Having been promoted to the National League North, Macclesfield are at the centre of a managerial merry-go-round ahead of the 2025-26 season.
The Silkmen are reportedly set to lose current manager, Robbie Savage, to National League side Forest Green Rovers. The departure of the former Premier League midfielder has led Macclesfield reportedly being on the verge of appointing John Rooney as manager.
Who is John Rooney?
Similarly to his older brother Wayne Rooney, John started his youth career with Everton before being released and joining Macclesfield Town in 2002. Rooney made his debut for the Silkmen in 2008 and spent two years with the Cheshire side.
After a two year spell in Major League Soccer from 2010, the 34 year old returned to England and played the majority of his career in non-league with Chester, Wrexham, Barrow and Stockport County. After a spell in League Two during a second stint with Barrow, the midfielder dropped into non-league with Oldham Athletic before joining Macclesfield.
Rooney joined the re-formed Silkmen in 2023 and has since made over 60 appearances for the club. The 34 year old helped Robbie Savage’s side to the Northern Premier League title this season.
With Savage’s expected departure to Forest Green Rovers, the Cheshire side are reportedly turning to Rooney to lead them ahead of their 2025-26 National League North campaign.
Macclesfield’s 2024-25 Campaign
The Silkmen came into the 2024-25 campaign having lost in the play-off final to Marine and under significant pressure with the club stating it was a campaign where they “simply cannot fail”. The Cheshire side finished the season smashing records by winning the title and promotion to the National League North.
Savage’s side won an average of 2.6 points-per game, finishing with a total of 109. His side won a total of 35 games and lost just three matches throughout the season.
Macclesfield won the title playing attacking football which allowed them to score an average of 2.59 goals per game. Savage’s side’s attacking prowess is evident by the fact that they won by a margin of four goals on nine different occasions across the campaign, their biggest winning margin came in a 6-0 win against Blyth Spartans.
The Silkmen also boasted the division’s best defence with an average of 0.71 goals conceded per game. Helping their impressive defensive statistics was their ability to keep clean sheets, keeping a total of 19 across the season.
Is John Rooney a good appointment for Macclesfield?
Macclesfield will no doubt be hurting from Savage’s reported decision to jump up a division to take the hot seat at Forest Green given his comments after their title win:
“It’s my club and it’s not very often you can manage your club, the one you’ve build from the first brick with your best friend, so it would take an awful lot for me to leave”
“There’s League One and League Two clubs I wouldn’t go to if they offered me the job now because I can’t see the journey or the project”
Despite this, appointing Rooney might be a good thing for Macclesfield. The step up to the National League North will no doubt bring challenges but appointing an individual who knows the club and squad may benefit the Silkmen.
The 34 year old has been a part of the Cheshire club for two years and spent eight years across his youth at the former club before its demise. This may give the rookie manager some patience and buy-in from the supporters if it does not start off well.
Rooney has spent the majority of his career within the lower reaches of the EFL and National League system. His experience, leadership and game-intelligence throughout his playing career will no doubt be attributes that will suit a management career.
Stepping into a league with a number of full-time teams will likely be a challenge for the Silkmen to adapt to. With this in mind, the Macclesfield fans and hierarchy will likely have to adopt some patience in order to get the best out of Rooney’s tenure in charge and compete at a higher level.
Appointing a rookie manager will no doubt come with risks but since re-forming Macclesfield have had a history of appointing managers in their first spell such as Danny Whittaker and most recently Savage. With this in mind, it could be an appointment that is suitable for both parties as they head into the 2025-26 National League North campaign.