 Statue of John Rudge at Vale Park (2024) | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Robert Rudge[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1944-10-21)21 October 1944 (age 81)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Wolverhampton, England[1] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1959–1961 | Huddersfield Town | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1961–1966 | Huddersfield Town | 5 | (0) |
| 1966–1969 | Carlisle United | 50 | (16) |
| 1969–1972 | Torquay United | 96 | (34) |
| 1972–1975 | Bristol Rovers | 70 | (17) |
| 1975–1977 | AFC Bournemouth | 21 | (2) |
| Total | 242 | (69) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1983–1999 | Port Vale | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
John Robert Rudge (born 21 October 1944) is an English former professionalfootball player andmanager who is the president ofEFL League One clubPort Vale.
Rudge began his playing career atHuddersfield Town in November 1961, but made little impact at the club and wastransferred toCarlisle United in December 1966. In January 1969, he joinedTorquay United and twice finished as the club's top scorer before he moved on toBristol Rovers in February 1972. He helped the club to winpromotion out of theThird Division in 1973–74 before departing forAFC Bournemouth in March 1975. Injury disrupted his time on the coast, and he retired in 1977. Aforward, he scored a total of 78 goals in 267 league and cup appearances in a 16-year career in theEnglish Football League.
He coached at Torquay United andPort Vale before being appointed Port Vale's manager in December 1983. He remained in the role for the next 16 years, easily the longest management spell in theclub's history. He masterminded some of the club's most successful campaigns, leading them to promotion in 1985–86,1989 and 1993–94; he also led them to theAnglo-Italian Cup final in1996, and victory in theFootball League Trophy final in1993. However, he was sacked in January 1999 and was subsequently appointeddirector of football at theirrivals,Stoke City, a position he held until May 2013. After working as ascout atHull City, he returned to Port Vale in an advisory role in October 2017. At statue of Rudge was unveiled at Vale Park in October 2024.
John Robert Rudge was born inWolverhampton on 21 October 1944 to Marie and Frank Harold Rudge (known as Jack).[3] Marie ran a fruit and vegetable stall at Wolverhampton Market, whilst Jack was acapstan operator at a factory works.[4] Rudge attended St Joseph's secondary modern school and supportedWolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves).[5] His elder sister, Pat, dated and later marriedPeter Clark, who wasEddie Clamp's understudy at Wolves.[6] In April 1967, Rudge married Dellice, whom he had met whilst he was serving his apprenticeship.[7] They had two daughters, Lisa and Deb.[8] Rudge released his autobiography,To Cap It All, in 2023, with all profits from the book going to the Port Vale Supporters' Club's fundraising efforts for a £100,000 statue in his honour.[9]
Rudge represented Wolverhampton Schoolboys but was declined an apprenticeship at Wolves in 1959.[2] He instead was offered a £7-a-week apprenticeship atHuddersfield Town, having been scouted byLawrie Kelly, and placed in theboarding house roomDenis Law had stayed in until the Scotsman had been sold on toManchester City.[2] Rudge was a right-footedforward who had pace and goodheading ability, though was prone to injury.[10] He turned professional at Huddersfield in November 1961.[1] He made hisSecond Division debut undermanagerEddie Boot in the1962–63 campaign.[11] He made his debut alongsideAllan Gilliver in a 4–1 victory overSwansea Town on 6 May 1963.[12] However, Rudge had great difficulty establishing himself in the first team due to the prominentstrike partnership ofLes Massie andLen White.[13] He did not feature in the1963–64 season, appeared just twice in1964–65, and did not get a game in1965–66. He played two games at the start of the1966–67 season before managerTom Johnston allowed him a £4,000 move to Second Division rivalsCarlisle United in December 1966, promoting youth team playerFrank Worthington in his stead.[1][14]
Working alongsideDick Young, Carlisle managerAlan Ashman built an attackingpass and move side with a one-and-two touch style of play, bargain-hunting for players who could fit into that method. This management philosophy became highly influential for Rudge later in his career.[15] In the meantime, Rudge found regular first-team football at Carlisle and scored seven goals in 14 appearances, including ahat-trick in a 6–1 win overBolton Wanderers, as the "Cumbrians" finished third in1966–67, six points short of promotion.[1] One of the goals in the hat-trick was a shot from 35 yards (32 m) that finished off adribbling move he made to move past two Bolton players.[16]
