Paul Ince has paid tribute to Keith Alexander, who passed away on Tuesday night aged 53.

The Macclesfield boss - affectionately nicknamed 'The Chief' - collapsed shortly after arriving home after his club's League Two match at Notts County. The exact cause of death has not yet been confirmed.

Last night Fabio Capello's England team wore black armbands to honour the widely-respected manager who had commanded respect up and down the land.

MK Dons manager Ince said: "It's easy for me to look at the great managers I have had in my career like Sir Alex Ferguson, Terry Venables and John Lyall.

"But they are bosses who have plied their trade at the highest level. Keith was willing to go down to Macclesfield, with all the restraints of working at that level, and do a fantastic job. This news is devastating for me, particularly as people are now saying what a top manager he was when he never got the credit or the respect that he deserved.

"He never got the chance to manage higher than he did - even though he should have done because if you look at his record it speaks for itself. I was speaking to Keith two or three months ago and I know that he was an ambitious man. He had done a fantastic job wherever he had been.

"Yet he never moaned - and he could have moaned about a lot of things. He just got on with his job without any fuss. That just showed the dignity of the man. As sad as it is, it's great that he has been a part of my life and I can remember the good times I had with him.

"It's just sad that this has had to happen for him to get the credit he deserved. I still can't believe it. You are speaking to someone one minute and the next he is gone. It's hard to take but I will always regard him as one of the greats. He will always have a place in my heart."