Ron Atkinson
Encyclopedia
Ronald Ernest Atkinson, (born 18 March 1939) commonly known as "Big Ron" and (earlier in his managerial career) "Bojangles" is an English
former football player and manager. In recent years he has become one of Britain's best-known football pundits. He is perhaps most famous for his idiosyncratic turn of phrase: his utterances have become known as "Big-Ronisms" or "Ronglish".
but moved to Birmingham
a few weeks after his birth, did not achieve great heights in his playing career. He was originally signed by Aston Villa
at the age of 17, but never played a first-team match for them. He still refers to then Villa coach Jimmy Hogan
as his biggest influence.
He transferred to Oxford United
(then called Headington United) in the close season of 1959 on a free transfer. There he played with his younger brother Graham Atkinson
. He went on to make over 500 appearances in all competitions as a wing-half for the club, earning the nickname "The Tank", and scoring a total of 14 goals. He was United's captain through their rise from the Southern League
to the Second Division
, achieved in only six years from 1962 to 1968, an impressive achievement. He was the first ever footballer to captain a club from the Southern League through three divisions of the Football League.
in 1971, aged only 32. His success there led to a move to the league with Cambridge United
, going on to win the then Fourth Division
in 1977 and leaving them when they were on the verge of promotion to the Second Division
.
West Bromwich Albion
He soon signed black player Brendon Batson
from his former club, to play alongside the black pair of Laurie Cunningham
and Cyrille Regis
. Never before had a team in the top division of English football simultaneously fielded three black players on a regular basis.
Atkinson led West Bromwich Albion to third place in the league in the season 1978–79
and also to the UEFA Cup
quarter-finals. On 30 December 1978 they achieved a famous 5-3 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford
. The club were second in the table at the time, only beaten off top spot from Liverpool by goal difference. They finished fourth in 1981, and shortly after this Atkinson became manager of Manchester United on the dismissal of Dave Sexton
.
United had finished eighth in the season before Atkinson's appointment
, and Atkinson had actually missed out of the chance of overseeing a UEFA Cup
campaign by departing from Albion and taking over at United.
In 1981–82 United finished third in the First Division
, to qualify for the UEFA Cup
, though for much of the season they were one of several teams who topped the table before a late surge from Liverpool
saw Bob Paisley's
team seal the title. Early in the season he had paid a national record £1.75million for Bryan Robson
from his old club West Bromwich Albion, and shortly afterwards also added midfielder Remi Moses
(also from West Bromwich Albion) and Arsenal
striker Frank Stapleton
to his ranks. He also gave a debut to promising young forward Norman Whiteside
in April 1982, just before the player's 17th birthday.
In 1982–83
two appearances at Wembley, one of which was an FA Cup victory against Brighton & Hove Albion
, coupled with another third place finish in the league, fuelled speculation that United were back in a big way. During the first half of the season, they had topped the league more than once but a storming run of form by Liverpool beginning before Christmas meant that the title headed for Anfield
for the second year running. 1982-83 also saw the breakthrough of young Norman Whiteside as one of the best performing players in the First Division. Whiteside was also on the scoresheet for the FA Cup final replay as United beat Brighton 4-0 after drawing the first game 2-2.
In 1983–84
, Atkinson's side reached the semi-finals of the European Cup Winners Cup and finished fourth in the First Division
, although their defence of the FA Cup ended at the first hurdle which a shock 2-0 defeat at Third Division
AFC Bournemouth. They finished fourth in the league, having topped the table at several stages once again, before injuries to key players counted against them and they dropped points.
The end of the season saw the sale of key midfielder Ray Wilkins
to AC Milan of Italy
for £1.5million, while the duration of the season had seen the breakthrough of young striker Mark Hughes
. Rather than plunge into the transfer market for a big name, Atkinson shifted 19-year-old striker Norman Whiteside
into midfield to fill the gap left by Wilkins and allowed Hughes to form a partnership with the experienced Frank Stapleton.
In 1984-85
, United again won the FA Cup. However, Atkinson and his team were denied the chance of another European Cup Winners Cup campaign as the Heysel disaster at the European Cup final that year, resulted in an indefinite ban on all English clubs in European competitions (ultimately lasting five years).
In the 1985–86
they won their first 10 games of the league season to build a comfortable lead at the top of the table which lasted into the new year. However, their form tailed off badly and they again finished fourth, with Liverpool (who also won the FA Cup) finishing the season as league champions for a record 16th time. With the ban on English clubs in European competitions continuing, there wasn't even the consolation of a UEFA Cup
place.
There was more disappointment for United's fans when the sale of Mark Hughes
to FC Barcelona
of Spain
was announced at the end of the season. Atkinson had prepared for Hughes's departure in March 1986 by paying Nottingham Forest
£570,000 for England
striker Peter Davenport. Although Davenport did play some good games for United, he failed to achieve the success that Hughes had achieved and was not a popular figure among fans even when performing well.
The 1986 close season saw speculation mount that Atkinson would be sacked by Manchester United and that Alex Ferguson
would be recruited from Scottish
side Aberdeen
to become his successor, but the 1986-87 season
began with Atkinson still at the helm.
Atkinson had spent heavily at United, paying over £8 million for new signings—which included Bryan Robson
, Gordon Strachan
and Jesper Olsen
. He also brought through young talent such as Norman Whiteside
, Mark Hughes
and Paul McGrath
.
His two FA Cup wins had made him more successful than any manager at Manchester United since Matt Busby, but he was now becoming increasingly unpopular among fans and the pressure to build on the earlier successes was becoming more intense than ever.
He had recouped more than £6 million with the sale of highly-rated players including Ray Wilkins
and Mark Hughes
.
The 1986–87
season opened disastrously with three successive defeats, and despite a minor upturn in September and October which included a 5-1 home win over Southampton
in the league, the pressure on Atkinson remained immense and the board finally ran out of patience on the 6 November 1986 when he was dismissed as manager two days after a 4-1 exit at the hands of Southampton in the League Cup. They were also second from bottom in the First Division.
in 20th place, and they began the 1988-89 season
well, looking like serious promotion contenders. But then he had a high-profile move to Atlético Madrid of Spain
.
led to Atkinson being sacked after just three months as manager. His right hand man at West Bromwich Albion, Colin Addison
, was appointed—much to the dislike of Ron, who at the time in the English media went on record as saying Addison had "stabbed him in the back". They (Atkinson and Addison) never worked again as part of a team following the events of Atlético. His departure to Spain also had an adverse affect on West Bromwich Albion, whose promotion bid dramatically collapsed under new manager Brian Talbot
.
from February 1989 to June 1991. Although the club were relegated in 1990 to the Second Division, a year later in 1991 he got them promoted back to the First Division. They also won the League Cup
by beating Manchester United 1-0 at Wembley. He offended some Sheffield Wednesday fans by saying on 31 May 1991 that he was staying as manager but a week later left to become Aston Villa
manager.