He went on to form a good partnership withHughie McIlmoyle, who later had a statue built in his honour outsideBrunton Park.[17] Over the course of the1967–68 campaign he scored nine goals in 29 league and cup games, as Carlisle posted a tenth-place finish under the stewardship of new managerTim Ward.[1][18] Carlisle also defeatedNewcastle United in the third round of theFA Cup atSt James' Park, in what was the first meeting between the two clubs, and Rudge's first experience of a majorupset in the competition.[19][20] He made just four goalless appearances in the first half of the1968–69 season, being judged as surplus to requirements by new managerBob Stokoe.[1] During this time Rudge worked on his coaching badges, becoming fully qualified at the age of 25.[21] Stokoe listed Rudge for sale in January 1969 and accepted a bid of £8,000 fromTorquay United of theThird Division.[22]
Rudge scored twice in 14 appearances before the end of the campaign forAllan Brown's "Gulls".[1] He then discovered his form in1969–70, finishing as theclub's top scorer with 16 goals in 35 league and cup matches.[1] He continued to regularly find the net in1970–71, hitting 21 goals in 43 appearances, as Torquay finished tenth.[1] Torquay also knockedAston Villa out of the FA Cup in the first round, winning 3–1 atPlainmoor.[23] However, he scored just twice in 12 games in1971–72, as the club sufferedrelegation underJack Edwards.[1] Rudge escaped this fate as he left the club in February 1972, signing acontract withBill Dodgin'sBristol Rovers.[1] He had been part of a swap deal that sawRobin Stubbs return from Rovers to Torquay.[24]
ManagerDon Megson dubbed Rudge "a secondAndy Lochhead", who was the Third Division's top scorer.[25] After three goals in eight games towards the end of the campaign, Rudge hit 12 goals in 29 appearances in the1972–73 campaign.[1] Rovers also reached the final of theWatney Cup, where they would defeatSheffield United in apenalty shoot-out atEastville. However, Rudge missed the final due to injury.[26] He featured as amidfielder in the club'sLeague Cup giant-killing overManchester United, scoring a header in a 2–1 win atOld Trafford.[27]
Rovers were promoted as runners-up of the Third Division in1973–74, finishing one point behind championsOldham Athletic despite having been at the top of the table from 22 September to 27 April; However, Rudge made only 13 starts and six substitute appearances in the league, scoring four goals.[28] By this time, he was mainly utilised in midfield, withBruce Bannister andAlan Warboys forming a dominant 'Smash and Grab' partnership up front, scoring 40 of the club's 65 goals between them.[29] His injury record also worsened to the extent thatBristol Post reporter Robin Perry wrote that he was the only player to pull on a muscle whilst putting on his tracksuit.[30] He was restricted to just three league starts in the1974–75 campaign, as well as ten substitute appearances, and moved on toJohn Benson'sAFC Bournemouth in March 1975 for a £7,000 fee.[1][31]
Rudge played seven games for Bournemouth and could not prevent them from being relegated to theFourth Division at the end of the 1974–75 campaign.[1] He missed most of the1975–76 season with a rupturedAchilles tendon, scoring twice in 14 appearances.[1] His career ended at age 32 due to his Achilles injury.[32] He operated a fruit and vegetable stall onChristchurch Market to supplement his income.[33]
Following his retirement as a player, Rudge was made acoach at former club Torquay United byMike Green – a former teammate at both Carlisle and Bristol Rovers.[34] In taking the position he rejectedplayer-manager offers atnon-League clubsWeymouth andAtherstone.[35] He enjoyed the role but began to look for opportunities elsewhere after being moved away from the first-team and placed in charge of the School of Excellence.[36] He interviewed atKettering Town andCrewe Alexandra, though was rejected by Kettering. He felt that Crewe did not have much potential.[36]
