There is no doubt that football in 2026 is very different to football in 1884, when City were formed.
The game evolves, and it could even be said that today’s football is different from that of 2011, when we dropped out of the league, or 1982/83, when we last flirted with the Second Division outside of COVID times. The game changes so fast, and comparison is the thief of joy.
It is also great for an article, though, so I am going to steal a little joy right now. The question I am asking is this: where does Michael Skubala’s record rank with the average Lincoln City manager? That is not just wins, losses and draws, but also win percentage and tenure length. What does average look like, and where does Michael Skubala come in that table?
Well, according to my calculations, the average Lincoln City manager lasts for 115 matches, winning 42, drawing 28 and losing 45. That means they have a win percentage of 31.8%. Incidentally, Bill Anderson, the last Lincoln manager to take charge in the Second Division, skews those numbers somewhat. Without him, the average tenure is 98 matches, with just 36 wins, 25 draws and 38 defeats, and a win percentage of 31.71%. No other manager’s record can distort the numbers quite as much.
Games Managed
Michael is now above average for games managed as Imps boss. He has taken charge of 126 matches, just two behind Steve Thompson and 11 ahead of the average. By the end of the season, that will be 140, surpassing John Beck and Horace Henshall. One hopes he will not get to Michael Appleton’s figure of 143 by the end of the season, as that would mean a play-off final appearance.
Currently, that leaves him 15th in the all-time rankings, but definitely on the trail of the top ten. Tenth spot is occupied by Danny Cowley on 176. Top is Bill Anderson, with an insurmountable 855, and bottom is eight-game wonder Steve Wicks.
Games Won
Michael might not be top ten for games managed, but he is there for games won, an honour he collected when beating Bradford City for his 56th win. That took him ahead of Michael Appleton in the games-won standings. Two more wins will see him move into the top eight, ahead of Ron Gray (60) and Joe McLelland (61). After that, he is gunning for David Calderhead (89), Keith Alexander (94) and Danny Cowley (95).
Mr Average wins 42 games in his Lincoln tenure, making Steve Thompson as close to the average Imps boss as possible.
Games Drawn
Not exactly one to be hugely proud of, but Michael is currently just above average for games drawn, although he has obviously managed more than some. The average Imps manager draws 28 matches, and Michael is on 31. Horace Henshall and David Calderhead are bang on average (28), while David Herd drew 30.
Two more draws will see Michael surpass Michael Appleton’s record of 33 draws.
In terms of draw percentage, Michael is as close to average as you can get. He has drawn 24.6% of his games, against an average of 24.48%. That is just a little less than Steve Wicks (25%) and John Pickering (25%), and a little more than John Reames (24.14%) and Danny Cowley (23.86%).
Games Lost
Obviously, games lost is an odd one, because some managers who lost very few seem good. Peter Daniel and Steve Wicks only tasted defeat on five occasions each, but they also barely mustered 20 outings as boss between them. The average Imps boss loses 45 games, and Michael is currently on 36, level with John Reames, having now lost one more than David Holdsworth and three fewer than Peter Jackson.
When it comes to percentages, Michael is right up there as the fourth-best Lincoln City manager. He has lost 28.57% of his games, which is less than David Herd (26.83%), Graham Taylor (25.12%) and Danny Cowley (22.16%). It is also marginally better than Mark Kennedy (28.77%), who had a very good loss percentage.
The average is 39.02%, pitched between Michael Appleton (38.46%) and Sam Ellis (41.07%).
Win Percentage
Here is the big one: win percentage. We have covered the number of wins, but win percentage is something managers are judged on, and Michael is right up there. He currently has the third-best win percentage of any Lincoln City manager in history, at 46.83%. Only Danny Cowley (53.98%) and Harry Parkes (47.34%) have more. Parkes should be commended, as he took charge of 395 games between 1927 and 1936, an astonishing number that underlines a strong win percentage.
The average win percentage is 31.8%, somewhere between Phil Stant (31.58%) and Mark Kennedy (34.20%).
Michael is currently ahead of Graham Taylor (45.97%) and Joe McLelland, our wartime manager, with 43.57%.
