RANKING: Stoke City managers with most game wins in the club’s history.

Under new manager Steven Schumacher, Stoke City has had a difficult season as the Potters are presently in the lower half of the Championship table.

At The bet365 Stadium, the glory days of the Premier League seem a long time ago. Since their relegation in 2018, the team has failed to place in the top half of the Championship.

Alex Neil led Stoke for the first part of the 2023–24 season before being fired in December and being replaced by Plymouth manager Schumacher.

The team has had some bad managerial choices since being demoted to the Championship, but things weren’t always this way.

We’ll examine the nine managers who had the most victories while leading Stoke using Soccerbase.

9. Mick Mills (73 wins)

From 1985 until 1989, Mick Mills, an Englishman, managed the Potters for a four-year period.

Mills managed 214 games in his time at the Victoria Ground, winning 73, drawing 63, and losing 78. After leaving Stoke, he took over at Colchester United, then in 2001 he was appointed caretaker manager of Birmingham City.

8. Gudjon Thordarsson (77 wins)

Between 1999 and 2002, Icelandic manager Thordarsson was in charge of The bet365 Stadium.

During his tenure with the club, he managed 154 games, winning precisely half of them (77). After defeating Brentford at the Millennium Stadium in 2002, he was promoted from the third division and won the 2000 Football League Trophy. He played 38 games with 38 draws and 38 losses.

7. Alfred Barker (130 wins)

Barker was the Potters’ manager for six years at the start of the twentieth century, taking over in 1908 and 1914.

He played with the club for 256 games, winning 130, drawing 35, and losing 91. The team had especially successful run during that period as they won both the Birmingham & District League and the Southern League Division Two championship.

6. Frank Taylor (146 wins)

From 1952 till 1960, Frank Taylor was in charge of the Victoria Ground for eight years.

During his leadership, the team participated in 362 games, winning 146, drawing 79, and losing 137.

5. Horace Austerberry (149 wins)

Austerberry managed an astounding 421 Stoke matches from 1897 to 1908.

But he only emerged victorious in 149 of those games, so his victory rate isn’t all that impressive. In those matches, his team lost 183 and drew 89.

4. Tony Pulis (169 wins)

Welshman Pulis led Stoke for two stints, from 2002 to 2005 and again from 2006 until 2013.

Before playing a season at Plymouth Argyle, Pulis won 47 games in his first stint at The bet365 Stadium.

Though he did not leave the division during his stint, he did return in 2006 and guided the team to the Premier League in 2008. His two stints with the club resulted in 122 victories, for a total of 169 victories.

Following his 2013 departure from the team, he had successful stints at Sheffield Wednesday, Middlesbrough, West Brom, and Crystal Palace.

3. Bob McGrory (170 wins)

From 1935 to 1952, Bob McGrory, a Scot, led the club for 17 years.

Despite having been in control for so long, McGrory was only able to oversee 460 games because play was suspended between 1939 and 1945 due to World War 2. In his games in command, he won 170, drew 114, and lost 176.

2. Tom Mather (222 wins)

From 1923 until 1935, Tom Mather led the Potters for a period of twelve years.

Over the course of his 523 games in charge, the team won 222, drew 122, and lost 179. Under Mather, the team experienced modest success, taking home two division championships—one in the Second Division and one in the Third Division North.

1. Tony Waddington (291 wins)

Tony Waddington was the manager of Stoke City from 1960 to 1977, and he won more games than any other manager during that time.

Waddington oversaw an amazing 825 games at the Victoria Ground over his 17 years as the team’s manager, winning 291 of them, drawing 235, and losing 299 of them.

Under Waddington, the team experienced some success, making it to the final in 1964 and won the League Cup in 1972. With Waddington in charge, the team also won the fleeting Watney Cup in 1973 and was promoted from the Second Division.