In January 1980, Rudge was appointed as a coach atPort Vale, after he was recommended to new managerJohn McGrath.[37] Vale had long been a struggling lower league club, though McGrath had grand ambitions and wanted to bring in someone with coaching experience who possessed a deep knowledge of the Third and Fourth Divisions.[38] He quickly became a "cushioning buffer" between the players and McGrath, who was "quite dictatorial with a cutting tongue".[39] He would back McGrath in front of the squad whilst addressing the player's concerns to him in private.[40] McGrath could also be an inspirational leader, giving Rudge insights into that aspect of man-management, as well as public relations and headline-grabbing stunts.[41]
Rudge was promoted to the position of assistant manager in December 1980.[34] Vale were promoted out of the Fourth Division at the end of the1982–83 season and had four players named on thePFA Team of the Year.[42] Rudge andJimmy Greenhoff took temporary charge of the team for fix games just after Christmas 1982 whilst McGrath was ill with a virus; the team won five of the six games, sustaining Vale's promotion push.[43] Greenhoff was appointed asRochdale manager in March 1983 and offered Rudge a role atSpotland, which he declined.[44]
Following the sacking of McGrath in December 1983, Rudge was madecaretaker manager at Port Vale.[45] Under McGrath, the club had lost 13 of their opening 17 league games. The club had the third highest budget in the division, a weekly wage bill of three times that of the home gate receipts and were rooted to the foot of the table, nine points from their nearest competitors.[45] Rudge stated that "we cannot change things overnight."[45] However, playerTommy Gore noted "the players are in a more determined mood."[45] Rudge signed left-sided midfielderKevin Young onloan, and switchedEamonn O'Keefe from midfield to the attack.[37] Rudge lost his first two games in charge, but the team went on to win 21 points from 15 games, and he was given the job permanently on 9 March with a salary of £11,000-a-year.[46][47] He was unable to prevent relegation at the end of the1983–84 season, though the club did avoid finishing in last place. ThoughMark Bright andRobbie Earle were signed to Vale before Rudge's appointment, he helped to bed them into the first team, making use of the many hours he had previously spent providing them with extra training sessions as a coach.[48] Bright, though, refused to sign a new contract with the club and joinedLeicester City for a tribunal set figure of £66,666.[49]
"Vale's reputation has been built on grit and determination and I will be looking to bring in the player who is willing to die for the cause."
— Rudge prepares for his first full season as manager.[45]
The1984–85 campaign aimed to arrest the decline and consolidate in mid-table.[50] Rudge achieved this aim, slashing the wage bill to offset the club's reduced income, guiding the Vale to a 12th-place finish. He had sold big strikerJim Steel for £10,000 in January 1984 and received a £17,500 fee for Eamonn O'Keefe in March 1985, which gave him money to invest in the playing squad.[51] His first transfer signing wasOshor Williams for £7,000 fromStockport County, who would become a key player after recovering from a cracked kneecap sustained early at the club.[52] Two stand-out free transfer signings were full-backAlan Webb and attackerAlistair Brown; Webb went on to win thePort Vale Player of the Year award in 1985, whilst the veteran Brown proved to be an excellent midfield partner to young Earle.[52]
In summer 1985, Rudge bought experienced centre-halfJohn Williams fromTranmere Rovers for £12,000, whilst young strikerAndy Jones was purchased for £3,000 fromRhyl.[53] Williams was sold on for a £18,000 profit within 18 months, whilst Jones would score 53 goals in his first two seasons at Vale Park.[54] An 18-game unbeaten run from January to April helped to secure Vale the fourth promotion place at the end of the1985–86 season, leaving them seven points clear of fifth-placeLeyton Orient.[55] In addition to 18 goals from Jones, the team had a solid defence, and their tally of 19 clean sheets was beaten by only one other club in the entire Football League.[56] At the end of the season, Rudge turned down the opportunity to become manager ofPreston North End.[55]
