Tributes have been pouring in after the death of the late Macclesfield Town manager Keith Alexander, aged just 53. The name may not be familiar on The Roar, but the amount of sadness that has resulted has shown what a great impact he had on the English game.
Alexander only ever managed in the lower reaches of the football league and he made his name by taking Lincoln City to four successive play-offs.
So you may ask: why has a person who never played or coached at anywhere near the highest level cause a huge outpouring of emotion?
Well, not only was he the first black manager in English professional football, but he was also a great person.
Keith defied stereotypes and stripped down the boundaries.
He also redefined the attitudes of chairmen and directors.
His sudden death occurred after Macclesfield’s 1-0 defeat to Notts County in League Two on Tuesday night (GMT).
By all accounts, he was his usual cheery self straight after the match, but sadness struck not long after he returned to his home in Lincolnshire.
Alexander has had health scares before, not least when he suffered a life-threatening brain aneurism in 2003, and then earlier this season, missed Macclesfield’s game with Bournemouth – but that was only as a precaution.
For the last three weeks, he had been taking medication for a severe bout of hiccups, but again, he was given the all-clear.
Players of both the England U-21’s and England senior team wore black armbands to mark his passing.
Being a Silkman fan, I was obviously shocked and saddened by the news, and it bought a tear to my eye. Therefore, I can’t imagine how it felt for his family and both the players and staff of the club.
In a time when football is such an enclosed circle, Alexander was always willing to talk, both to fans and journalists alike. Even when it might have been inconvenient, he would always make time for you.
I remember interviewing him in my first year of university during his first full year of Macclesfield manager, and he was such a pleasant guy. He even said that if I wanted more quotes, I was welcome to come back.
Perhaps not the best example of the great things he did, but it gives you an idea of the person he was. Despite never reaching the heights that his management talent perhaps deserved, he never bore grudges, but simply got on with the job.
He had his detractors at Macclesfield, but that might have been because he didn’t complain about the shoestring budget he had to work with?
As the Guardian aptly put, “everyone listened when Keith spoke – not just because he was eloquent, logical, very intelligent and humorous – but because you can’t buy the sort of experience he had. He was a lesson in how to rise above adversity.”
If only there were more people in football like him – a true Ggntleman.
Colin N
Guest
Lincoln probably had the best defence in recent times in League Two during Alexander's reign. In central defence, they had Paul Morgan (captain and loyal servant), Ben Futcher (who was courted by Aston Villa when he was with Lincoln) and McCombe (who is now with Bristol City). All were taken out of obscurity. At right-back, they often had McAuley (Who is now with Ipswich and before that played for Leicester). He was signed from the Irish league. They also had Mark Bailey who was an excellent full-back, who rampaged up and down the field - he had a tremendous engine. Alexander's style certainly was direct when he was with Lincoln (Macclesfield had played some very good football under him this season), but you mentioned Peter gain, but also had Richard Butcher, who is also a technically good midfielder for that level. Up front they had Gary Taylor-Fletcher, who is an excellent player and has gone on to play at a higher level.
David V.
Guest
His achievements at Lincoln were considerable. The style of football was simple, direct and not to my liking, but it was damn effective and got them in the play-offs in successive years, but always fell down there. Best epitomised by Ben Futcher, who looked more like an NFL or NBA material! They did have a player in Peter Gain, now at Dagenham & Redbridge, who brought some guile. In 02/03, his first season in charge, they made the play-off final and the clash with Bournemouth could be seen as a clash of styles- Alexander's kick it long up the park game against O'Driscoll's ball on the deck style. As it were, Bournemouth ran out 5-2 winners. O'Driscoll is now managing Doncaster, and quite successfully too. Add to that, Alexander was still (at the time of his death) one of the few black managers in football and one of the few to have had success. As a player, he was rather unlike his style as manager and that suited Alan Buckley's Grimsby side well.
Colin N
Roar Rookie
It says on wikipedia that he made his debut for Grimsby - which I believe was his first professional club - in 1988, when he was 32. "esp the lower divisions that get overlooked far too often in the grand scheme of things." I agree, and that's why the amount of reaction to his sudden death has surprised me.
Hammer
Guest
I thought he was 28 when he turned pro - but most definitely a big loss to the football community .. esp the lower divisions that get overlooked far too often in the grand scheme of things
David V.
Guest
Add to that, he was a key player for Grimsby in the early Alan Buckley years. Remarkably he came to League football as a player late, at the age of 32! By all accounts he could even dribble the ball well.