Macclesfield FC have grown accustomed to being the most famous team with the most famous names in their league. In a previous life, the club listed Sammy McIlroy, Paul Ince and Sol Campbell as former managers. Since their rebirth in 2020, the former Premier League players Neil Danns, Alex Bruce and, most notably, Robbie Savage, have enjoyed spells in the hot seat.
John Rooney’s surname is unlikely to go unnoticed. Yet the younger brother of the England and Manchester United legend Wayne is, by his own admission, a far less glitzy appointment than his predecessor Savage, whose effervescent character came to define Macclesfield in recent years. A self-styled Marmite man, Savage enjoyed unparalleled success in his season-long stint at Macclesfield, winning the Northern Premier League with a mammoth 109 points. His departure to Forest Green this summer left a void, with key players such as Laurent Mendy, Tre Pemberton and Neil Kengni following him to Gloucestershire.
