Ryan Lowe

Quality 0.50 · 0 views · Updated 2 months ago

English footballer (born 1978)

title: "Ryan Lowe" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1978-births", "living-people", "footballers-from-liverpool", "english-men's-footballers", "men's-association-football-forwards", "liverpool-f.c.-players", "southport-f.c.-players", "waterloo-dock-a.f.c.-players", "burscough-f.c.-players", "shrewsbury-town-f.c.-players", "chester-city-f.c.-players", "crewe-alexandra-f.c.-players", "stockport-county-f.c.-players", "bury-f.c.-players", "sheffield-wednesday-f.c.-players", "milton-keynes-dons-f.c.-players", "tranmere-rovers-f.c.-players", "english-football-league-players", "national-league-(english-football)-players", "english-football-managers", "bury-f.c.-managers", "plymouth-argyle-f.c.-managers", "preston-north-end-f.c.-managers", "wigan-athletic-f.c.-managers", "english-football-league-managers", "english-football-coaches"] description: "English footballer (born 1978)" topic_path: "technology/web" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Lowe" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary English footballer (born 1978) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox football biography"]

Field	Value
name	Ryan Lowe
image	File:Ryan Lowe 09082025 (6).jpg
caption	Lowe with Wigan Athletic in 2025.
fullname	Ryan Thomas Lowe
birth_date
birth_place	Liverpool, England
height	5 ft 9+1/2 in
position	Striker
currentclub	Wigan Athletic (head coach)
youthclubs1	Liverpool
youthyears2	1996–1999
youthclubs2	Southport
clubs1	Sandon Dock
clubs2	Waterloo Dock
years3	1999–2000
clubs3	Burscough
years4	2000–2005
clubs4	Shrewsbury Town
caps4	171
goals4	32
years5	2005–2006
clubs5	Chester City
caps5	40
goals5	14
years6	2006–2008
clubs6	Crewe Alexandra
caps6	64
goals6	12
years7	2008
clubs7	→ Stockport County (loan)
caps7	4
goals7	0
years8	2008–2009
clubs8	Chester City
caps8	45
goals8	16
years9	2009–2011
clubs9	Bury
caps9	90
goals9	49
years10	2011–2012
clubs10	Sheffield Wednesday
caps10	26
goals10	8
years11	2012–2013
clubs11	Milton Keynes Dons
caps11	42
goals11	11
years12	2013–2014
clubs12	Tranmere Rovers
caps12	45
goals12	19
years13	2014–2016
clubs13	Bury
caps13	53
goals13	15
years14	2015–2016
clubs14	→ Crewe Alexandra (loan)
caps14	6
goals14	2
years15	2016–2017
clubs15	Crewe Alexandra
caps15	22
goals15	5
years16	2017–2018
clubs16	Bury
caps16	18
goals16	1
totalcaps	626
totalgoals	184
manageryears1	2017
managerclubs1	Bury (caretaker)
manageryears2	2018–2019
managerclubs2	Bury
manageryears3	2019–2021
managerclubs3	Plymouth Argyle
manageryears4	2021–2024
managerclubs4	Preston North End
manageryears5	2025–
managerclubs5	Wigan Athletic
::

Lowe's playing career, as a striker, began at Burscough in 1999 and he became a Football League player with Shrewsbury Town the following year. He played for eight league clubs in all and had three spells at Bury and at Crewe Alexandra. In the second half of the 2010–11 season, Lowe established a Bury club record by scoring a goal in each of nine consecutive league games. Lowe ended his playing career at Bury who had signed him again in January 2017, this time as player-coach. He became caretaker-manager twice in 2017–18 after first Lee Clark and then Chris Lucketti were sacked. Lowe retired from playing in March 2018 during his second caretaker appointment.

In May 2018, despite their relegation to League Two, Bury offered Lowe the position of full-time manager on a two-year contract to the end of the 2019–20 season. After guiding the club to promotion back to League One, he left Bury on 5 June 2019 to take over at newly relegated Plymouth Argyle, managing them to an immediate return to League One before joining Preston North End in December 2021, staying with them until August 2024. He was appointed as Wigan's head coach in March 2025.

