Macclesfield FC have grown accustomed to being probably the most well-known staff with probably the most well-known names of their league. In a earlier life, the membership listed Sammy McIlroy, Paul Ince and Sol Campbell as former managers. Since their rebirth in 2020, the previous Premier League gamers Neil Danns, Alex Bruce and, most notably, Robbie Savage, have loved spells within the sizzling seat.
John Rooney's surname is unlikely to go unnoticed, but the youthful brother of the England and Manchester United legend Wayne is, by his personal admission, a far much less glitzy appointment than his predecessor Savage, whose effervescent character got here to outline Macclesfield lately.
A self-styled Marmite man, Savage loved unparalleled success in his season-long stint at Macclesfield, profitable the Northern Premier League with a mammoth 109 factors. His departure to Forest Inexperienced earlier this summer season left a void, with key gamers corresponding to Laurent Mendy, Tre Pemberton and Neil Kengni following him to Gloucestershire.
Footage of Savage nonetheless adorn the partitions behind Rooney as we chat within the boardroom of the Leasing.com Stadium, days out from Macclesfield's opening recreation of the brand new Nationwide League North marketing campaign in opposition to Worksop City. “I'll be totally different to Sav,” says Rooney, an attacking midfielder who rejoined Macclesfield as a participant in August 2023 following stints at golf equipment corresponding to New York Pink Bulls, Orlando Metropolis, Barrow and Oldham earlier than saying his retirement on the finish of final season. “He has at all times been on the market as a participant and a pundit. He likes consideration – not in a nasty sense. I'll go beneath the radar and be my very own individual. I'd be silly to behave like Sav, as a result of I'm a unique individual and I'd be being false.”
There's little question Savage's exit has been seismic, nevertheless it took simply days for Macclesfield to exchange him with Rooney. Plans had already been in place for the 34-year-old to take up a training position if a emptiness arose. “It occurred so fast with Sav going, so we didn't have time to take a seat again and give it some thought,” Rooney says. “Rob [Smethurst, the club's owner] informed me on the Monday and we had been coaching on the Tuesday.”
Rooney had little hesitation accepting the position and there was even a phrase of recommendation from his brother, whose personal tumultuous managerial journey prior to now few years might present a lesson for John. “Once I received the job, [Wayne] mentioned: ‘Simply attempt to take pleasure in it'. Clearly he went into administration and did nicely at some locations, not so nicely at different locations. And hear, that's soccer. It's a part of administration. you're not going to get your personal manner on a regular basis.”
“When do these alternatives come as much as be a supervisor of a membership like this? Not usually,” Rooney provides. “It may not come once more. So as soon as I received wind of it, I needed to take it with each palms. You would be falling out of the sport as a participant, then you definitely're scratching round to return again in as a coach. I spoke about it final yr with Sav, that if he ever left, would I have an interest? I at all times mentioned I'd wish to throw myself proper at it.”
Rooney, whose enjoying days started within the Everton academy like his brother, made his skilled debut with Macclesfield in 2008. He's now a novice supervisor however with expertise by his facet to name upon. Macclesfield have simply appointed Francis Jeffers, one other ex-Everton participant, as Rooney's assistant. “I've identified Franny for a very long time. I performed beneath him as a coach at Oldham. He's coached at Ipswich, out in Saudi. I needed somebody older than me who would problem me, not simply agree with every part I say. I'd be naive in any other case.” Rooney laughs off the concept of providing a job to a sure different former Everton striker. He's eager to be his personal man.
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It's put to Rooney that he's nonetheless registered as a participant for the approaching season, so may mirror the player-manager position during which Wayne thrived at Derby early in his personal managerial profession. “Contact wooden I'm not wanted,” he replies. “It's been a fairly clean transition to managing. It's now my third spell right here; two as a participant and now as supervisor. Everybody is aware of what this membership means to me. I began right here, they gave me my probability in skilled soccer and I'll always remember that.”
Rooney takes the reins at an intriguing stage within the Silkmen's journey. They've blazed a path by the divisions, with three promotions in 4 years, and now face their most difficult job within the Nationwide League North. “It's going to be rather a lot harder than final yr,” admits Rooney, with a nod to the man phoenix golf equipment Hereford, Chester and Darlington who're on this season's fixture checklist. “Come December, January, away from dwelling, the pitches received't be nice, it's about being adaptable.
“Final yr we received on that profitable streak and profitable is a behavior. We have to roll that on to this season. There are some large groups on this league, 5 or 6 golf equipment which might be full time and that's our purpose as nicely, we wish to get to the full-time stage.”
Will Macclesfield hit a glass ceiling sooner or later? Rooney is not going to countenance the concept. “We wish to end as excessive as doable. Our plan is to hold on.”
