The football community has come together today to pay tribute to former Portsmouth manager Kenny Jackett, who has sadly passed away at the age of 64.
It was announced today (June 12th) by the League Managers Association (LMA) that Jackett had died earlier in the week, on Thursday the 11th of June 2026.
Tributes quickly flooded in from the clubs he once managed; Pompey, Watford, Wolves, Millwall, Swansea City, Rotherham United and Leyton Orient; before fans across the country and journalists alike began to pay their respects.
Jackett was appointed as manager of Portsmouth in the summer of 2017 and became just the third boss to guide the club to silverware at Wembley Stadium when he led his side to the EFL Trophy title in 2019, beating Sunderland on penalties under the arch. Only Jack Tinn (1939 FA Cup) and Harry Redknapp (2008 FA Cup) had previously achieved such a feat with the club.
He became Pompey's longest-serving manager of the 21st century and longest-serving boss since Alan Ball in the 1980s.
To this day, Jackett has the highest post-war win percentage (50.71) of any manager at Portsmouth Football Club - You'd have to go all the way back to Bob Blyth's tenure between 1901-1904 to find the last manager with a higher win rate (59.15).
A post-war record of 9 consecutive wins in all competitions (in 2019/20) was also overseen by Kenny Jackett at Pompey.
Whilst unable to steer the Blues to promotion from League One during his tenure, Jackett enjoyed plenty of league success elsewhere in his managerial career, helping Millwall to promotion to the Championship via the Play-Offs in 2010 and guiding Wolves up to the same division in 2014, however this time as League One champions and reaching a division record of 103 points - a feat that stood until 2025 when Birmingham City managed to claim 111.
With Millwall, Jackett also provided a bit of FA Cup magic in the 2012/13 season by way of a Semi-Final appearance at Wembley, where they were beaten by eventual winners Wigan Athletic.
Jackett's playing career was spent entirely at Watford, where he was born. He had to sadly retire from playing at the age of 28 in 1990 after having undergone a series of knee operations. With The Hornets from 1980 following a debut at the age of 18, Jackett played in defence and midfield and 428 appearances - placing him 6th in the club's all time appearance records.
He also made 31 appearances for Wales, making his debut in a EURO '84 Qualifying victory over Norway in September 1982.
After leaving Fratton Park in 2021, Jackett went on to manage Leyton Orient and hold a position as director of football at Gillingham.
LMA chief executive Richard Bevan said in a statement: "Kenny stands as one of the most respected managers to have plied their trade in the EFL - a hugely capable leader whose work across 4 decades has left a lasting influence on the many players, coaches and colleagues who benefitted from his guidance.
"He embodied everything we like to see in a manager - humility, professionalism and a deep care for his players and staff. He improved every club he served and did so with quiet dignity throughout his career.
"From his first role at Watford to his final role at Gillingham, Kenny's work was characterised by an incredible sense of responsibility to his teams and to the game itself.
"Kenny is a huge loss to all that knew and loved him. Our thoughts are with his wife Samantha, sons David and Ryan, and all of his family and friends, who join us in mourning."
During his tenure at Portsmouth Football Club, Kenny Jackett appeared as a guest on The Football Hour and was regularly interviewed by various volunteers at pre-match press conferences for the station's upcoming match broadcasts. It is at this juncture that we would like to remember and thank Kenny for the time that he offered to the station - his professionalism, patience and transparency through all dealings with Express FM and other media outlets covering the Blues.
The thoughts of the Express FM team are with Kenny's family, friends, loved ones and former colleagues at this sad time.
Rest in peace, Kenny Jackett 1962-2026
