion to the new Premier League but they struggled in 1992–93
and were relegated at the end of the season. Lawrence remained in charge until the end of the following season, his departure being confirmed on 2 May 1994. Upon leaving he helped young chairman Steve Gibson
contact his replacement Bryan Robson
.
Lawrence joined Bradford City
at the beginning of the 1994–95
season. After a mid-table finish in his first season, Bradford were challenging for promotion in his second season in charge before he left to manage struggling in the division above. Lawrence was unable to save Luton from relegation to Division Two at the end of the 1995–96
season, which saw them replaced by former club Bradford. He remained in charge at Kenilworth Road
until 2000 when he was sacked by the new incoming Luton chairman, Mike Watson Challis, and replaced with former Luton fans favourite, Ricky Hill. His time at Luton is not fondly remembered by Luton fans, who didn't agree with Lawrence's assertion that the club should be happy to be playing Division Two (now League One) football.
He made a quick return to management shortly after the beginning of the 2000–01
season with Division One side Grimsby Town
. They avoided relegation and made a reasonable start to the 2001–02
season, and caused an upset in the League Cup
third round by knocking out holders Liverpool
2–1 after extra time at Anfield
, scoring with a Phil Jevons
wonder-goal in the last minute. However he was sacked later in the season after Grimsby dropped to the bottom of the table.
During the opening weeks of the 2001-02 season, his Grimsby side had briefly led Division One, sparking hopes that he could repeat the promotion success he achieved at Charlton Athletic and Middlesbrough with a much smaller club. However, these hopes were quickly extinguished as Grimsby's form plunged.
After a short while out of the game he joined Division Two side as a consultant. Owner Sam Hammam
had made it clear to manager Alan Cork
that he expected back-to-back promotions, which it did not look like Cork was going to deliver. Eventually Cork was sacked, and Lawrence took over the manager's chair. In his first full season in charge, Lawrence took Cardiff to promotion after beating in the 2003 Football League Second Division
play-off final. He remained at Ninian Park
for a further two years before being shunted aside in May 2005.
After acting as a consultant at Cardiff for a while, he was appointed Director of Football
at Bristol Rovers, working alongside coach Paul Trollope
in a two-tier managerial structure. In the pair's first full season in charge, Bristol Rovers won promotion into League One
after winning the League Two
play-offs. He remained in this position until leaving the club on 12 May 2010, with their League One status still intact.
In August 2010 Lawrence joined non-league Carshalton Athletic
in a football consultancy role, assisting manager Mark Butler. Four months later he was appointed technical director at Hereford United
in League Two, to assist new manager Jamie Pitman
.
On 20 January 2011, he was appointed assistant manager at Crystal Palace
, to support new rookie manager, Dougie Freedman
.
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, England) is a British football manager who is assistant manager of Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
. He has managed a number of English clubs and one Welsh club in a coaching career spanning over 30 years. His most recent post was as Director of Football
Director of football
"Director of football" is a term describing a senior management figure at a football club, most commonly used in Europe. The exact nature of the role is often unclear and extremely variable and causes much debate in the sports media...
at Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
, which he held from 2006 until May 2010. He is one of a select few managers to have managed over 1,000 games.
Lawrence never played league football. He turned out at non-league level for , Carshalton Athletic
Carshalton Athletic F.C.
Carshalton Athletic F.C. is an English football club based in Carshalton in the London Borough of Sutton, London. They currently play in the Isthmian League Premier Division, and are based at the War Memorial Sports Ground.-Early years:...
and . He got his first managerial appointment at Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
as caretaker. He later worked as a coach at , helping them win promotion from Division Four
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
in the 1980–81
1980-81 in English football
The 1980–81 season was the 101st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The Football League introduced a three points for a win system in place of the two points for a win system which had operated since the league's formation in 1889...
season.