Early years

Born in Liverpool, Merseyside, Lowe played for Liverpool's youth team between 12 and 13, before breaking his ankle. He returned to the team aged 15 before again leaving the club. While at Liverpool, he formed a friendship with Steven Gerrard.

After Liverpool, Lowe played with Southport's youth team and non-league Liverpool teams Sandon Dock and Waterloo Dock before joining Burscough. He moved into the Football League with Shrewsbury Town in time for 2000–01.

Playing career

Shrewsbury Town and Chester City

After almost five years with the Shrews (which included a season in the Football Conference), Lowe switched to Football League Two side Chester City on 22 March 2005. He spent a year at Chester, which included scoring twice in a shock FA Cup 3–0 win over Nottingham Forest on 3 December 2005 before leaving the club by mutual consent shortly after the return of manager Mark Wright.

Crewe Alexandra

Lowe joined Football League One side Crewe Alexandra in time for 2006–07 season. He enjoyed a successful debut for the Railwaymen, scoring the opening goal; assisting David Vaughan's goal and earning the man of the match in Crewe's 2–2 draw with Northampton Town on 5 August 2006. Lowe continued his form over the first few games of the season, scoring a further two goals in late August. However, the arrival of Rodney Jack to the club saw him lose his starting place for much of September. He returned to the starting line up on 30 September 2006 against Carlisle United. Lowe scored his only hat-trick for Crewe as they ran out 5–1 winners at the Alexandra Stadium.

After spells in and out of the Crewe side, Lowe joined Stockport County on loan on 27 March 2008. His transfer was not made permanent and he was not included in the side which clinched promotion in the play-off final against Rochdale at Wembley Stadium.

Return to Chester City

On 2 July 2008, Lowe returned to Chester on a two-year deal, becoming the club's fifth summer signing after Anthony Barry, Jay Harris, David Mannix and Paul Taylor. Lowe scored twice including a penalty, in his first home game back for Chester against Leeds United in a 5–2 loss in the League Cup on 12 August 2008 and repeated the feat in a 5–1 thrashing of Barnet later in the month.

Lowe went on to comfortably finish as Chester's leading scorer with 18 goals (16 in the league), in a season which ended with the side suffering relegation from Football League Two. He received the club's player of the season award before the final match of the campaign against Darlington. The following week it was announced Lowe had left Chester by mutual agreement, with several Football League clubs interested in signing him.

Bury

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Ryan_Lowe.jpg" caption="Bury]] in 2009."] ::

On 10 June 2009, Bury confirmed the signing of Lowe on free transfer Lowe scored his first goal for Bury on 18 August 2009 away at Hereford United in a 3–1 win. Also, Lowe scored in Bury's 1–0 victory over rivals Rochdale, in the fixture at Gigg Lane. He scored his 100th league goal on 9 October 2010, bagging a brace against local rivals Accrington Stanley.

At the beginning of the 2010–11 season, he was named vice-captain by Alan Knill. On 1 March 2011, Lowe broke a 53-year-old club record by scoring in eight consecutive league games in a 3–0 victory over Shrewsbury Town at the Greenhous Meadow. After a goal in the following 3–0 victory over Hereford on 5 March he extended the record to nine games. On 25 April he scored Bury's third in a 3–2 win over league leaders Chesterfield in the 87th minute, promoting his side to League One.

Sheffield Wednesday

On 31 August 2011, Lowe joined Bury's fellow League One team Sheffield Wednesday for an undisclosed six figure fee.

Milton Keynes Dons and Tranmere Rovers

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Ryan_Lowe_1.jpg" caption="Tranmere Rovers]] in 2013."] ::

On 1 August 2012, Lowe signed for League One side Milton Keynes Dons for an undisclosed fee and was signed on a two-year deal after limited chances at Hillsborough. On 21 June 2013, Lowe agreed to cancel his Milton Keynes Dons contract and agreed to join Tranmere Rovers on a free transfer with a two-year deal.

Second contract with Bury

On 19 May 2014, Bury announced that they had re-signed Lowe on a two-year contract.

