Port Vale legend John Rudge's statue unveiled on 80th birthday

John Rudge's statue is sited in the Hamil Road fan zone at Vale Park

The commissioned statue of John Rudge has been unveiled to mark the former Port Vale manager's 80th birthday.

Rudge, who led Vale in their second-tier days, was in charge of the Burslem-based club from 1983 to 1999, comfortably the longest-serving manager in the club's history.

He also spent 14 years working for Potteries neighbours Stoke City as director of football but returned to Burslem to become the Valiants' club president.

Vale fans raised £100,000 towards the cost of the 17 ft (5.3m) statue.

“I just thought that probably the greatest manager the football club’s ever had deserved to be recognised and honoured," said Vale supporters club chair Mark Porter.

The statue has been placed on a Staffordshire blue brick plinth at Vale Park's Hamil Road fan zone, depicting the man known throughout English football simply as "Rudgey" wearing his trademark flat hat.

Porter said that it would provide a lasting legacy for Rudge.

“With statues, you honour lots of people after they’ve passed and they never really see them," said Porter.

"I thought it would be great to honour him while he’s here so he can see it for himself.

The statue of John Rudge was unveiled on his 80th birthday

“Rudgey is synonymous with Port Vale, with Stoke-on-Trent as a city and with the football world as a whole," said Valiants chief executive Matt Hancock.

“Anywhere you go, he gets spoken about. He’s such a humble, kind and normal man. If anyone deserves a statue, it’s John."

Wolverhampton-born Rudge, who represented Huddersfield Town, Carlisle United, Torquay United, Bristol Rovers and Bournemouth in his 16-year playing career, had already been on the Vale coaching staff before being appointed manager as successor to John McGrath in December 1983.

He took charge of 749 Vale matches, winning 278 of them, including memorable FA Cup victories over Tottenham Hotspur and a Football League Trophy final win at Wembley in 1993.

He led Vale to promotion three times, from the fourth tier in 1985–86, then up again in 1988-89 and 1993–94 - and also led the club to the Anglo-Italian Cup final in 1996.

After being sacked in January 1999, he then became director of football with local rivals Stoke until May 2013.