Aldridge wants to inspire Green Army

THE fighting spirit that inspired Tranmere to so many cup upsets during John Aldridge’s Prenton Park reign came from his days with Jack Charlton’s Green Army. It’s a spirit he hopes to use once again at national level.

During his five years in charge of Tranmere, Aldo’s side took seven

Premiership scalps in cup competition, a giant-killing streak that earned him iconic status among Rovers fans and took his team all the way to a

Worthington Cup final and FA Cup semi-final.

“The results in the cup reflect the spirit Aldo was able to develop in the team,” said Scott McLeod, who covers the Prenton Park beat for the Liverpool Echo. “He never had much money to spend as Tranmere manager, so his brief as far as the league was concerned was always just survival It was in the cup that Aldo displayed his talents as a manager. In the unpredictability of the once-off game he was always able to motivate his players to punch above their weight.

“When things were going well at Tranmere, he always cited the man-management style of Jack Charlton as a major influence,” McLeod said. “He modelled his management style on the Irish set up. Because there was never any money to spend, Aldo drove the team forward built on morale and team spirit. It was camaraderie and togetherness that helped Tranmere cause so many upsets.” During those halcyon days of spring 2000, the Tranmere team were very much a mirror of the man who roared at them in the dressing room, never giving less than 100%. Except at the end, when Aldridge watched Tranmere, rooted to the bottom of Division One, carelessly give away a two-goal lead to Barnsley. He felt it was time to walk away “I think what has happened since Aldo left is a sign that the team were simply a reflection of his character,” McLeod said. “When he left, he didn’t really want to go, but he thought the players might respond to a new boss, as sometimes happens. He sacrificed himself but it didn’t work.”

Aldridge is still regarded as a Prenton Park legend. There is a bar in the ground called Aldo’s and on the list of Tranmere heroes he is second only to John King, the man who brought him to the club. And the Prenton Park faithful aren’t surprised he hasn’t taken the reins at another club.

McLeod said: “He stated when he left Tranmere that he wanted a break from the workload and he always said that if he was going to get back into club management it wouldn’t be at another club with tight purse string

“Now that the Irish job has come up he will definitely be a very interested candidate.”