The 50-year-old has been appointed the new manager of National League outfit Gateshead, replacing Carl Magnay.
Magnay left the club at the start of the month to take up an assistant manager role at National League North outfit South Shields, highlighting the complicated off-field issues that have caused issues at Gateshead.
Armstrong, however, has taken on the job, returning to management for the first time since 2023, when he was sacked by Darlington after a four-year stint.
It continues his run of managing clubs in the North East, having also had a spell in charge of Blyth Spartans between 2016 and 2019.
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"I see it as a challenge, and it's something I'm really excited by," [Armstrong said](https://gateshead-fc.com/gateshead-fc-appoint-alun-armstrong-as-first-team-manager/).
"I want to bring some of the identity back to this club that I think it used to have. First and foremost, I want lads to work extremely hard for the team and that's the biggest thing, but on top of that we want to be exciting and scoring goals.
"At the end of the day fans pay money to see goals, it's an entertainment business, and we want to see the ball in the back of the net as much as we possibly can.
"I know it's going to be a tough one, but no stone will be left for me to try and get this battle done and hopefully get to where we want to be."
Armstrong signed for Ipswich as a player from Middlesbrough back in 2000 following a loan at Huddersfield Town. In his three years at Portman Road, he scored 19 goals in 94 appearances, including a header in the Blues' famous 1-0 UEFA Cup win against Inter Milan in 2001/02.