Former Blackpool coach appointed permanent boss of under-achieving League Two side

Dawes left Blackpool in 2020 to become Tranmere’s assistant manager having worked with both the academy and the first-team at Bloomfield Road.

After three spells as Tranmere’s interim boss, the 39-year-old has now been given the number one job on a permanent basis.

“Tranmere Rovers Football Club are delighted to announce the appointment of Ian Dawes as the new manager of the club,” the fourth tier side said in a statement.

“Ian has been an integral member of the coaching staff for a number of seasons and has acted as interim manager on three occasions.

“The club has considered several highly qualified candidates however Ian's coaching abilities, knowledge of the playing squad and the staff as well as the club's aims to balance player development with winning games ultimately made him the standout choice.”

Tranmere chairman Mark Palios said the club were now moving away from appointing “experienced managers who have spent years on the managerial merry-go-round”.

Dawes replaces former Seasider Micky Mellon, who was sacked in March after Tranmere had slipped to 14th in the League Two table.

Addressing his appointment, Dawes said: “It’s an honour to be appointed manager of Tranmere Rovers. Having already had three interim spells, I’m now ready to take control of the team and implement my own style and ideas.

“It’s an opportunity I’m relishing and I want to reassure the fans that I personally hate failure and would not have taken the job unless I was confident of bringing success to the club.

“I know it is equally important to win games as it is to develop players. Every player that steps foot onto that pitch has to play for the badge and make the fans and the club proud and this is one of the key messages I will be implementing.

“With the players we have under contract, the re-signing of a few and adding the right players and balance to improve the squad, I believe we can see an improvement and get back to having something to play for come the end of the season, at the positive end of the table.”