, he led Aston Villa to second place in the inaugural FA Premier League
season in 1992-93
and to victory in the League Cup
in 1994, securing (ultimately short-lived) UEFA Cup
campaigns for both of these successes.
Despite leading Villa to their first major success since their 1982 European Cup
triumph, a mutual disliking between Villa chairman Doug Ellis
and Ron that developed from 1992, inevitably resulted in him being sacked on 10 November 1994 following a 4-3 defeat at the hands of Wimbledon
- three days after Ellis had given Ron a 'vote of confidence' in the media, stating that Atkinson was one of England's top three football managers. By this stage, an ageing Villa side that had so nearly won the league title 18 months earlier were now among the relegation battlers. He was replaced by Brian Little
, who kept Villa in the top flight and built a new younger team.
replacing Phil Neal
who was purposely and acrimoniously replaced to make way for Atkinson. He took over in mid February 1995, with the Sky Blues just above the Premier League relegation zone. His new team managed some good results, namely a 4-2 home win over local rivals Leicester City
, a 3-2 away win over Liverpool
and a point against a Blackburn Rovers
side who ended the season as champions. With survival looking certain several games before the season ended, Atkinson was named Premier League Manager of the Month for March 1995. The penultimate game of the season brought another fine result when the Sky Blues travelled to North London
and beat Tottenham Hotspur
3-1. Survival was finally confirmed as Atkinson guided the Sky Blues to a 16th place finish.
In December 1995, Atkinson guided the Sky Blues to one of their best results of the 1990s
- a 5-0 home win over defending champions Blackburn Rovers. This was followed a few days later by a convincing 3-0 win over arch-rivals Aston Villa, their biggest win against the Birmingham club in many years.
During his spell as manager of Coventry, he brought in high profile players including Gordon Strachan
, Dion Dublin
, Noel Whelan
and Gary McAllister
(although in his autobiography he states that this latter signing was Strachan's initiative and he was opposed for tactical reasons) but they continued to struggle in the Premier League and by November 1996 he had become Director of Football, handing over managerial duties to former player and subesequent assistant boss Gordon Strachan
.
. Wednesday had made a poor start to the 1997-98 season, including a 7-2 loss at Blackburn and a 6-1 loss at Manchester United. Under Atkinson, Wednesday's form picked up immediately and they pulled well clear of relegation trouble, but he was not rewarded with a permanent contract. It was deemed (in football and media circles) that this action was an act of revenge by the Wednesday board for the manner in which he had left Wednesday for Villa in 1991, just days after he had gone public in the press pledging his immediate future to Hillsborough.
, for the final four months of the 1998-99 season
. This spell was not a success and at his first home game he even climbed into the wrong dug-out. He also managed to upset many Forest fans following an 8-1 defeat at home to Manchester United
, when he stated in an interview after the game that his team had given the fans a "nine-goal thriller".
In a 2007 interview, Pierre van Hooijdonk
, who was a Forest player at the time, said he sometimes got the impression the side was managed by Rowan Atkinson
. In 1999, having resumed playing for Forest (following a somewhat petulant 'strike' by Pierre van Hooijdonk
), Atkinson was quoted as saying that "his (Pierre van Hooijdonk
) biggest talent was upsetting his team mates."
Atkinson failed to assist the Forest cause and the club was soon relegated from the Premier League.
and after leaving management he continued in this role. For a number of years he covered most of the channel's live matches, sometimes as a studio guest, but more often as the "ex-football insider
" member of a two-man commentary team. His commentaries with Clive Tyldesley
provided the basis for the late-1990's and early-2000's ITV Champions League
nights. He also fronted two series of Extra Time With Ron Atkinson for Central ITV with Ron interviewing football personalities like Kevin Keegan, Terry Venables and Martin O'Neill.
This exposure led to "Ronglish" becoming known to a wider audience. With his permanent suntan
and taste for chunky, gaudy jewellery
, he was often portrayed as a lovable buffoon in the UK media
. Examples of Ronglish includes the adopted footballing phrase "early doors", a phrase that has been a subject of debate in football circles (partly because its precise origin and meaning is unclear). It is credited as one of Ron's most famous and original pundit quips. Another famous line regularly heard during Ron's 1990s ITV football pundit work was exclaiming in disbelief at a miss, stating "you would have put your mortgage on him (the player) scoring there".
In 1997, he appeared as manager of Harchester United in Dream Team (TV series)
and host Paul Merton
played the video as outro to the show. Atkinson also revealed that he was friends with singer Renato Pagliari of Renée and Renato
, and the singer made a surprise guest appearance on the show.
remark live on air about the black
Chelsea
player Marcel Desailly
; believing the microphone to be switched off, he said, "...he [Desailly] is what is known in some schools as a fucking lazy thick nigger
". Although transmission in the UK had finished, the microphone gaffe
meant that his comment was broadcast to various countries in the Middle East
. He also left his job as a columnist for The Guardian
"by mutual agreement" as a result of the comment.
It was not the first time Atkinson had committed a microphone gaffe. His comments about AS Roma player, Francesco Totti
were broadcast to amazed German TV viewers. His view that "He actually looks a little twat, that Totti" however received very little criticism from the UK media.
Since the Desailly incident, Atkinson has claimed that the comment was an aberration and that he is not racist, citing in his defence that his West Brom side was the first high-profile British club to have a significant number of black players. This, however, has not diminished the condemnation he has received from anti-racist groups and the public at large, who question whether Atkinson would have resigned had the comment not been accidentally broadcast and note that it was not the first time he had used racist language. In an article published in the Sunday Times on 19 September 2004, Atkinson was referred to as "Racist Ron". However Carlton Palmer
, one of his players while he was manager at Sheffield Wednesday defended his former boss by saying, "I'm black and I'm sitting here and I'm gonna stand up for Big Ron not because he's a friend of mine, I'm standing up for him because I know what he's like as a bloke."