Lawrence moved to as reserve-team manager, and was later promoted to full-time manager in 1982. During his first few years in charge, the club was in a poor financial situation and came close to going out of business in 1984, and even left its home ground, The Valley, in 1985. Despite this, Lawrence not only kept Charlton in the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
but gained promotion to the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
in 1986, ending Charlton's 29-year absence from the top-flight. With limited resources, he kept Charlton at this level for four years, before being relegated in 1990. He remained in charge for a further season.
Before the start of the 1991–92
1991-92 in English football
- First Division :The last-ever league championship before the creation of the Premier League was won by Leeds United who overhauled Manchester United thanks to the efforts of, among others, Gordon Strachan, Lee Chapman, David Batty, Gary Speed and Gary McAllister...
season, Lawrence moved on to manage . Under his stewardship, Middlesbrough finished Second Division runners-up in his first season as manager and gained promotion to the new Premier League but they struggled in 1992–93
1992-93 in English football
The 1992–1993 season was the 113th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:This season saw the birth of the FA Premier League. This meant a break-up of the 104-year-old Football League that had operated until then with four divisions....
and were relegated at the end of the season. Lawrence remained in charge until the end of the following season, his departure being confirmed on 2 May 1994. Upon leaving he helped young chairman Steve Gibson
Steve Gibson (chairman)
Steve Gibson is an entrepreneur and the chairman and owner of Middlesbrough Football Club. He is acclaimed in Middlesbrough for being a local working class man who made good...
contact his replacement Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson OBE is an English football manager and a former player. He is best known for playing in midfield for Manchester United, where he was the longest serving captain in club history. He was the manager of Sheffield United, being relieved of his first team duties at the club in February 2008...
.
Lawrence joined Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
at the beginning of the 1994–95
1994-95 in English football
-Premiership:Blackburn Rovers ended their 81-year wait for the league title thanks to the strike partnership of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton which scored a total of more than 50 league goals. Manchester United would have made it three league titles in a row if they had been able to turn a 1-1 draw...
season. After a mid-table finish in his first season, Bradford were challenging for promotion in his second season in charge before he left to manage struggling in the division above. Lawrence was unable to save Luton from relegation to Division Two at the end of the 1995–96
1995-96 in English football
- Premiership :Newcastle United were 12 points clear at the top of Manchester United, but Alex Ferguson's relatively young and inexperienced side overhauled them during the second half of the season to win the title....
season, which saw them replaced by former club Bradford. He remained in charge at Kenilworth Road
Kenilworth Road
Kenilworth Road Stadium is a football stadium in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. It has been home to Luton Town Football Club since 1905, when financial complications forced the club to leave its previous location at Dunstable Road...
until 2000 when he was sacked by the new incoming Luton chairman, Mike Watson Challis, and replaced with former Luton fans favourite, Ricky Hill. His time at Luton is not fondly remembered by Luton fans, who didn't agree with Lawrence's assertion that the club should be happy to be playing Division Two (now League One) football.
He made a quick return to management shortly after the beginning of the 2000–01
2000-01 in English football
The 2000–01 season was the 121st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Manchester United secured their 3rd Premiership title in succession and their 7th title in just nine seasons...
season with Division One side Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
. They avoided relegation and made a reasonable start to the 2001–02
2001-02 in English football
The 2001-02 season was the 122nd season of competitive football in England.-Arsenal cruise to title glory:In what had earlier been one of the most closely fought Premiership title races for years, Arsenal won the championship by seven points. Their crown was won in the penultimate game of the...
season, and caused an upset in the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
third round by knocking out holders Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
2–1 after extra time at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
, scoring with a Phil Jevons
Phil Jevons
Phillip "Phil" Jevons is an English football player who currently plays for Football League Two side Morecambe. He is notably remembered for scoring a last minute 45 yard extra time winning goal for Grimsby Town against his home town club Liverpool in the third round of the League Cup in 2001...
wonder-goal in the last minute. However he was sacked later in the season after Grimsby dropped to the bottom of the table.
