Always an innovative manager when it came to keeping the mood bright in the dressing room, Ron Atkinson fancies his old club Man United to push Man City for the title – but wishes they had signed Harry Kane
Rain was tap-dancing on the players’ marquee and Ron Atkinson, preparing to tee off, was anxious about the fourth protocol.
Pull your pitching wedge to the green on the 95-yard fourth hole, the shortest on the course at Nailcote Hall, and it will land on the neighbouring railway line, next stop Tile Hill.
At 84, a round with Big Ron is as much fun as watching his teams play, and when he talks football there’s still a full set of clubs in the bag. Among the treasure trove of stories from his five decades as a player or manager are some belters – like the day he fired up Sheffield Wednesday to beat Manchester United by dragging Sir Alex Ferguson into Italian tenor Renato Pagliari’s pre-match call to arms.
Pagliari was one-half of one-hit wonders Renee and Renato, whose crooners’ classic Save Your Love somehow made it to No.1 in the charts 40 years ago. “We had Paolo Di Canio and Benito Carbone in our team at the time,” said Atkinson, speaking at the Farmfoods British Par 3 Championship. “To make them feel at home I brought Renato into the dressing room to sing Nessun Dorma before we played United.