This was not really seeking to achieve anything, I just thought you might like some light reading for Friday teatime.
| # | Name | P | Win % | Draw % | Loss % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danny Cowley | 176 | 53.98% | 23.86% | 22.16% |
| 2 | Harry Parkes | 395 | 47.34% | 19.75% | 32.91% |
| 3 | Michael Skubala | 126 | 46.83% | 24.60% | 28.57% |
| 4 | Graham Taylor | 211 | 45.97% | 28.91% | 25.12% |
| 5 | Joe McClelland | 140 | 43.57% | 19.29% | 37.14% |
| 6 | John Schofield | 51 | 41.18% | 23.53% | 35.29% |
| 7 | Gary Simpson | 58 | 39.65% | 25.86% | 34.48% |
| 8 | Colin Murphy | 412 | 38.83% | 27.67% | 33.50% |
| 9 | Horace Henshall | 132 | 38.64% | 21.21% | 40.15% |
| 10 | Michael Appleton | 143 | 38.50% | 23.08% | 38.46% |
| 11 | Steve Thompson | 128 | 37.50% | 28.13% | 34.38% |
| 12 | Sam Ellis | 56 | 37.50% | 21.43% | 41.07% |
| 13 | Bert Loxley | 32 | 37.50% | 12.50% | 50.00% |
| 14 | John Beck | 130 | 36.92% | 32.31% | 30.77% |
| 15 | David Herd | 82 | 36.59% | 36.59% | 26.83% |
| 16 | Keith Alexander | 261 | 36.02% | 31.42% | 32.57% |
| 17 | Bill Anderson | 855 | 35.91% | 22.11% | 41.99% |
| 18 | Peter Jackson | 92 | 34.78% | 22.83% | 42.39% |
| 19 | David Calderhead | 256 | 34.77% | 20.70% | 44.53% |
| 20 | John Reames | 87 | 34.48% | 24.14% | 41.38% |
| 21 | Chris Moyses | 64 | 34.38% | 23.44% | 42.19% |
| 22 | Mark Kennedy | 73 | 34.20% | 36.99% | 28.77% |
| 23 | Ron Gray | 184 | 32.61% | 29.89% | 37.50% |
| 24 | James West | 106 | 32.08% | 20.75% | 47.17% |
| 25 | John Strawson | 97 | 31.96% | 11.34% | 56.70% |
| 26 | Average | 115 | 31.80% | 24.48% | 39.02% |
| 27 | Phil Stant | 38 | 31.58% | 26.32% | 42.11% |
| 28 | David Calderhead Jr. | 118 | 31.36% | 23.73% | 44.92% |
| 29 | Shane Westley | 30 | 30.00% | 16.67% | 53.33% |
| 30 | Steve Tilson | 37 | 29.73% | 18.92% | 51.35% |
| 31 | David Holdsworth | 71 | 29.57% | 26.76% | 43.66% |
| 32 | Chris Sutton | 51 | 28.00% | 27.45% | 45.10% |
| 33 | George Kerr | 79 | 27.85% | 26.58% | 45.57% |
| 34 | Willie Bell | 40 | 27.50% | 32.50% | 40.00% |
| 35 | John Henry Strawson | 195 | 26.67% | 20.51% | 52.82% |
| 36 | Alf Martin | 35 | 25.71% | 31.43% | 68.57% |
| 37 | Alan Buckley | 69 | 23.19% | 34.78% | 42.03% |
| 38 | Roy Chapman | 65 | 23.08% | 20.00% | 56.92% |
| 39 | George Fraser | 46 | 21.74% | 21.74% | 56.52% |
| 40 | Peter Daniel | 12 | 16.67% | 41.67% | 41.67% |
| 41 | Allan Clarke | 18 | 16.67% | 33.33% | 50.00% |
| 42 | John Pickering | 24 | 16.67% | 25.00% | 58.33% |
| 43 | Steve Wicks | 8 | 0.00% | 25.00% | 62.50% |
| 44 | Con Moulson | 8 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 100.00% |
You must be logged in to post a comment.