"If we're going to deal with racism then let's deal with the bigger picture of racism not about a throwaway comment that wasn't meant in that manner." A BBC Radio
documentary about the Three Degrees, repeated on 16 May 2004, was cancelled owing to Atkinson's central contributions.
Later in 2004, the Daily Mirror reported how he sparked more hostility among fans by making derogatory remarks about Chinese
women,"I can't understand why there is such a population problem in China as they have the best contraception going: Chinese women are the ugliest in the world." all of which he said during a meeting over a meal.
at Swindon Town in December 2005, and Atkinson and the club appeared to confirm this. However it later transpired that Atkinson's role was simply as part of a Sky One
documentary about the club being filmed at the County Ground. In late January 2006 Atkinson and Swindon parted company, with Swindon manager Onuora citing interference as the main reason for stopping the documentary from going ahead. Just a week later the cameras turned up at Peterborough United's ground, London Road, to begin filming for the documentary called Big Ron Manager
. Peterborough were paid £100,000 to allow the filming to take place. Just three months later on 22 April the club was thrown into turmoil as caretaker manager Steve Bleasdale
resigned just 70 minutes before kick off against Macclesfield Town, citing interference from a number of people in the running of first team affairs, many believing the documentary involving Ron Atkinson had a major part to play.
Atkinson spent the 2006 World Cup recording an amateur video blog and distributing it through the UK-based video sharing site, SelfcastTV.com. He also provided commentary on the World Cup for the UK digital channel UKTV G2.
In 2006, Atkinson took part in the BBC Two
programme Excuse My French
. Atkinson, comedian Marcus Brigstocke
and television presenter Esther Rantzen
were immersed in the French language by staying in a remote town in the Provence
region, being compelled to adapt to the French lifestyle and speak the language. His assignment at the end of the course was to provide a match analysis on a football match (Paris Saint-Germain - AS Monaco) in French for a French radio station. Being a complete beginner to the French language, he found the experience a considerable challenge, although he succeeded. The assignment was made more difficult by the fact that the match concerned was a dull goalless draw, leaving him with little to talk about.
He briefly made a return to television, appearing as a pundit on Football Italia broadcast on Bravo. Since Serie A
coverage has been shown on Five and ESPN however, Atkinson has not been invited as a pundit.
Ron Atkinson brought out a warts and all autobiography upon the airing of Wife Swap - "60 Minutes with Ron Atkinson" upon which he talks about his controversial comments and his football career
Atkinson returned to the screen on 16 August 2009 on the Channel 4
reality show Celebrity Wife Swap. However, when questioned about his controversial comments by swappee Tessa Sanderson, he became very defensive and refused to discuss it. "The whistle has gone. Full time. End of story... the subject is closed."
"The Punt" podcast.
, the club he had managed more than 30 years previously, as Director of Football. However it was announced on 19 April 2007 that he had left the post at the Conference North
club following his disapproval over the sacking of manager Morell Maison.
On 18 October 2007, it was announced that the 68-year-old Atkinson had been appointed as consultant at Halesowen Town
, assisting Morell Maison the new manager. Atkinson, apparently, left his role at Halesowen in order to pursue business interests.
Cambridge United
Manchester United
West Bromwich Albion
Sheffield Wednesday
Aston Villa
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
former football player and manager. In recent years he has become one of Britain's best-known football pundits. He is perhaps most famous for his idiosyncratic turn of phrase: his utterances have become known as "Big-Ronisms" or "Ronglish".
Playing career
Ron Atkinson, who was born in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
but moved to Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
a few weeks after his birth, did not achieve great heights in his playing career. He was originally signed by Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
at the age of 17, but never played a first-team match for them. He still refers to then Villa coach Jimmy Hogan
Jimmy Hogan
James "Jimmy" Hogan was an English football player and coach of Irish descent...
as his biggest influence.
He transferred to Oxford United
Oxford United F.C.
Oxford United Football Club is an English association football club based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. The club play in League Two, following promotion from the Conference National in May 2010. The club had been a non-League side since their relegation from the Football League in the 2005–06 season. The...
(then called Headington United) in the close season of 1959 on a free transfer. There he played with his younger brother Graham Atkinson
Graham Atkinson
Graham Atkinson is an English former football player. He was a stalwart at Oxford United in their initial years in the Football League . His brother is Ron Atkinson.-Playing career:...
. He went on to make over 500 appearances in all competitions as a wing-half for the club, earning the nickname "The Tank", and scoring a total of 14 goals. He was United's captain through their rise from the Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
to the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
, achieved in only six years from 1962 to 1968, an impressive achievement. He was the first ever footballer to captain a club from the Southern League through three divisions of the Football League.
Kettering Town and Cambridge United
After retiring from playing, Atkinson became manager of non-league Kettering TownKettering Town F.C.
Kettering Town Football Club are a football club originating in Kettering, Northamptonshire but currently based in the nearby village of Irthlingborough. The club play in the Conference National after winning the Conference North in 2007–08...
in 1971, aged only 32. His success there led to a move to the league with Cambridge United
Cambridge United F.C.
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League...
, going on to win the then Fourth Division
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
in 1977 and leaving them when they were on the verge of promotion to the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
.
West Bromwich Albion
At the start of 1978, Atkinson moved to manage First DivisionFootball League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
He soon signed black player Brendon Batson
Brendon Batson
Brendon Martin Batson, MBE is an English former association footballer.Born in St. George's, Grenada, Batson's family moved to England when he was nine. Until then he had never even seen a game of football and a teacher at this school, on watching his early efforts and reflecting on his birthplace...
from his former club, to play alongside the black pair of Laurie Cunningham
Laurie Cunningham
Laurence Paul "Laurie" Cunningham was an England international footballer. When he joined Real Madrid, he became the first English player in the club's history....
and Cyrille Regis
Cyrille Regis
Cyrille Regis, MBE is a French-born English former footballer. His professional playing career spanned 19 years, where he made 610 league appearances and scored 159 league goals, most prolifically at West Bromwich Albion and Coventry City.-Early life:Regis was born in Maripasoula, French Guiana,...
. Never before had a team in the top division of English football simultaneously fielded three black players on a regular basis.
