Five of the best: players converted to other positions by John Rudge

Legendary manager John Rudge is rightly regarded as the club’s finest manager – and here are five examples of how he successfully converted players from one position to another…

Simon Mills

Central midfield to full-back

The Sheffield born Mills was snapped up for a bargain £35,000 in December 1987. Mills had played for York City as a central midfielder and he looked the part in his early appearances for the Valiants scoring five times in 18 appearances. However, it was clear that Mills would struggle to displace the successful Earle-Walker midfield pairing. Rudge then had a moment of genius as he converted Mills to right-back.

It was a massive success: Mills’ skilful passing from full-back added a new dimension while he also showed prowess from set pieces. Indeed, the Mills-Beckford-Earle (or “MBE”) routine in 1988-89 helped Robbie Earle net nineteen goals and helped Vale to promotion. Mills was increasingly paired with Darren Hughes in the full-back positions – a pairing many regard as the Vale’s finest full-backs. Mill’s intelligence combined with Hughes dynamic runs forward were a familiar sight during the Rudge glory years.

Darren Hughes

Central midfield to full-back

After mentioning Simon Mills, it’s only right to move on to his regular full-back partner Darren Hughes. Prior to joining the Valiants, Hughes had had spells with Everton and Brighton but with little success. He played mainly in midfield for Brighton and he failed to gain a regular first-team place. However, that all changed when he moved to Port Vale and John Rudge made him the club’s regular left-back.

The role played perfectly to Hughes’ strengths. Like Mills, his midfield experience gave him a decent range of passing skills while the left-back slot gave him the ability to use his extreme pace to surge forward. Perhaps the best known of those runs was during the FA Cup replay at Derby County when Hughes’ surging run up the flank cut through County’s defence and set up Nicky Cross for the winning goal.

Robin van der Laan

Forward to central midfield

For a player who went on to be one of the club’s most recognisable faces, Robin van der Laan’s signing was low key and with few expectations. The Dutchman was serving a lenghty ban in his own country and cost £80,000. He was slow to make an impact as playing as a striker he looked to lack the yard of pace needed to score goals in England. Nevertheless, he managed four goals in 18 games playing as a forward.

However, the following season, Rudge once again worked his magic. The manager converted van der Laan to midfield, a role that perfectly suited his skills of hard tackling, precision passing and sharp shooting. The Dutchman went on to have four highly successful years as a midfielder and earn Vale a £670,000 transfer profit when he was sold to Derby County.

The image at the top of the page shows van der Laan playing as a striker in the 1990-91 season.

Dean Glover

Central midfield to centre-half

The ice cool Glover was such a huge success from day one at Port Vale that it’s easy to forget that he’d never played in central defence before joining the club. At his previous clubs – Aston Villa and Middlesbrough – Glover had been seen as a central midfielder. After all, he seemed to lack the power and height to make it in central defence. However, John Rudge saw something in Glover and (in a massive gamble) was prepared to smash the club transfer record in the process.

Rudge was right and Glover was a huge success. The pairing that Glover and regular partner Neil Aspin replaced had been successful – but Bob Hazell and Phil Sproson were very much old school, intimidating defenders. Glover added a whole new dimension. He didn’t need to use his strength as his reading of the game was exception and he could play the ball out of defence setting up numerous attacks. No wonder the now central defender was an integral part of the Rudge Glory years.

Robbie Earle

Forward to central midfield

Robbie Earle is rightly regarded as one of Port Vale’s finest-ever midfielders but he didn’t start his Valiants career there. In his early days, Earle was a highly effective forward. Partnering Andy Jones, he hit 17 goals as the club was promoted in 1986. However, Rudge saw something in Earle and was bravely prepared to back his hunch despite his success upfront.

Rudge switched Earle into a dynamic midfielder and it resulted in massive success. Often partnered with Ray Walker, the pairing was a near perfect central midfield partnership. Walker providing accurate passing and set-piece skills while Earle offered constant running and a genuine goal threat. It was little surprise when after years of Vale Park success, top-flight Wimbledon paid £775,000 for Earle’s services.