Tranmere have today announced Ian Dawes has been appointed as assistant manager to Mike Jackson.
Dawes, 36, joins Rovers having most recently worked at Blackpool as first team coach. He had previously been Head of Academy with the Seasiders.
He started his career as a young player in Liverpool’s Academy. While he never made the grade as a player at Anfield, he did do some coaching with the Reds’ youngsters for 10 years.
Dawes is also a UEFA A qualified coach and has worked alongside Mike Jackson at Shrewsbury where he was under-18s manager and also did some coaching with the first team. He also managed Bangor City for a period of time.
Speaking about his appointment on the official club website, Dawes said: “I received a phone call from the manager asking if I would like to come in as number two, and I am absolutely delighted to be working for such a historic football club. It is an honour.
“The Club has a fantastic fan base and great history. I am from Liverpool, so I know the Club extremely well. It is a massive opportunity and I can’t wait to get going.
“I know the manager well from our time together at Shrewsbury Town, and we work very well as a team.
“I am not just working for a great football club, I am working with some great people too. The manager shares the same philosophies and same standards. He has the same mentality and we work well together, and the fans and the players will see that, and the results will be seen on the pitch.”
Jackson himself said: “It is good to get him in and you need good staff around you to support you with the work that you are doing.
“I know him from our time together at Shrewsbury, he is a good coach and he has a similar opinion on how the game should be played as I do.
“It is a good fit, he is good at helping develop players and that is what we want to do. It is important we keep on helping our players develop so he will help massively in that area.
“He knows the league, he has a good knowledge of players and he is local to the Club. He is a great addition to the coaching staff and I am delighted he is on board.”
Rovers returned to pre-season training yesterday, but with only around ten contracted professional players, it was no surprise to see the club’s official photo gallery looking somewhat threadbare.
