[2] In June 1987, Bate was appointed manager of Southend United by the club's chairman Vic Jobson without consulting his fellow board members.
He reign lasted just ten games with a solitary victory in the Football League Cup and he departed with the worst record of any Southend manager in history.
[3] Bate moved on to join Lincoln City as assistant manager to Colin Murphy, helping the club regain its Football League status at the end of the 1987–88 season.
He was caretaker manager of the England women's national football team for a match against Italy in April 1998; between the resignation of Ted Copeland and appointment of Hope Powell.
[8] Before the time of his death in April 2018, Bate worked with Burnley on a consultancy basis during the clubs redevelopment of the Barnfield Training Centre.