General Football
Macclesfield’s John Rooney: ‘I’d be stupid to act like Robbie Savage, I’d be being false’
Younger brother of Wayne hopes he will not be needed on the pitch as he embarks on first managerial job
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.
League One 2025-26 preview: the contenders, hopefuls and strugglers
Stockport have shown plenty of ambition in the transfer market while Darren Moore’s Port Vale look to stave off drop
Last season was grim for Luton, culminating in them suffering a second successive relegation. But there remains plenty of quality at Kenilworth Road. Teden Mengi could easily be playing in the top flight, while Millenic Alli is a leading light of the recent intake. Most importantly, perhaps, the manager, Matt Bloomfield, knows this division well. Cardiff were also relegated from the Championship last season and will be hoping their new manager, Brian Barry-Murphy, can arrest the Welsh club’s slide.