During the opening weeks of the 2001-02 season, his Grimsby side had briefly led Division One, sparking hopes that he could repeat the promotion success he achieved at Charlton Athletic and Middlesbrough with a much smaller club. However, these hopes were quickly extinguished as Grimsby's form plunged.
After a short while out of the game he joined Division Two side as a consultant. Owner Sam Hammam
Sam Hammam
Samir "Sam" Hammam is a Lebanese business man, most notable for his high profile involvement in British football clubs.-Career:...
had made it clear to manager Alan Cork
Alan Cork
Alan Cork is an English former professional football player. He played as a striker for several clubs, most notably Wimbledon and has held a number of managerial and coaching posts since his retirement from playing. Cork is a member of the Wimbledon Old Players Association...
that he expected back-to-back promotions, which it did not look like Cork was going to deliver. Eventually Cork was sacked, and Lawrence took over the manager's chair. In his first full season in charge, Lawrence took Cardiff to promotion after beating in the 2003 Football League Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
play-off final. He remained at Ninian Park
Ninian Park
Ninian Park was a football stadium in Leckwith, Cardiff, Wales. Until 2009, it was the home ground of Cardiff City F.C., who compete in the English Football League Championship...
for a further two years before being shunted aside in May 2005.
After acting as a consultant at Cardiff for a while, he was appointed Director of Football
Director of football
"Director of football" is a term describing a senior management figure at a football club, most commonly used in Europe. The exact nature of the role is often unclear and extremely variable and causes much debate in the sports media...
at Bristol Rovers, working alongside coach Paul Trollope
Paul Trollope
Paul Jonathan Trollope is an English-born Welsh international football midfielder, now turned manager. He was manager of Bristol Rovers from 2005 to 2010. In July 2011, Paul was appointed first-team coach at Birmingham City....
in a two-tier managerial structure. In the pair's first full season in charge, Bristol Rovers won promotion into League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
after winning the League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
play-offs. He remained in this position until leaving the club on 12 May 2010, with their League One status still intact.
In August 2010 Lawrence joined non-league Carshalton Athletic
Carshalton Athletic F.C.
Carshalton Athletic F.C. is an English football club based in Carshalton in the London Borough of Sutton, London. They currently play in the Isthmian League Premier Division, and are based at the War Memorial Sports Ground.-Early years:...
in a football consultancy role, assisting manager Mark Butler. Four months later he was appointed technical director at Hereford United
Hereford United F.C.
Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',...
in League Two, to assist new manager Jamie Pitman
Jamie Pitman
Jamie Pitman is an English footballer turned football manager, who is now manager of Hereford United.-Playing career:...
.
On 20 January 2011, he was appointed assistant manager at Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
, to support new rookie manager, Dougie Freedman
Dougie Freedman
Douglas "Dougie" Freedman is a Scottish former professional football player who played as a striker. He is currently manager at Championship club Crystal Palace, where he spent ten of his sixteen years as a player.-Barnet:...
.
Managerial statistics
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
 |
14 February 1978 | 16 March 1978 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 00.00 | |
| |
22 November 1982 | 10 July 1991 | 393 | 120 | 164 | 109 | 30.53 | |
| |
10 July 1991 | 2 May 1994 | 187 | 75 | 60 | 52 | 40.10 | |
| |
25 May 1994 | 27 November 1995 | 77 | 29 | 28 | 20 | 41.42 | |
| |
21 December 1995 | 4 July 2000 | 248 | 89 | 93 | 66 | 35.88 | |
| |
29 August 2000 | 28 December 2001 | 77 | 22 | 36 | 19 | 28.57 | |
 |
18 February 2002 | 25 May 2005 | 174 | 72 | 52 | 50 | 41.37 | |
| Total | 1161 | 407 | 435 | 319 | 35.05 | |||
External links
- Lennie Lawrence managerial statistics at soccerbase.com