Atkinson led West Bromwich Albion to third place in the league in the season 1978–79
1978-79 in English football
-FA Cup:Manchester United had seemingly pulled off a remarkable comeback against Arsenal in the 1979 FA Cup Final to make the score 2–2 after being two goals down, but a last-minute goal from Alan Sunderland saw Arsenal lift the trophy with a 3–2 scoreline...
and also to the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
quarter-finals. On 30 December 1978 they achieved a famous 5-3 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
. The club were second in the table at the time, only beaten off top spot from Liverpool by goal difference. They finished fourth in 1981, and shortly after this Atkinson became manager of Manchester United on the dismissal of Dave Sexton
Dave Sexton
David "Dave" Sexton OBE is an English former football manager and player.-Playing career:Son of former professional boxer Archie Sexton, he started his playing career with West Ham United in 1948. Playing mainly at inside-forward, he would finish his career with time at Luton Town, Leyton Orient,...
.
Manchester United
Atkinson was very much a manager with charisma and sparkle, quite the opposite to his predecessor (who had taken them to second place in the league in 1980 but never won a major trophy since his appointment in 1977).United had finished eighth in the season before Atkinson's appointment
1980-81 in English football
The 1980–81 season was the 101st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The Football League introduced a three points for a win system in place of the two points for a win system which had operated since the league's formation in 1889...
, and Atkinson had actually missed out of the chance of overseeing a UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
campaign by departing from Albion and taking over at United.
In 1981–82 United finished third in the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
, to qualify for the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
, though for much of the season they were one of several teams who topped the table before a late surge from Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
saw Bob Paisley's
Bob Paisley
Robert "Bob" Paisley OBE was an English football half back turned manager. His association with Liverpool was to span nearly half a century including his contribution to the club, first as a player, then as a physiotherapist and coach, and finally as manager.In nine years as manager between 1974...
team seal the title. Early in the season he had paid a national record £1.75million for Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson OBE is an English football manager and a former player. He is best known for playing in midfield for Manchester United, where he was the longest serving captain in club history. He was the manager of Sheffield United, being relieved of his first team duties at the club in February 2008...
from his old club West Bromwich Albion, and shortly afterwards also added midfielder Remi Moses
Remi Moses
Remi Mark Moses is a former English football player whose main position was as a defensive midfielder.In 1981, Moses was transferred from West Bromwich Albion to Manchester United for £500,000...
(also from West Bromwich Albion) and Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
striker Frank Stapleton
Frank Stapleton
Francis Anthony "Frank" Stapleton is an Irish former football player and manager. He is best remembered for his time at Arsenal, Manchester United and as a pivotal player for the Republic of Ireland...
to his ranks. He also gave a debut to promising young forward Norman Whiteside
Norman Whiteside
Norman Whiteside is a former Northern Ireland international footballer who played in two World Cups.He appeared for Manchester United and Everton, before his career was ended by injury at the age of 26. He won the FA Cup twice during his time playing for Manchester United, in 1983 and 1985...
in April 1982, just before the player's 17th birthday.
In 1982–83
1982-83 in English football
The 1982–83 season was the 103rd season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Bob Paisley's last season as Liverpool manager ended on a high as they topped the First Division with a comfortable lead. Bob Paisley retired as Liverpool manager with a record 21 prizes in nine years. His...
two appearances at Wembley, one of which was an FA Cup victory against Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
, coupled with another third place finish in the league, fuelled speculation that United were back in a big way. During the first half of the season, they had topped the league more than once but a storming run of form by Liverpool beginning before Christmas meant that the title headed for Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
for the second year running. 1982-83 also saw the breakthrough of young Norman Whiteside as one of the best performing players in the First Division. Whiteside was also on the scoresheet for the FA Cup final replay as United beat Brighton 4-0 after drawing the first game 2-2.
In 1983–84
1983-84 in English football
The 1983–84 season was the 104th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Liverpool had a great first season under the management of Joe Fagan as they wrapped up their third successive league title and the 15th in their history...
, Atkinson's side reached the semi-finals of the European Cup Winners Cup and finished fourth in the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
, although their defence of the FA Cup ended at the first hurdle which a shock 2-0 defeat at Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
AFC Bournemouth. They finished fourth in the league, having topped the table at several stages once again, before injuries to key players counted against them and they dropped points.
The end of the season saw the sale of key midfielder Ray Wilkins
Ray Wilkins
Raymond Colin Wilkins MBE , often known as "Butch" Wilkins, is an English former footballer and at present a television pundit...
to AC Milan of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
for £1.5million, while the duration of the season had seen the breakthrough of young striker Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes, OBE , is a former Welsh international footballer. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals....
. Rather than plunge into the transfer market for a big name, Atkinson shifted 19-year-old striker Norman Whiteside
Norman Whiteside
Norman Whiteside is a former Northern Ireland international footballer who played in two World Cups.He appeared for Manchester United and Everton, before his career was ended by injury at the age of 26. He won the FA Cup twice during his time playing for Manchester United, in 1983 and 1985...
into midfield to fill the gap left by Wilkins and allowed Hughes to form a partnership with the experienced Frank Stapleton.
In 1984-85
1984-85 in English football
The 1984–85 season was the 105th season of competitive football in England.-Bradford City disaster:56 spectators died and more than 200 were injured when a fire ripped through the Main Stand at Valley Parade during Bradford City's Third Division fixture with Lincoln City on 11 May...
, United again won the FA Cup. However, Atkinson and his team were denied the chance of another European Cup Winners Cup campaign as the Heysel disaster at the European Cup final that year, resulted in an indefinite ban on all English clubs in European competitions (ultimately lasting five years).
In the 1985–86
1985-86 in English football
The 1985–86 season was the 106th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :The championship crown went to Liverpool for the 16th time in their history at the end of their first season under the management of Kenny Dalglish, but they had to fight off some very stiff competition to...
they won their first 10 games of the league season to build a comfortable lead at the top of the table which lasted into the new year. However, their form tailed off badly and they again finished fourth, with Liverpool (who also won the FA Cup) finishing the season as league champions for a record 16th time. With the ban on English clubs in European competitions continuing, there wasn't even the consolation of a UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
place.
There was more disappointment for United's fans when the sale of Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes, OBE , is a former Welsh international footballer. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals....
to FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
was announced at the end of the season. Atkinson had prepared for Hughes's departure in March 1986 by paying Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
£570,000 for England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
striker Peter Davenport. Although Davenport did play some good games for United, he failed to achieve the success that Hughes had achieved and was not a popular figure among fans even when performing well.