Major signings for the start of the1986–87 season were goalkeeperMark Grew and central midfielderRay Walker, both of whom featured heavily for the club in the coming years, as well as wingerPaul Smith. A tribunal set the fee for Walker from Aston Villa at £12,000, much to Villa chairmanDoug Ellis's fury. However, the attached 50% sell-on clause dissuaded any motivation to sell him on, meaning that he would end up staying for 11 years and making 424 appearances for the club.[57] Smith was purchased for £10,000 from Sheffield United and was sold for four times that figure toLincoln City just over a year later.[58] The club finished mid-table, twelve points above the relegation zone, whilst Jones scored 37 goals.[59] The winter signing of veteranBob Hazell helped to shore up Vale's defence as he formed an excellent partnership withPhil Sproson.[60] At the end of the season,Bill Bell was made the club's chairman, who would have a tempestuous but ultimately successful relationship with Rudge – though Rudge usually had to work hard to persuade Bell to agree to invest in a new signing or even to provide free matchday tickets to club staff, whilst Bell would change the coaching staff on his own volition.[61] Also,Darren Beckford was signed from Manchester City for £15,000, with half of the funds coming from bucket collections from supporters.[62] He would become the club's top scorer for the next four seasons. Rudge also gave a first-team debut to youth academy productAndy Porter, who would make over 400 appearances over the next 12 years; Rudge was so enamoured with Porter that he said "he was the only professional footballer I would have allowed a daughter of mine to marry".[60]
In1987–88, Vale finished comfortably in mid-table after Rudge switched to a 4–3–3 formation that better suited the players available to him.[63] The cash-flow problem was eased by the sale of Andy Jones toCharlton Athletic for £350,000.[58] Rudge spent £35,000 forSimon Mills fromYork City, who would be a firm fixture in the first-team for the next five seasons. The Jones money was also invested in midfielderDarren Hughes (£5,000 fromBrighton & Hove Albion) and wingerGary Ford (£35,000 from Leicester City).[64] On 20 January 1988, the club achieved a 2–1 victory over top-flightTottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup which Rudge said "put us on the footballing map".[65] Before the cup run there were rumours that the directors were considering sacking Rudge due to a poor run of results in the league.[66][67] The cup run and the sale of Jones helped to put the club in the black financially for the first time in a long time, with the £175,000 prize money helping to sustain an overall profit of £410,000.[68][69]
The1988–89 season was highly successful. Rudge signed a new two-year contract after Port Vale beat Bristol Rovers inthe play-off final following a third-place finish in the league and victory over former boss John MGrath's Preston North End in the semi-finals.[70] For the first time inthirty-two years, Vale were in the Second Division.[71] A newclub record was set in January 1989, as Rudge purchased defenderDean Glover fromMiddlesbrough for £200,000; the signing was a necessary short-term one to maintain the promotion push as both Hazell and Sproson was injured, though Glover would remain with the club for the next ten years.[72] The next month he addedLiverpool wingerJohn Jeffers to the squad for £35,000, using the money he received from sellingSteve Harper to Preston North End.[58]
To boost the side for the oncoming1989–90 season, defenderNeil Aspin was purchased fromLeeds United for £150,000; Aspin would play over 400 games for Vale in the next ten years, mainly alongside Glover at centre-back.[71] Another outlay of £125,000 was spent on strikerNicky Cross, who would play around 150 games over the next five years.[71] Vale fans were not used to such purchases, but compared to other teams in the division, the money spent was quite modest.[73] Now on a par withPotteries derby rivals Stoke City, both league games ended as draws, though Stoke were relegated in last place to leave Vale in a higher division than their rivals for the first time since1955–56.[74]
He made a few changes in preparation for the1990–91 campaign, withKevin Kent as the only major incoming transfer.[75] Vale once again finished comfortably in mid-table. Non-scoring strikerRonnie Jepson was sold to Preston North End for £80,000, which was reinvested in bringing Dutch midfielderRobin van der Laan to the club; over the next five years the Dutchman become a key player.[58][76] In June 1992, Rudge again broke the club'stransfer record, picking up strikerMartin Foyle for £375,000 fromOxford United; Foyle went on to score 108 goals in 296 games for the club.[77] Rudge also brought inKeith Houchen fromHibernian for £100,000 and spent £300,000 on the versatile centre-halfPeter Swan.[77] The money for these acquisitions came from the sale of Robbie Earle to Wimbledon for £775,000 and Darren Beckford toNorwich City for £925,000.[78]
"We've got to see whether we can reach the top seven, but we cannot afford to get complacent. It could be just as tough."
