John Beck, one of the more infamous football managers of the past 30 years, has been taking a prominent role in the Football Association's programme to bring through the next generation of coaches.

Beck, known for his almost obsessive devotion to route-one tactics, is being employed by the FA to help licensed and unlicensed coaches qualify for their badges despite his notorious reliance on long-ball football during a career that once saw him offering cash bonuses for whichever of his players at Cambridge United kicked the ball the furthest.

The Observer has discovered that the man who was once dubbed Dracula in football circles, because his critics accused him of sucking the life out of football, has established himself with the domestic game's governing body and works on its Level 2 and Uefa B courses, with the responsibility to try to improve the standard of coaching throughout England and Wales. The FA Learning programme is based at St George's Park in Burton and Beck's next course begins in Norwich on 28 October.

The FA have confirmed his involvement and released a statement to defend the appointment. "John's philosophy around playing over 20 years ago bears no reflection on the competence of him as a coach educator at Level 2 and Uefa B," it said.

"The FA employ John because of his understanding of coach education and of the FA's playing and coaching philosophy, which he fully believes in."

Now 59, Beck almost took Cambridge from the Fourth Division into the top flight, from 1990 to 1992, with a style of football that was both successful and controversial. He also had spells at Preston North End and Lincoln City before drifting into non-league football with Histon and then Kettering Town.

At Cambridge, Beck ordered the grass to be left long in the corners so it would hold up the ball when it was kicked over the top. He was renowned for his cold-water bucket treatment, when players would be soaked before matches, and there were various stories of Cambridge embarking on underhand tactics to unsettle the opposition, from turning up the heating in the away dressing room to roughing up the pitch to make it as difficult as possible to play a passing game.

The FA added: "When we started to administer and deliver the Uefa B through the FA at the beginning of 2011 all the tutors went through a rigorous selection process and a comprehensive training programme. The FA constantly monitor the quality and delivery of all tutors."