Ryan Lowe

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…

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…

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 stated 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.

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