— Rudge's ambitions in 1991 were much higher than those of eight years previous.[79]
In1991–92, the club finished in last place, five points shy of safety. Vale were still a Second Division club due to the creation of thePremier League, though they were now in the third tier. Vale had gone 18 games without a win in the campaign's second half after Ray Walker was sidelined for five months with ligament damage,Nico Jalink proving to be an inadequate replacement.[75]Ian Taylor became another excellent signing, the replacement for Earle after he was purchased from non-LeagueMoor Green for £15,000 in May 1992.[80] Another key arrival for the1992–93 campaign was goalkeeperPaul Musselwhite, signed for a £17,500 fee fromScunthorpe United to take the place of the ageing Mark Grew, with Musselwhite going on to feature in over 360 games over the next eight years.[81] Taylor would finish as top scorer on 19 goals, helping the team to 89 points and a third-place finish.[81] Rudge managed his team atWembley twice in 1993, winning theFootball League Trophyfinal 2–1 over Stockport County, but losing theplay-off final 3–0 toWest Bromwich Albion.[82] Vale also played their Potteries derby rivals five times, beatingLou Macari's Stoke in the Football League Trophy clash and the FA Cup tie after areplay, but losing both encounters in the league.[74] Writing in hisautobiography, he described the play-off final defeat as the lowest point of his career as the clubs "epic" season ended without the promotion they craved.[81]
In1993–94 the club gained promotion in second place on 88 points whilst also beating Premier League sideSouthampton in the FA Cup.[83] This was achieved without star midfielder Ray Walker, who was forced to sit out the entire campaign with a cruciate ligament injury.[84] The hangover of the play-off final had continued up until mid-September, at which point they won eight games out of ten to climb to the top of the table.[85] Six wins from eight league games also won Rudge theSecond Division Manager of the Month award for April.[86] At the end of the season, Ian Taylor was sold toSheffield Wednesday, becoming the club's first million-pound sale.[80] Rudge was also approached to manage Stoke City but declined chairmanPeter Coates's offer.[87] Rudge was though very unhappy with Bell for refusing to pay him a promotion bonus that had been verbally agreed, and strongly considered accepting Bradford City chairmanGeoffrey Richmond's offer to manage his club with a 25% salary increase until a gathering of hundreds of Vale fans outside the stadium convinced him to stay put.[88]
The club consolidated theirFirst Division status in1994–95, finishing ten points above the relegation zone. The money from Taylor's sale was reinvested into the playing squad, with £225,000 going to Newcastle United forSteve Guppy, and a £150,000 fee was paid to bring strikerTony Naylor in from nearby Crewe Alexandra.[89] Both men would prove to be good buys, Naylor being a three-time top scorer. At the end of the season, Van der Laan was sold toDerby County for £475,000 plusLee Mills (Mills would go on to win the club's Player of the Year award in 1998).[58] Of this sum, £450,000 was reinvested in York City midfielderJon McCarthy and another £50,000 was spent on midfielderIan Bogie.[90]
In1995–96, Vale finished 12th in the First Division and beat Stoke City 1–0 in both league encounters thanks to goals from Bogie.[91] The club achieved another giant slaying by beatingEverton 2–1 in an FA Cup fourth-round replay.[92] Rudge also led Vale tothe final of theAnglo-Italian Cup, where they lost 5–2 toGenoa,Gennaro Ruotolo scoring a hat-trick.[93]
In1996–97, the club finished in eighth place, their best league finish since1934.[94] In February, he sold Guppy toMartin O'Neill's Leicester City for £950,000.[95]Gareth Ainsworth was purchased for a club record £500,000 from Lincoln City at the start of the1997–98 season.[58] This was paid for by the sale of McCarthy toBirmingham City for £1.5 million.[90] Vale finished a disappointing 19th, a mere point away from the drop after winning 4–0 at Huddersfield Town on the final day to ensure that both Manchester City and Stoke City joinedReading in being relegated.[96] Stoke City chairman Peter Coates again offered the vacant manager's position to Rudge, who accepted and signed a contract, only to change his mind and stay at Vale Park.[97]
At the start of the1998–99 season, Ainsworth was sold toWimbledon for £2 million, breaking another club transfer record.[98] Ainsworth's sale was authorised by the club's board without Rudge's knowledge or blessing as he was out of the country scouting in Sweden.[99] Mills was also sold toBradford City for £1 million, with the player unable to leave for free as he had signed a contract extension with the Vale only hours before thebosman ruling came into law.[100] As well as an increased number of big money sales, key players such as Naylor, Foyle, Aspin, Glover and Walker were coming towards the end of their careers, with the latter having already departed for the local non-League scene.[101] Bell and Rudge frequently clashed over the club's spending priorities, with the chairman wanting to improve further the stadium and the manager demanding funds to improve the playing squad.[102] In the summer of 1998, Rudge was permitted to spend £300,000 on forwardPeter Beadle and £100,000 on defenderMichael Walsh, whilst having to make do with free transfers to make up the rest of his squad.[103]