The 1986 close season saw speculation mount that Atkinson would be sacked by Manchester United and that Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
would be recruited from Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
side Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
to become his successor, but the 1986-87 season
1986-87 in English football
The 1986–87 season was the 107th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :The First Division championship went to Everton in their final season under the management of Howard Kendall before his departure to Athletic Bilbao. His side overcame a spate of injuries to fight off...
began with Atkinson still at the helm.
Atkinson had spent heavily at United, paying over £8 million for new signings—which included Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson OBE is an English football manager and a former player. He is best known for playing in midfield for Manchester United, where he was the longest serving captain in club history. He was the manager of Sheffield United, being relieved of his first team duties at the club in February 2008...
, Gordon Strachan
Gordon Strachan
Gordon David Strachan OBE is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is currently without a club, having last managed Middlesbrough. Strachan played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City, as well as the Scotland national team. Prior to Middlesbrough,...
and Jesper Olsen
Jesper Olsen
Jesper Olsen is a Danish former footballer who most notably played for Ajax of the Netherlands and Manchester United of England. Olsen was a regular left winger for the Danish national team, scoring five goals in 43 matches...
. He also brought through young talent such as Norman Whiteside
Norman Whiteside
Norman Whiteside is a former Northern Ireland international footballer who played in two World Cups.He appeared for Manchester United and Everton, before his career was ended by injury at the age of 26. He won the FA Cup twice during his time playing for Manchester United, in 1983 and 1985...
, Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes, OBE , is a former Welsh international footballer. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals....
and Paul McGrath
Paul McGrath (footballer)
Paul McGrath is a retired Irish footballer, who played as a defender. McGrath is widely recognised as one of the greatest players to have ever come out of Ireland....
.
His two FA Cup wins had made him more successful than any manager at Manchester United since Matt Busby, but he was now becoming increasingly unpopular among fans and the pressure to build on the earlier successes was becoming more intense than ever.
He had recouped more than £6 million with the sale of highly-rated players including Ray Wilkins
Ray Wilkins
Raymond Colin Wilkins MBE , often known as "Butch" Wilkins, is an English former footballer and at present a television pundit...
and Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes, OBE , is a former Welsh international footballer. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals....
.
The 1986–87
1986-87 in English football
The 1986–87 season was the 107th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :The First Division championship went to Everton in their final season under the management of Howard Kendall before his departure to Athletic Bilbao. His side overcame a spate of injuries to fight off...
season opened disastrously with three successive defeats, and despite a minor upturn in September and October which included a 5-1 home win over Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
in the league, the pressure on Atkinson remained immense and the board finally ran out of patience on the 6 November 1986 when he was dismissed as manager two days after a 4-1 exit at the hands of Southampton in the League Cup. They were also second from bottom in the First Division.
Return to West Bromwich Albion
He returned to West Brom in the autumn of 1987, by which time they had fallen into the Second Division and were battling against relegation to the Third Division. Survival was achieved, as Albion finished the 1987-88 season1987-88 in English football
The 1987–88 season was the 120th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Liverpool won the league title with a comfortable nine-point margin and just two defeats all season....
in 20th place, and they began the 1988-89 season
1988-89 in English football
The 1988–89 season was the 109th season of competitive football in England.-Hillsborough disaster:On 15 April, a crowd crush at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough killed 94 people and injured more than 300. A 95th Liverpool supporter died in hospital...
well, looking like serious promotion contenders. But then he had a high-profile move to Atlético Madrid of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
Atlético Madrid
Atkinson's tenure at Atlético was quite a turbulent one and despite relative moderate success in terms of league position, a clash of personalities with the then club owner Jesus GilJesús Gil
Gregorio Jesús Gil y Gil was a Spanish businessman and politician. He served as Mayor of Marbella, between 1996 and 2002, and was also known for his 16-year stint as president of Spanish football club Atlético Madrid....
led to Atkinson being sacked after just three months as manager. His right hand man at West Bromwich Albion, Colin Addison
Colin Addison
Colin Addison is an English former professional footballer and manager.Addison has managed a wide variety of clubs in the UK, as well as in countries such as Spain, South Africa, Kuwait and Qatar. Notably he was the player-manager of Hereford United during their famous 1971-72 FA Cup run, which...
, was appointed—much to the dislike of Ron, who at the time in the English media went on record as saying Addison had "stabbed him in the back". They (Atkinson and Addison) never worked again as part of a team following the events of Atlético. His departure to Spain also had an adverse affect on West Bromwich Albion, whose promotion bid dramatically collapsed under new manager Brian Talbot
Brian Talbot
Brian Ernest Talbot is an English football manager and former player. His son is Daniel Talbot.-Playing career:...
.
Sheffield Wednesday
He was manager of Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
from February 1989 to June 1991. Although the club were relegated in 1990 to the Second Division, a year later in 1991 he got them promoted back to the First Division. They also won the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
by beating Manchester United 1-0 at Wembley. He offended some Sheffield Wednesday fans by saying on 31 May 1991 that he was staying as manager but a week later left to become Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
manager.
Aston Villa
Taking over from Jozef VenglosJozef Vengloš
Dr. Jozef Vengloš is a former Czechoslovak football player and coach. He has a Doctorate in Physical Education, as well as specialising in Psychology...
, he led Aston Villa to second place in the inaugural FA Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
season in 1992-93
1992-93 in English football
The 1992–1993 season was the 113th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:This season saw the birth of the FA Premier League. This meant a break-up of the 104-year-old Football League that had operated until then with four divisions....
and to victory in the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
in 1994, securing (ultimately short-lived) UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
campaigns for both of these successes.
Despite leading Villa to their first major success since their 1982 European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
triumph, a mutual disliking between Villa chairman Doug Ellis
Doug Ellis
Herbert Douglas Ellis, OBE , is an entrepreneur, best known as the former chairman of Aston Villa Football Club.-Early life:...
and Ron that developed from 1992, inevitably resulted in him being sacked on 10 November 1994 following a 4-3 defeat at the hands of Wimbledon
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
- three days after Ellis had given Ron a 'vote of confidence' in the media, stating that Atkinson was one of England's top three football managers. By this stage, an ageing Villa side that had so nearly won the league title 18 months earlier were now among the relegation battlers. He was replaced by Brian Little
Brian Little (footballer)
Brian Little is an English former football player and manager who is currently without a job after being relieved of his duties as manager of Gainsborough Trinity on 22 August 2011. Little has previously managed Darlington, Leicester City, Aston Villa, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Hull City,...
