Rudge turns 80 with a statue tribute

A statue honouring former Torquay United player and coach John Rudge has been erected at Port Vale FC to coincide with his 80th birthday (writes Dave Thomas).

Rudge, who is now the Valiants’ president, was manager at Vale Park from 1983-1999, during which he took the club from the bottom half of what’s now League Two to eighth place in the Championship, the highest position in their history.

Vale fans raised £100,000 to pay for the 17ft bronze statue, on a plinth of Staffordshire blue brick, with Rudge wearing his trademark flat cap.

Wolverhampton-born Rudge said he was ‘overwhelmed’ by the generosity of the supporters.

Signed from Carlisle, he scored 40 goals in 110 games for Torquay from 1969-70 before successful spells with Bristol Rovers and Bournemouth.

Rudge returned to Plainmoor as assistant manager to Mike Green (1977-80) and, after first acting as No.2 to John McGrath, took over at Vale in 1983.

He became director of football at Stoke City, who had tried several times to lure him as manager, in 1999, but has been president of Vale, now managed by former Gulls defender Darren Moore, since 2019.