Return to Crewe Alexandra

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Ryan_Lowe_celebrates.jpg" caption="Ryan Lowe is congratulated by teammates after scoring the opening goal for Crewe Alexandra in a 2–1 win at Stevenage (6 August 2016)."] ::

On 23 November 2015 Lowe rejoined his former club Crewe Alexandra on loan until 5 January 2016, and in his first appearance scored a stoppage time winner at Colchester United. He signed a new full contract with Crewe in May 2016, and on 6 August made his third scoring Crewe debut with the first goal in a 2–1 win at Stevenage. Three days later, Lowe scored both Crewe goals in a 2–1 League Cup tie win at Sheffield United.

Player-coach at Bury

In January 2017, Lowe returned to Bury in a player-coach role. Following the sacking of manager Lee Clark in October 2017, Lowe was appointed caretaker-manager, taking charge for Bury's FA Cup first-round tie at National League side Woking. He remained in charge for six games (two wins, two draws, two defeats) until 22 November when Chris Lucketti was appointed Clark's successor, with Lowe becoming player-coach again. In January 2018, after Lucketti was sacked, Lowe was again appointed caretaker-manager, this time until the end of the season, with Ryan Kidd as his assistant. He decided to end his playing career to concentrate on management and coaching. His last match as a player was for Bury against Bristol Rovers on Friday, 30 March 2018 in League One.

Managerial career

Bury

In May 2018, Lowe was appointed full-time manager of Bury on a two-year contract. Bury had just been relegated and, to "sort out the mess of the previous season" and prepare for the 2018–19 season in EFL League Two, Lowe was very busy in the transfer market with eleven players being transferred out or released, and another eleven being transferred in, all of them on free transfers. He said that players who did not fulfil their potential had to go and be replaced by players with some passion who "could get bums off seats at Gigg Lane".

After a shaky start to the season in which the new team found its feet, Bury had reached fourth place in the table when they travelled to promotion rivals Mansfield Town on Boxing Day. They lost that match and dropped to sixth place but then began an unbeaten run which firmly established them in the top three. In addition, Lowe led them to the semi-final stage of the EFL Trophy, Bury's best-ever showing in this tournament, before they were defeated by League One Portsmouth. In recognition of his success in turning the team around, Lowe was three times awarded the EFL League Two Manager of the Month award – in November 2018, January 2019 and February 2019.

Plymouth Argyle

On 5 June 2019, Lowe was announced as manager of Plymouth Argyle, guiding them to a third-place finish and an immediate return to League One in a season interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

After guiding his side to four wins and two draws from six matches during an 17-game unbeaten run in the league, in a month that saw Plymouth top the League One table, Lowe was named EFL League One Manager of the Month for October 2021. On 7 December 2021, Lowe resigned as Plymouth manager, with the club fourth in League One.

Preston North End

Immediately following his departure from Plymouth on 7 December 2021, Lowe was appointed manager of Championship side Preston North End. He took Preston to a 13th-place finish in his first season, with the club finishing 12th and 10th in the following two seasons.

On 12 August 2024, after just one game of Preston's 2024–25 season (a 2–0 home defeat by Sheffield United), Lowe left the club by mutual consent.

Wigan Athletic

On 12 March 2025, Lowe was appointed head coach of League One side Wigan Athletic on a three-and-a-half year contract. Preston North End CEO Peter Ridsdale said he was "delighted" for Lowe. On 1 April 2025, Lowe was red-carded following angry exchanges in the technical area after Wigan conceded a 92nd-minute goal in a home defeat by Bolton Wanderers. Lowe gained his first win as manager in his seventh game, a 1–0 win at his former club and already relegated Shrewsbury Town on 18 April 2025.

Style of management

Lowe's managerial style has been influenced by Jürgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola, Rafa Benítez and Lowe's long-time friend Steven Gerrard, among others. He is attack-minded, and Bury in 2018–19 were one of the Football League's highest-scoring teams; their style, described as "gung-ho", soon brought success as the club finished second in League Two and earned promotion back to League One. Lowe explained in an interview with The Guardian that he wanted to instil a "winning philosophy" and that, by outscoring their opponents, Bury would have a greater chance of achieving that goal. The on-field strategy was effectively a 3-1-4-2 formation.