, who kept Villa in the top flight and built a new younger team.
Coventry City
Three months after being sacked by Villa, he became manager at Coventry CityCoventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
replacing Phil Neal
Phil Neal
Philip George "Phil" Neal is a former footballer who was, at one time, the most successful player in English football history. He played for Liverpool 650 times over an eleven year period and is the only player to have appeared in the first five of their European Cup finals, winning four of them...
who was purposely and acrimoniously replaced to make way for Atkinson. He took over in mid February 1995, with the Sky Blues just above the Premier League relegation zone. His new team managed some good results, namely a 4-2 home win over local rivals Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
, a 3-2 away win over Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
and a point against a Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
side who ended the season as champions. With survival looking certain several games before the season ended, Atkinson was named Premier League Manager of the Month for March 1995. The penultimate game of the season brought another fine result when the Sky Blues travelled to North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
and beat Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
3-1. Survival was finally confirmed as Atkinson guided the Sky Blues to a 16th place finish.
In December 1995, Atkinson guided the Sky Blues to one of their best results of the 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
- a 5-0 home win over defending champions Blackburn Rovers. This was followed a few days later by a convincing 3-0 win over arch-rivals Aston Villa, their biggest win against the Birmingham club in many years.
During his spell as manager of Coventry, he brought in high profile players including Gordon Strachan
Gordon Strachan
Gordon David Strachan OBE is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is currently without a club, having last managed Middlesbrough. Strachan played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City, as well as the Scotland national team. Prior to Middlesbrough,...
, Dion Dublin
Dion Dublin
Dion Dublin , is a retired English footballer. He was capped four times for England. Dublin started his career as a centre back with Norwich City, but made his name at Cambridge United as a goal-scoring centre forward. However, in his later years he showed his versatility by becoming an...
, Noel Whelan
Noel Whelan
Noel Whelan is a former English professional footballer who last played for Darlington. He has previously played for a number of league clubs including Leeds United, Coventry City and Middlesbrough...
and Gary McAllister
Gary McAllister
Gary McAllister MBE is a Scottish former professional footballer.McAllister played primarily as a midfielder, in a successful career spanning over nineteen years. He started his career at local side Motherwell before moving south of the border to Leicester City at the age of 20...
(although in his autobiography he states that this latter signing was Strachan's initiative and he was opposed for tactical reasons) but they continued to struggle in the Premier League and by November 1996 he had become Director of Football, handing over managerial duties to former player and subesequent assistant boss Gordon Strachan
Gordon Strachan
Gordon David Strachan OBE is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is currently without a club, having last managed Middlesbrough. Strachan played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City, as well as the Scotland national team. Prior to Middlesbrough,...
.
Return to Sheffield Wednesday
In November 1997, he returned to Sheffield Wednesday following the sacking of David PleatDavid Pleat
David John Pleat is an English football player turned manager and sports commentator.He is remembered by his contemporaries primarily for his career as manager of Tottenham Hotspur and Luton Town football clubs, and for an oft-televised clip of him running onto the pitch in 1983 to celebrate after...
. Wednesday had made a poor start to the 1997-98 season, including a 7-2 loss at Blackburn and a 6-1 loss at Manchester United. Under Atkinson, Wednesday's form picked up immediately and they pulled well clear of relegation trouble, but he was not rewarded with a permanent contract. It was deemed (in football and media circles) that this action was an act of revenge by the Wednesday board for the manner in which he had left Wednesday for Villa in 1991, just days after he had gone public in the press pledging his immediate future to Hillsborough.
Nottingham Forest
His last managerial job came with Nottingham ForestNottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
, for the final four months of the 1998-99 season
1998-99 in English football
-Premier League:Manchester United overcame close competition from Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea to win their fifth Premiership title in seven seasons thanks to the comeback of Roy Keane after his long-term injury and a transfer raid totalling nearly £30 million which netted Aston Villa striker...
. This spell was not a success and at his first home game he even climbed into the wrong dug-out. He also managed to upset many Forest fans following an 8-1 defeat at home to Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, when he stated in an interview after the game that his team had given the fans a "nine-goal thriller".
In a 2007 interview, Pierre van Hooijdonk
Pierre van Hooijdonk
Petrus Ferdinandus Johannes "Pierre" van Hooijdonk is a retired Dutch football player who played as a striker. His last spell was at Feyenoord Rotterdam. Van Hooijdonk was capped 46 times for the Dutch national team, scoring 21 goals, and played in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2000 and Euro 2004...
, who was a Forest player at the time, said he sometimes got the impression the side was managed by Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Sebastian Atkinson is a British actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is most famous for his work on the satirical sketch comedy show Not The Nine O'Clock News, and the sitcoms Blackadder, Mr. Bean and The Thin Blue Line...
. In 1999, having resumed playing for Forest (following a somewhat petulant 'strike' by Pierre van Hooijdonk
Pierre van Hooijdonk
Petrus Ferdinandus Johannes "Pierre" van Hooijdonk is a retired Dutch football player who played as a striker. His last spell was at Feyenoord Rotterdam. Van Hooijdonk was capped 46 times for the Dutch national team, scoring 21 goals, and played in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2000 and Euro 2004...
), Atkinson was quoted as saying that "his (Pierre van Hooijdonk
Pierre van Hooijdonk
Petrus Ferdinandus Johannes "Pierre" van Hooijdonk is a retired Dutch football player who played as a striker. His last spell was at Feyenoord Rotterdam. Van Hooijdonk was capped 46 times for the Dutch national team, scoring 21 goals, and played in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2000 and Euro 2004...
) biggest talent was upsetting his team mates."
Atkinson failed to assist the Forest cause and the club was soon relegated from the Premier League.