Bell sacked Rudge on 18 January 1999, two days after a 1–0 home defeat to Swindon Town that left the Vale 23rd in the table.[99] This caused outrage amongst Port Vale fans, who held a "flat cap protest" (Rudge's headwear of choice) to display their disgust at Bell's decision.[104] Rudge had to take the club to an employment tribunal as Bell refused to pay the amount stipulated in his contract.[105] Following the dismissal, SirAlex Ferguson said: "Every Port Vale supporter should get down on their knees and thank The Lord for John Rudge."[106]
One last signing from the Rudge era wasMarcus Bent, who arrived for £300,000 fromCrystal Palace just days before Rudge's sacking. However, new managerBrian Horton let Bent go to Sheffield United for £375,000; United would sell Bent toBlackburn Rovers for £2 million just 13 months later.[107] Another star of the late Rudge era wasAnthony Gardner. Gardner was retained by Vale and was sold to Spurs for £855,000 in January 2000.[108]
"Nineteen years was a long time. I was sacked and asked to be director of football, but I thought it was the right time for me to leave because I didn't think my relationship then with the board of directors was as good as I would have liked it to have been. It was always an awkward situation and I think the main reason I stayed as long as I did was down to the supporters, because they were fantastic to me. I didn't intend any revenge on Vale by joining their local rivals. It was just the convenience of the area; my family and I are settled here, it was a quick opportunity to get back into football, and it was right for me at the time."
Rudge was appointed asdirector of football atStoke City in 1999, working alongside managerGary Megson, after turning down the same role at Port Vale.[109][110] One of his early signing successes was goalkeeperBen Foster, who had been scouted byColin Dobson; Foster was bought fromRacing Club Warwick for £15,000 and sold to Manchester United for £1 million four years later.[111] Rudge retained his position after the club were taken over byGunnar Gíslason's Icelandic consortium because newly appointed managerGuðjón Þórðarson wanted him and coachNigel Pearson to provide knowledge of the English leagues.[112] Another Rudge signing was futureScotland international strikerChris Iwelumo, as well as the majority of the British signings of the Icelandic era, such as fellow ScotsmanPeter Handyside; he also dabbled in the Dutch market, signingNetherlands internationalPeter Hoekstra, whilstBelarus internationalSyarhey Shtanyuk arrived from Belgium.[113] Rudge was offered the post of manager at former club Bristol Rovers in February 2001, but declined.[114] Stoke won the2000 Football League Trophy final and2002 Second Division play-off final.[115]
Guðjón was sacked despite promotion, and his replacement inSteve Cotterill quit after four months.[116] The board gave Rudge the task of convincingGeorge Burley to take charge, a task in which he failed after Burley changed his mind the day before his scheduled unveiling.[117] Rudge suggestedTony Pulis, and Pulis was given the job instead, who in turn told Rudge which players to sign rather than allow Rudge to take the recruitment lead.[118] However, problems occurred at the boardroom level, leading to one embarrassing moment whereAde Akinbiyi refused to leave Rudge's office all day in protest that a promised contract was not forthcoming; Gíslason refused to sanction Akinbiyi's new contract and the player was eventually sold on toBurnley.[119] Gíslason sacked Pulis for not recruiting a sufficient amount of Icelandic players and hired DutchmanJohan Boskamp to take charge.[120]
On 2 November 2005, he had a public fall-out with Boskamp atHighfield Road.[121] Rudge went down to the dug-out during a 2–1 win overCoventry City to give some advice to Boskamp. The Dutchman took offence to this and said to the board, 'Either he goes, or I go', believing that Rudge had overstepped the mark. Rudge maintained, though, that Boskamp used the incident as a ploy in an attempt to be paid off by Stoke as the Dutchman could not handle the pressure of the English game, revealing that he had talked Boskamp out of quitting during the pre-season.[122] Rudge and his assistantJan de Koning were twice suspended by Stoke, after disagreements with Boskamp.[123] Rudge was reinstated in his role following Boskamp's departure and the return of former chairman Peter Coates and former manager Tony Pulis.[124]