Career statistics

::data[format=table title="Appearances and goals by club, season and competition"]

Club	Season	League	FA Cup	League Cup	Other	Total	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps
Shrewsbury Town	2000–01	Third Division	30	4	1	0	2	0	1	0	34	4
2001–02	Third Division	38	7	0	0	0	0	1	0	39	7
2002–03	Third Division	39	9	4	0	1	0	5	4	49	13
2003–04	Football Conference	34	9	1	0	—	4	1	39	10
2004–05	League Two	30	3	1	0	1	0	2	0	34	3
Chester City	2004–05	League Two	8	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	4
2005–06	League Two	32	10	2	3	0	0	0	0	34	13
Crewe Alexandra	2006–07	League One	37	8	0	0	2	1	5	3	44	12
2007–08	League One	27	4	2	0	0	0	1	1	30	5
Stockport County (loan)	2007–08	League Two	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
Chester City	2008–09	League Two	45	16	1	0	1	2	1	0	48	18
Bury	2009–10	League Two	39	18	1	0	1	0	2	0	43	18
2010–11	League Two	46	27	2	1	1	0	1	0	50	28
2011–12	League One	5	4	0	0	2	3	0	0	7	7
Sheffield Wednesday	2011–12	League One	26	8	4	1	0	0	0	0	30	9
Milton Keynes Dons	2012–13	League One	42	11	6	1	3	0	0	0	51	12
Tranmere Rovers	2013–14	League One	45	19	2	1	2	0	1	0	50	20
Bury	2014–15	League Two	34	9	2	0	1	1	1	1	38	11
2015–16	League One	19	6	3	0	0	0	0	0	22	6
Crewe Alexandra (loan)	2015–16	League One	6	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	2
Crewe Alexandra	2016–17	League Two	22	5	2	1	2	2	2	1	28	9
Bury	2016–17	League One	12	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	12	1
2017–18	League One	6	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	8	0
::

Managerial statistics

|- |align=left|Bury |align=left|15 January 2018 |align=left|5 June 2019 |- |align=left|Plymouth Argyle |align=left|5 June 2019 |align=left|7 December 2021 |- |align=left|Preston North End |align=left|7 December 2021 |align=left|12 August 2024 |- |align=left|Wigan Athletic |align=left|12 March 2025 |align=left|Present |- !colspan="3"|Totals |}

Honours

Player

Shrewsbury Town

Conference National play-offs: 2004

Bury

Football League Two second-place promotion: 2010–11; promotion: 2014–15

Sheffield Wednesday

Football League One second-place promotion: 2011–12

Individual

Chester City Player of the Season: 2008–09
Football League Two Player of the Month: January 2010, September 2010, February 2011, April 2011
Bury Player of the Season: 2010–11
PFA Team of the Year: 2010–11 Football League Two
PFA League Two Fans' Player of the Year: 2010–11
Football League One Player of the Month: August 2011, November 2013
Tranmere Rovers Player of the Season: 2013–14

Manager

Bury

EFL League Two promotion: 2018–19

Plymouth Argyle

EFL League Two promotion: 2019–20

Individual

EFL League Two Manager of the Month: November 2018, January 2019, February 2019, January 2020
EFL League One Manager of the Month: October 2021

