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History of Managers. Part 2

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Wolverhampton Wanderers record breaking manager Jack Addenbrooke is the 2nd manager in the series to come under the Vital microscope

Jack Addenbrooke
Manager August 1885 to June 1922


Jack Addenbrooke is Wolves longest serving manager, in total he spent near 37 years as Secretary and Manager at the club. He also spent a short time as landlord at the Molineux Hotel.

Jack Addenbrooke was amazingly appointed secretary at the age of just 10 in 1875, at the time he was playing football for St Luke`s School. At 14 he attended Saltley College in Birmingham and upon his return to Wolverhampton took up a teaching role at Bushbury School for 2 years. Whilst teaching he played for the Wolves 2nd XI. In 1885 he was made the first paid secretary and manager.
Although the team selections were done by committee, Jack had a big role in signing players.

Jacks first competitive game in charge was in the FA Cup and they recorded a thumping 7-0 win over Derby St Luke`s. Wolves progressed to the 4th round, eventually being beaten by West Brom. The following two seasons Wolves again competed in local games and the FA Cup. In 1887 it was once again a local team that sent Jack`s Wolves out of the Cup. Aston Villa finally seeing them off in the 2nd replay, 2-0. In the 2nd round Wolves had recorded a 14-0 victory over Cresswell Brewery.
It was another 3rd round exit in 1888 and again it was West Brom who did the deed, a 2-0 win for the local rivals. The following year though it was the start of something special, they very first Football League was started and Jack led Wolves as one of the 12 founder members.
Wolves did themselves proud finishing 3rd behind Aston Villa and the dominant Preston North End. In the FA Cup Preston denied Wolves in the Final. It would only be a few more years until Wolves returned though.
The following years Jack secured two 4th places and a 6th place finish. The 1892-93 season saw the team finish in their lowest position of 11th and suffer the biggest defeat in the clubs history – 10-1 v Newton Heath (later to be known as Man Utd) but in the FA Cup it was a different story. Bolton, Darwen, Middlesboro and Blackburn were brushed aside as Wolves stormed to the Final. There they faced Everton and took a 1-0 victory to claim their first major piece of silverware.

Despite the Cup success Jack couldn`t raise the team back up the table, 9th, 11th and 14th positions followed and FA Cup heartbreak as Sheff Wed won 2-1 in the 1896 Final to deny Wolves.

During all this Jack Addenbrooke had to deal with issues today`s manager simply don`t have to. 3 top players all died in one season. Harry Allen 29, David Wykes 28 and Joshua Hassell 24. David Wykes died just 24 hours after playing for Wolves v Stoke.

Over the following years Wolves bounced around the First Division and struggled t make an impact in the FA Cup. In 1905-06 season Wolves finished rock bottom and were relegated to the 2nd Division. A poor record of just 8 wins in 38 games and heavy defeats like 8-0 v Newcastle meant 99 goals were conceded.
Hopes of a quick return were dashed when Wolves could only manage a 6th place finish and the following season 9th , but Jack led his team to a 2nd FA Cup win in 1908. Wolves became the lowest ever placed team to win the trophy when they beat firm favourites Newcastle United 3-1 in the Final.
As was becoming a trend in Jack Addenbrookes Wolves, the next season was disappointing. A 1st Round exit in the FA Cup at the hands of amateurs Crystal Palace and a 7th place finish. Over the following years became a stuck in mid-table but in the 1914-15 they showed signs of improvement missing out on promotion by 5 points and finishing 4th. The next 4 years saw no action, apart from a 6 game Midlands Victory League in 1919 as Britain went to war.

On the resumption of football, Wolves struggled to find the form of 4 years previously and finished 19th. 1921 saw another visit to the FA Cup Final for Jack but Tottenham ran out 1-0 winners. In Jack`s final season Wolves finished 17th and said goodbye to the Cup in round one. Jack Addenbrookes final victory came in March as Bradford PA were defeated 5-0.

On the 25th June Jack was advised to take 6 months off to rest after an illness sadly though he passed away on the 7th September 1922.

Jack Addenbrooke laid the foundations for Wolves in the league and led the team to 5 FA Cup Finals, winning 2.

Here is Jack Addenbrookes complete record in the league

Pl….W….D…L….F….A……Pts
1016..397..200.419..1565..1651..994

Best League Finish – 3rd 1888-1889 Season

Jack Addenbrookes FA Cup Record

Pl….W….D…L….F….A
109…58…20..31..218…127

Best Finish – Winners – 1893 & 1908
Runners up – 1889, 1896, 1921

Jack Addenbrookes Complete Competitive Record as Manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers

Pl……W….D…L…..F….A
1125…455..220..450..1783..1778

All of the results under Jack Addenbrooke can be found in our Stats section over on forum. Click HERE to visit

In Part Three we look at the short but eventful reign of George Jobey

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