Ex-Macclesfield Town Managers: Where Are They Now?

By Alex Greensmith

30th Mar 2022 | Local News

As Macclesfield FC go from strength to strength, a new club unrecognisable from the dark days of its predecessor, we thought we'd look back and check-up on recent former managers of the now-defunct Macclesfield Town.

Here is every manager who has coached Macclesfield Town in their final years, and what they are up to now.

Please note, this list is presented in reverse chronological order, and regards the men who most recently managed Macclesfield Town, the club to precede the newly-formed Macclesfield FC.

Tim Flowers

Premier League winning goalkeeper Tim Flowers was appointed Macclesfield Town's manager in August 2020, for the forced-relegated Macclesfield Town's return season to the National League. However, the club ceased to exist just 19 days later, due to a winding up order from HMRC. This means Flowers was out of a job, like everyone who worked for the now-extinct club. It wasn't all bad news for the ex-England goalie, as he was only out of a job for four months. But he then only spent a further four months at his new job in Barnet, after leaving by mutual consent in March 2021. He lost all but one of his 12 games with the London club, who play in the National League. He most recently managed Southern League Premier Division Central side Stratford Town, just above Macclesfield FC in the football pyramid. He left the club in March 2022. You can read about Tim on our sister site Kenilworth Nub News. Mark Kennedy The ex-Premier League player had no connection to Macclesfield Town, before taking his first managerial job in our town in January 2020. He won one of his twelve games in charge of The Silkmen, before the pandemic put an end to the 2019-20 season. The March 7 fixture away at Plymouth was his eighth loss for the club, and Macclesfield Town's last ever game. The Irishman who was capped 34 times by his country has not managed a club since his resignation in August 2020, after rejecting the offer of a new contract following the club's relegation to the National League as a result of a points deduction for financial issues. In June this year, was appointed as assistant manager to Lee Bowyer's Birmingham City in the Championship, at a level higher than any of the Macc Town players he picked to play the Plymouth game. Daryl McMahon

Lasting from August 2019 to January 2020, Irishman Daryl McMahon also resigned due to financial problems and a player strike.

He oversaw 25 games, and won just four.

On January 3 2020, he was confirmed manager of Dagenham & Redbridge - the day after he left our town.

Despite the club being one League lower than Macclesfield Town were when he left, the Dublin-born manager seems happy at the club as he has remained there since.

Sol Campbell

Like Tim Flowers, Sol Campbell was another former England international to recently manage Macclesfield's defunct club. The most high-profile name on the list famously played for Premier League clubs Arsenal, Tottenham and Portstmouth. In November 2018, he was appointed manager of Macclesfield's old football club. Despite saving the club from relegation on the last day of the 2018-19 season, Campbell left the club in August 2019, having not been paid over £180,000. He would later get paid this money thanks to a HMRC bid being heard in December 2019. The ex-Macc manager has only had one managerial job since, with League One Essex side Southend United. He left The Seasiders after nine months in June 2020, where they were 23rd in the League. Campbell is currently unemployed. He has over 200,000 followers on Instagram. Danny Whitaker

C'mon We should all know where Danny Whitaker is now.

The club legend ended his playing career with the club, after 227 appearances and 37 goals. In the dugout, his first role was a joint caretaker manager role with Neil Howarth following Mark Yates' sacking.

While Howarth has followed Yates to his current Solihull Moors job. Whitaker remains in Macclesfield.

He oversaw three caretaker periods from 2018-2020, during turbulent times for the club, winning six of a possible 13 for Macclesfield Town.

The 41-year-old was rewarded for his loyalty with the permanent job for the new phoenix club Macclesfield FC, where he currently works.

As of December 20 2021, he's won 16 of Macclesfield FC's 23 league games. The club sit at the top of the North West Counties Premier Division.

Macclesfield Nub News wishes current Macclesfield FC manager Danny Whitaker and the Silkmen well for the new year, as they push for promotion in the North West Counties Football League Premier Division.

Mark Yates

Despite being appointed on a three year deal, Mark Yates lasted just three months at the bottom of League Two with Macclesfield Town. He was the gaffer for The Silkmen's humiliating 8-0 League Cup loss against West Ham. Of the sixteen matches he oversaw, Yates didn't win a single game, before being sacked in October 2018, and replaced by Danny Whitaker's first ever spell in charge of The Silkmen. Yates has since managed Kidderminster Harriers, Stourbridge and Solihull Moors. All of which are a significant drop in the football pyramid for the ex-Macclesfield Town manager, but still higher than the current level of Macclesfield FC. The 51-year-old is currently out of contract, having last worked at Solihull Moors with his assistant being ex-Macc Town player and caretaker manager Neil Howarth. John Askey

The longest-serving manager on this list, John Askey took control of 267 games in Macclesfield, and won 120 of them.

He also played the most games for Macc on this list, appeaing 511 times at the Moss Rose from 1984-2003, scoring 109 times. Askey briefly became Silkmen manager from 2003-2004, but it is his recent spell we are focusing on here.

From the start of his second spell as Macclesfield Town manager 2013, he took part in memorable FA Cup runs, and later guided Macclesfield back to the Football League in a memorable campaign for 2017-18.

Askey is only football manager to have been awarded freedom of the town - being given it in August 2018, two months after he left Macc in June 2018.

Job-wise, he then went for a brief spell at Shrewsbury Town, before being hired by Port Vale the next year.

He remained there until January 2021, when he was given the sack with the Staffordshire club languishing in 17th.

Askey returned to new club Macclesfield FC in August 2021, helping out his former player Danny Whitaker in management in an advisory role.

However, this position was short-lived as he took the York City job in November 2021.

The Askey-led National League North side is currently 10th, three positions off've the promotion play-offs.

And that was every manager that managed the club which proceeded Macclesfield FC, and where they are now.

Five of the seven managers are still in work. One of which being at Macclesfield's current football club!

Macclesfield FC's next game is against Winsford United, at the Leasing.com Stadium on December 27.

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