Macclesfield Manager John Rooney looks ahead to what is anticipated to be a thrilling 2026/27 campaign
At the beginning of the off-season, one of the first and most crucial decisions was to retain the services of Rooney himself, along with assistant Francis Jeffers, and when asked about the ease of the decision to remain at the Leasing.com Stadium, the man at the helm described it as a “no brainer, I’m delighted to have got it over the line early so we can start looking forward to next season”
Touching on the importance of carrying momentum in to the new season, despite falling short at the penultimate hurdle in the play-offs last season, John insisted “we still have that momentum” from the promotion push and “hopefully we can bounce in to next season with that”
Having completed the transition from playing in to management seamlessly, Rooney was under no illusion that it was the best career move for him revealing “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve coached the kids at Everton to get some experience but the men’s side is totally different and it’s something I’ve really enjoyed!”
Providing credit to his playing squad, he acknowledged that “they’ve been fantastic and made my transition pretty smooth. I got some respect off them as a player and when I took the job it was always going to be difficult but they gave me even more respect”
Reflecting briefly on the 2025/26 season, Rooney admitted “if you’d offered me that season at the start I’d have snatched your hand off!”. Conscious of the need to bed players in quickly last time round, John was aware that “it was their first go at this level and we did pretty well, not as consistent as we wanted but we saw that after Christmas”
Paying tribute to his right hand man, Francis Jeffers, the Manager was quick to add “I have the right staff around me, I was lucky enough to bring Franny in which has been a massive coup for me and for the Club with his experience. The players all love him and his sessions are second to none. He’s been my best signing!”
With the full summer to prepare for next season as opposed to this time last year, Rooney was relieved to have it “all sorted a bit sooner and have a bit of time without rushing to get players through the door, we can take our time and hopefully get the right ones”
Emphasising the togetherness feeling shared throughout the Club, Rooney acknowledged the importance of that “not just with the players, but with the backroom staff, the office staff and the fans, that is what this Club is about, that togetherness takes you a long way in football!”
Speaking on the recruitment to date, John was pleased with his additions stating “they know the level, they’ll bring a lot of energy to us and they’ll only strengthen us”
In terms of behind the scenes work ongoing to prepare for the upcoming campaign, the Gaffer made light of the fact “this is new to me, usually you have your six weeks off, but I’m still here and active, its the busiest time for a Manager. It’s been none stop since the final whistle at Kiddy, I’m on the phone 24/7!”
Recognising the sales to date of season tickets for 2026/27, Rooney reminded our supporters that they are “our twelfth man, the more tickets we can sell the better and hopefully we can get them back through the door. I’m sure the sales will be up there once again, we need them right behind us from day one”
Excited to get back to the bread and butter of training and games, Rooney rounded off by brightly adding “I can’t wait, I wish the season was starting tomorrow, the lads needed a break after a relentless season, but I’m sure they’ll have looked after themselves over the summer and will be ready to go again!”