References

(2010). "The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11". Mainstream Publishing.
"Ryan Lowe - FIFA 06 - Player Stats".
(20 February 2019). "Bury's Ryan Lowe: "Jürgen Klopp complimented me on my style and system"". [[The Guardian]].
(16 July 2014). "Scouse in the House: Sheffield Wednesday's Ryan Lowe explains his footballing journey". Liverpool Echo.
(22 March 2005). "Lowe signs for City". chester-city.co.uk.
(5 December 2005). "Vote for Ryan". chester-city.co.uk.
(31 March 2006). "Ryan Lowe departs City". chester-city.co.uk.
(27 March 2008). "Striker signs". Stockport County F.C.
(2 July 2008). "Blues complete midfielder swoop". TEAMtalk.com.
(2 May 2009). "Chester City 1 Darlington 2". Chester Chronicle.
(14 May 2009). "Lowe let go by Chester". Liverpool Daily Post.
(10 July 2009). "Lowe signed by Bury". Bury F.C.
(25 April 2011). "Chesterfield 2–3 Bury". BBC Sport.
[https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/s/sheff_wed/9577197.stm Sheffield Wednesday sign Ryan Lowe on two year deal], 31 August 2011, news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
"Lowe inks Dons deal".
[https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/23008206 Ryan Lowe: MK Dons cancel homesick striker's contract], 21 June 2013, news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
[https://twitter.com/tranmererovers/status/348176474454507521 Striker Ryan Lowe has agreed to join Tranmere Rovers on a two–year contract], 21 June 2013 Twitter.com. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
(19 May 2014). "Bury re-sign Tranmere Rovers veteran striker". BBC Sport.
"Crewe re-sign striker Lowe on loan". BBC Sport.
"Colchester 2–3 Crewe". BBC Sport.
"Ryan Lowe: Crewe Alexandra sign Bury striker for a third time". BBC Sport.
(6 August 2016). "Match Report: Stevenage 1-2 Crewe Alexandra". BBC Sport.
(9 August 2016). "Sheffield Utd 1-2 Crewe Alexandra". BBC.
(24 January 2017). "Crewe Alex target new signings to ease Lowe blow". Crewe Chronicle.
(31 October 2017). "Ryan Lowe appointed Bury caretaker manager ahead of Sunday's FA Cup tie at Woking". Bury Times.
(22 November 2017). "Chris Lucketti: Bury appoint Scunthorpe United assistant as new manager". BBC.
(15 January 2018). "Chris Lucketti: Bury manager sacked after two months in charge". BBC.
(10 May 2018). "Ryan Lowe appointed permanent manager of Bury Football Club on two-year contract". Bury Times.
(7 December 2018). "Sky Bet League Two Manager of the Month: November winner".
(8 February 2019). "Sky Bet League Two Manager of the Month: January winner".
(8 March 2019). "Sky Bet League Two: February Manager of the Month winner".
(5 June 2019). "Ryan Lowe: Plymouth Argyle appoint Bury manager as new boss". BBC.
(9 June 2020). "League One & League Two clubs vote to end seasons early". BBC Sport.
(12 November 2021). "Lowe Wins Manager of the Month".
(7 December 2021). "Ryan Lowe: Preston appoint Plymouth manager, Steven Schumacher takes over at Argyle". BBC Sport.
(7 December 2021). "Preston North End Appoint Ryan Lowe As First Team Manager".
(12 August 2024). "Ryan Lowe leaves Preston after just one game of new Championship season". Guardian.
"Ryan Lowe Leaves PNE By Mutual Consent".
(12 August 2024). "Preston part company with Lowe after he asked to leave". BBC Sport.
(12 March 2025). "Ryan Lowe appointed Head Coach of Wigan Athletic".
Whelan, Ryan. (2025-03-12). "Exclusive: Preston North End CEO "Delighted" for Ryan Lowe at Wigan Athletic".
(1 April 2025). "Wigan Athletic 0-1 Bolton Wanderers". BBC Sport.
(18 April 2025). "Shrewsbury Town 0-1 Wigan Athletic". BBC Sport.
"Tables - League Two - England - Results, fixtures, tables and news - Soccerway".
{{soccerbase season. 21292. 2000
(18 November 2000). "Cheltenham Town v Shrewsbury Town".
{{soccerbase season. 21292. 2001
{{soccerbase season. 21292. 2002
{{soccerbase season. 21292. 2003
{{soccerbase season. 21292. 2004
{{soccerbase season. 21292. 2005
{{soccerbase season. 21292. 2006
{{soccerbase season. 21292. 2007
{{soccerbase season. 21292. 2008
{{soccerbase season. 21292. 2009
{{soccerbase season. 21292. 2010
{{soccerbase season. 21292. 2011
{{soccerbase season. 21292. 2012
{{soccerbase season. 21292. 2013
{{soccerbase season. 21292. 2014
{{soccerbase season. 21292. 2015
{{soccerbase season. 21292. 2016
{{soccerbase season. 21292. 2017
"Managers – Ryan Lowe". CenturyComm.
FC, Wigan Athletic. (2025-03-12). "Ryan Lowe appointed Head Coach of Wigan Athletic".
(2 May 2009). "Match reports from April/May 2009".
(27 April 2011). "Bury Football Club on X".
(17 April 2011). "Spurs' Gareth Bale wins PFA player of the year award". BBC Sport.
(3 May 2014). "Tranmere Rovers FC on X".
(7 February 2020). "Sky Bet League Two: Manager and Player of the Month January winners". EFL.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::