Stoke City's promotion out of theChampionship in2007–08 meant that he would be at a top-flight club for the first time after 49 years in the game.[125] As the club's administrative, coaching and management staff grew in number during the club's time in the Premier League, Rudge's influence on the first-team lessened. He focussed more of his time on recruiting players identified by the manager – often travelling all across the globe.[126] Stoke reached the2011 FA Cup final and competed in theUEFA Europa League. However, Rudge found himself having to act as a buffer between manager Tony Pulis and chief executive Tony Scholes.[127] Rudge left Stoke City at the end of the2012–13 season in a 'major shake-up' of the club'sscouting network, ending 14 years at the club at the age of 68; Pulis and many of his backroom team also left the club at this time.[128][129] After leaving Stoke, Rudge then spent the next four years scouting forHull City.[130]
On 4 October 2017, he returned to Port Vale in an advisory role to assist his former defender Neil Aspin, who had just been appointed manager.[131] He was appointed as club president on 10 August 2019.[132] He was inducted into the Stoke-on-Trent Sporting Hall of Fame.[133] At statue of Rudge was unveiled at Vale Park for his 80th birthday in October 2024.[134]
Rudge had an attacking philosophy based on a one-and-two-touch style and preferred to play a 4–4–2 formation.[135] Though he got his teams to play attractive football, he was meticulous and rather cautious. He thoroughly researched opposition players and informed his players on weaknesses to exploit and strengths to watch out for. He was reluctant to use substitutions unless a player was injured as he believed thefirst XI he had selected could get the job done over the ninety minutes.[136] He tended not to lose his temper after a bad performance, and instead Robbie Earle said that he had the "ability to make you feel guilty about playing badly".[137]
He had the knack of spotting talented players, signing them cheaply, and then selling them to bigger clubs for a large profit. In addition to being an excellent judge of talent, he had to be a skilled negotiator.[138] He spent most of his free time scouting players, saying that "I would pride myself in knowing almost every player in the Football League down to the colour of his eyes".[139] In all he made a profit for Port Vale of almost £5 million in thetransfer market.[140] However, Port Vale's budget meant that he always worked with only a skeleton staff of one first-team coach, one youth team coach and one part-time physiotherapist, meaning that he "would be cast in the role of chief cook and bottle washer, gaffer, chief coach, chief scout, press officer, psychologist, psychiatrist and chief negotiator of all manner of things".[141]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Huddersfield Town | 1962–63 | Second Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1963–64 | Second Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1964–65 | Second Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1966–67 | Second Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Carlisle United | 1966–67 | Second Division | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 7 |
| 1967–68 | Second Division | 32 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 9 | |
| 1968–69 | Second Division | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 50 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 16 | ||
| Torquay United | 1968–69 | Third Division | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 |
| 1969–70 | Third Division | 31 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 35 | 16 | |
| 1970–71 | Third Division | 40 | 17 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 47 | 20 | |
| 1971–72 | Third Division | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 2 | |
| Total | 96 | 34 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 110 | 40 | ||
| Bristol Rovers | 1971–72 | Third Division | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 |
| 1972–73 | Third Division | 28 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 32 | 12 | |
| 1973–74 | Third Division | 19 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 5 | |
| 1974–75 | Second Division | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| Total | 70 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 79 | 20 | ||
| AFC Bournemouth | 1974–75 | Second Division | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 1975–76 | Fourth Division | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 | |
| Total | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 242 | 69 | 10 | 4 | 15 | 5 | 267 | 78 | ||
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Port Vale | 5 December 1983 | 18 January 1999 | 843 | 316 | 237 | 290 | 037.49 |
| Total[142] | 843 | 316 | 237 | 290 | 037.49 | ||
Bristol Rovers
Port Vale
Individual
