John Rudge - Director of Football

Director of Football

“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 explains his reasons for heading to the Britannia Stadium, rather than stay at Vale Park.

Rudge was appointed as director of football at Stoke City in 1999, after turning down the same role at Port Vale. Rudge had hoped to retire on his own terms at Vale and become a director of football at the club under a "with someone like Robbie Earle as manager". He was offered the management job at Stoke but turned it down. He has never held ambitions of being appointed manager at Stoke, and has been Director of Football under five men: Gary Megson, Guðjón Þórðarson, Steve Cotterill, Johan Boskamp and Tony Pulis.

On 2 November 2005, he had a public fall-out with then manager Johan Boskamp at Highfield Road. Rudge went down the dug-out during the 2–1 win over Coventry City to give some advice to Boskamp. The Dutchman took offence to this and said to the board 'either he goes or I go', under the belief that Rudge had overstepped the mark. Rudge maintains though, that Boskamp used the incident as a ploy, in an attempt to be paid off by Stoke as the Dutchman couldn't handle the pressure of the English game. Rudge points to the evidence that he talked Boskamp out of quitting during the pre-season.

Rudge and his assistant Jan de Koning were twice suspended by Stoke, after disagreements with Boskamp. Following Boskamp's departure and the arrival of new chairman Peter Coates, Rudge was reinstated in his role.

When the club achieved promotion to the Premier League in 2007–08, Rudge was at a top-flight club for the first time since entering the game 46 years ago, in 1962.

I’m still involved in all aspects of the club, contracts, training, and attending matches, and I’m working with someone I get on really well with in Tony Pullis, and I hope that I can just help him by taking the strain off him because I know exactly what its like to be a manager, which is a hard role; and can be often too much for one person. I’m here to lighten the load so he can focus on winning matches. My job involves sixty to seventy hours a week, it’s very time consuming.” —Rudge explains what the role of 'Director of Football' means at Stoke City. "I would just say I have been very fortunate and very proud to have served both clubs. I've been lucky to have enjoyed some really exciting times with both." —Rudge responds to a question over where his loyalties lie, Vale or Stoke.