TV work
Atkinson was already working as a pundit for ITV SportITV Sport
ITV Sport is a sport producer and brand name owned by ITV plc. It was formed from the amalgamation of Granada Sport, Carlton's sports department and ISN, the sports division of London News Network. The company produces Champions League and FA Cup Football, along with coverage of England's national...
and after leaving management he continued in this role. For a number of years he covered most of the channel's live matches, sometimes as a studio guest, but more often as the "ex-football insider
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
" member of a two-man commentary team. His commentaries with Clive Tyldesley
Clive Tyldesley
Clive Tyldesley is an English sports commentator, who since 1998 has been the main football commentator for ITV. He has commentated on eleven Champions League finals, five FA Cup Finals and numerous World Cup and European Championship matches.-Career:Tyldesley was born in Radcliffe, Bury,...
provided the basis for the late-1990's and early-2000's ITV Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
nights. He also fronted two series of Extra Time With Ron Atkinson for Central ITV with Ron interviewing football personalities like Kevin Keegan, Terry Venables and Martin O'Neill.
This exposure led to "Ronglish" becoming known to a wider audience. With his permanent suntan
Sun tanning
Sun tanning or simply tanning is the process whereby skin color is darkened or tanned. The process is most often a result of exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun or from artificial sources, such as a tanning bed, but can also be a result of windburn or reflected light...
and taste for chunky, gaudy jewellery
Jewellery
Jewellery or jewelry is a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.With some exceptions, such as medical alert bracelets or military dog tags, jewellery normally differs from other items of personal adornment in that it has no other purpose than to...
, he was often portrayed as a lovable buffoon in the UK media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
. Examples of Ronglish includes the adopted footballing phrase "early doors", a phrase that has been a subject of debate in football circles (partly because its precise origin and meaning is unclear). It is credited as one of Ron's most famous and original pundit quips. Another famous line regularly heard during Ron's 1990s ITV football pundit work was exclaiming in disbelief at a miss, stating "you would have put your mortgage on him (the player) scoring there".
In 1997, he appeared as manager of Harchester United in Dream Team (TV series)
Dream Team (TV series)
Dream Team is a British television series produced by Hewland International which aired on Sky1 and Sky3 from 1997 to 2007; it chronicled the on-field and off-field affairs of the fictional Harchester United Football Club....
Music
In 2002, Atkinson released a Christmas song, "It's Christmas – Let's Give Love a Try", but this failed to gain chart success. The following year, Ron Atkinson guested on an episode of TV chat show Room 101Room 101 (TV series)
Room 101 is a BBC comedy television series based on the radio series of the same name, in which celebrities were invited to discuss their pet hates and persuade the host to consign them to a fate worse than death in Room 101, named after the torture room in the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, which is...
and host Paul Merton
Paul Merton
Paul Merton is a British comedian, writer, actor and television presenter. Known for his improvisation skill, his humour is rooted in deadpan, surreal and sometimes dark comedy...
played the video as outro to the show. Atkinson also revealed that he was friends with singer Renato Pagliari of Renée and Renato
Renée and Renato
Renée and Renato was a female/male vocal duo, who had a UK Number one hit in December 1982 with "Save Your Love". The follow-up single "Just One More Kiss" peaked at #48...
, and the singer made a surprise guest appearance on the show.
Racism controversy
Ron Atkinson's media work came to an abrupt halt on 21 April 2004, when he was urged to resign from ITV by Brian Barwick after he broadcast a racialRacism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
remark live on air about the black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
player Marcel Desailly
Marcel Desailly
Marcel Desailly is a retired Ghanaian born French footballer and star of the France national football team squad, with whom he won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000...
; believing the microphone to be switched off, he said, "...he [Desailly] is what is known in some schools as a fucking lazy thick nigger
Nigger
Nigger is a noun in the English language, most notable for its usage in a pejorative context to refer to black people , and also as an informal slang term, among other contexts. It is a common ethnic slur...
". Although transmission in the UK had finished, the microphone gaffe
Microphone gaffe
A microphone gaffe, sometimes referred to as an open microphone , is an error whereby a microphone is switched on in proximity of a subject who is unaware that their remarks are being broadcast. The error allows unintended listeners to hear parts of private conversations...
meant that his comment was broadcast to various countries in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. He also left his job as a columnist for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
"by mutual agreement" as a result of the comment.
It was not the first time Atkinson had committed a microphone gaffe. His comments about AS Roma player, Francesco Totti
Francesco Totti
Francesco Totti, Ufficiale OMRI, is an Italian footballer who is the captain of Serie A club Roma. His primary position is that of a trequartista, though he has also been successfully utilized as a lone striker. Totti has spent his entire career at Roma, is the number-one goalscorer and the most...
were broadcast to amazed German TV viewers. His view that "He actually looks a little twat, that Totti" however received very little criticism from the UK media.
Since the Desailly incident, Atkinson has claimed that the comment was an aberration and that he is not racist, citing in his defence that his West Brom side was the first high-profile British club to have a significant number of black players. This, however, has not diminished the condemnation he has received from anti-racist groups and the public at large, who question whether Atkinson would have resigned had the comment not been accidentally broadcast and note that it was not the first time he had used racist language. In an article published in the Sunday Times on 19 September 2004, Atkinson was referred to as "Racist Ron". However Carlton Palmer
Carlton Palmer
Carlton Lloyd Palmer is a former English professional football player who played as a midfielder, most notably for Sheffield Wednesday.-Playing career:...
, one of his players while he was manager at Sheffield Wednesday defended his former boss by saying, "I'm black and I'm sitting here and I'm gonna stand up for Big Ron not because he's a friend of mine, I'm standing up for him because I know what he's like as a bloke."
"If we're going to deal with racism then let's deal with the bigger picture of racism not about a throwaway comment that wasn't meant in that manner." A BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
documentary about the Three Degrees, repeated on 16 May 2004, was cancelled owing to Atkinson's central contributions.
Later in 2004, the Daily Mirror reported how he sparked more hostility among fans by making derogatory remarks about Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
women,"I can't understand why there is such a population problem in China as they have the best contraception going: Chinese women are the ugliest in the world." all of which he said during a meeting over a meal.
