Millwall FC's 5 worst managers ever (Ranked) | OneFootball

There have been some forgettable spells in the Den dugout over the years

Millwall fans have seen some forgettable spells in the dugout over recent years, despite currently going through a relatively consistent spell in the Championship over the past few seasons.

There will be different managers that stick out to different fans as the worst they've seen, but how do they stack up against each other?

To assemble this list, we've used data from Transfermarkt and have used each manager's 'points per game' rate to establish their rank, from fifth to worst, disregarding any boss who took charge for under 10 games.

Without further delay, here's how the Millwall bosses stack up against one another...

5 Billy Bonds

Billy Bonds went into management with West Ham United following the end of his long playing career with that same club.

Having left in 1994, Bonds took up the managerial post at their bitter rivals Millwall a few years later. He stayed for just under a year, where he presided over 47 games, picking up an average of 1.17 points per game.

Although he was a long way from being the worst-performing manager by this metric, a relatively difficult season in the dugout saw him sacked at the end of the 1997/98 campaign.

4 Steve Lomas

Clocking in at exactly one point per game is former Lions boss Steve Lomas, who also spent the majority of his playing career with the Hammers too.

He took charge of Millwall in the summer of 2013 after a stint in Scotland with St. Johnstone, having showed significant potential north of the border, but would not make it in South Bermondsey until the end of that calendar year.

After just 24 games as Lions boss, he was sacked on Boxing Day following a defeat to Watford, and hasn't managed in the professional game since then.

3 Ian Holloway

More renowned for his spell managing the likes of Blackpool, Ian Holloway had a more forgettable spell in the dugout at the Den.

He was appointed in January 2014 with the Lions in a perilous position and managed to guide them to safety, but just over a year later the tide had turned on Holloway.

Speaking to Sky Sports after 3-0 loss to Middlesbrough, he said: "It doesn't help when you're not popular with the fans, it puts extra pressure on people.

"I'm sure I'll be talking to the chairman over the next few days and we'll have to see where we are."

He wasn't wrong either; just five days later he was relieved of his duties. Over the course of 62 games in charge, he earned an average of 0.98 points per game.

2 Joe Edwards

The most recent name on this list, Joe Edwards took the manager's job at Millwall midway through the 2023/24 season, his first permanent senior role as a manager, having spent plenty of time developing his craft in Chelsea's youth setup over the years.

It turned out to be an ill-fated experiment. Having been hired in November 2023, he was gone by February 2024, with just four wins to his name and Millwall sitting ominously above the drop zone.

In his 17 games in charge, he picked up an average of just 0.94 points per game, and he proved to be the wrong man with the wrong style, and most certainly at the wrong time.

Lastly, taking the unenviable honour of topping this list is Nigel Spackman, who was first appointed Millwall boss in May 2006.

Spackman first got into management at the end of his playing career with Sheffield United, before stints at Barnsley and, finally, Millwall.