Other TV work
It was reported Atkinson was being brought in to support Iffy OnuoraIffy Onuora
Ifem "Iffy" Onuora is a coach a former professional footballer born in Scotland of Nigerian descent.He was recently the head coach of the Ethiopia national team...
at Swindon Town in December 2005, and Atkinson and the club appeared to confirm this. However it later transpired that Atkinson's role was simply as part of a Sky One
Sky One
Sky1 is the flagship BSkyB entertainment channel available in the United Kingdom and Ireland.The channel first launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, and is the fourth-oldest TV channel in the United Kingdom, behind BBC One , ITV and BBC Two...
documentary about the club being filmed at the County Ground. In late January 2006 Atkinson and Swindon parted company, with Swindon manager Onuora citing interference as the main reason for stopping the documentary from going ahead. Just a week later the cameras turned up at Peterborough United's ground, London Road, to begin filming for the documentary called Big Ron Manager
Big Ron Manager
Big Ron Manager is a television documentary series based on Ron Atkinson's efforts as a troubleshooter at the English football club Peterborough United, at the time playing in Football League Two...
. Peterborough were paid £100,000 to allow the filming to take place. Just three months later on 22 April the club was thrown into turmoil as caretaker manager Steve Bleasdale
Steve Bleasdale
Steve Bleasdale is a Liverpool-born football coach. He has managed Bangor City, Leigh Genesis and Football League side Peterborough United and twice been assistant manager at Chester City.-Early years:...
resigned just 70 minutes before kick off against Macclesfield Town, citing interference from a number of people in the running of first team affairs, many believing the documentary involving Ron Atkinson had a major part to play.
Atkinson spent the 2006 World Cup recording an amateur video blog and distributing it through the UK-based video sharing site, SelfcastTV.com. He also provided commentary on the World Cup for the UK digital channel UKTV G2.
In 2006, Atkinson took part in the BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
programme Excuse My French
Excuse My French (2006 TV series)
Excuse My French was an RDF language programme on the BBC where three celebrities with varying levels of French had one month to learn enough of the language to be able to carry out a task related to their area of expertise in French. They did this while staying in a villa in Provence. They were...
. Atkinson, comedian Marcus Brigstocke
Marcus Brigstocke
Marcus Alexander Brigstocke is an English comedian, actor and satirist who has worked extensively in stand-up comedy, television, radio and in 2010-2011 musical theatre. He is particularly associated with the 6.30pm comedy slot on BBC Radio 4, having frequently appeared on several of its shows...
and television presenter Esther Rantzen
Esther Rantzen
Esther Louise Rantzen CBE is an English journalist and television presenter who is best known for presenting the BBC television series That's Life!, and for her work in various charitable causes. She is founder of the child protection charity ChildLine, and also advocates the work of the Burma...
were immersed in the French language by staying in a remote town in the Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
region, being compelled to adapt to the French lifestyle and speak the language. His assignment at the end of the course was to provide a match analysis on a football match (Paris Saint-Germain - AS Monaco) in French for a French radio station. Being a complete beginner to the French language, he found the experience a considerable challenge, although he succeeded. The assignment was made more difficult by the fact that the match concerned was a dull goalless draw, leaving him with little to talk about.
He briefly made a return to television, appearing as a pundit on Football Italia broadcast on Bravo. Since Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
coverage has been shown on Five and ESPN however, Atkinson has not been invited as a pundit.
Ron Atkinson brought out a warts and all autobiography upon the airing of Wife Swap - "60 Minutes with Ron Atkinson" upon which he talks about his controversial comments and his football career
Atkinson returned to the screen on 16 August 2009 on the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
reality show Celebrity Wife Swap. However, when questioned about his controversial comments by swappee Tessa Sanderson, he became very defensive and refused to discuss it. "The whistle has gone. Full time. End of story... the subject is closed."
Radio
Atkinson is currently a pundit on William Hill'sWilliam Hill (bookmaker)
William Hill plc is one of the largest bookmakers in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters is in the north London suburb of Wood Green and in Leeds, West Yorkshire. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
"The Punt" podcast.
Director of Football
On 23 January 2007 Atkinson returned to Kettering TownKettering Town F.C.
Kettering Town Football Club are a football club originating in Kettering, Northamptonshire but currently based in the nearby village of Irthlingborough. The club play in the Conference National after winning the Conference North in 2007–08...
, the club he had managed more than 30 years previously, as Director of Football. However it was announced on 19 April 2007 that he had left the post at the Conference North
Conference North
The Conference North also known as Blue Square Bet North for sponsorship reasons, is a division of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National. Along with Conference South it is at Step 2 of the National League System and the sixth overall tier of...
club following his disapproval over the sacking of manager Morell Maison.
On 18 October 2007, it was announced that the 68-year-old Atkinson had been appointed as consultant at Halesowen Town
Halesowen Town F.C.
Halesowen Town is an English association football club formed in 1873, since 2011 playing in the Southern League Division One South & West]]. The team is nicknamed "The Yeltz".-History:...
, assisting Morell Maison the new manager. Atkinson, apparently, left his role at Halesowen in order to pursue business interests.
As a player
Oxford UnitedOxford United F.C.
Oxford United Football Club is an English association football club based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. The club play in League Two, following promotion from the Conference National in May 2010. The club had been a non-League side since their relegation from the Football League in the 2005–06 season. The...
- Southern League Premier DivisionSouthern Football LeagueThe Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
runner-up: 1959–601959-60 in English footballThe 1959–60 season was the 80th season of competitive football in England.-Diary of the season:17 November 1959: Phil Taylor resigns as manager of Liverpool after three years as manager, with all three of his seasons in charge ending with a narrow failure to win promotion to the First... - Southern League Premier Division TitleSouthern Football LeagueThe Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
winner: 1960–611960-61 in English footballThe 1960–61 season was the 81st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:This season was a historic one for domestic football in England, as Tottenham Hotspur F.C. became the first club in the twentieth century to "do the Double" by winning both the League and the FA Cup competitions...
, 1961–621960-61 in English footballThe 1960–61 season was the 81st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:This season was a historic one for domestic football in England, as Tottenham Hotspur F.C. became the first club in the twentieth century to "do the Double" by winning both the League and the FA Cup competitions... - Fourth DivisionFootball League Fourth DivisionThe Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
third place: 1964–651964-65 in English footballThe 1964–65 season was the 85th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* After a three-way tussle for the League title between Manchester United, Leeds United and Chelsea, Manchester United came out on top and were crowned champions.... - Third Division TitleFootball League Third DivisionThe Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
winner: 1967–681967-68 in English footballThe 1967–68 season was the 88th season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition-FA Cup:...
As a manager
Kettering TownKettering Town F.C.
Kettering Town Football Club are a football club originating in Kettering, Northamptonshire but currently based in the nearby village of Irthlingborough. The club play in the Conference National after winning the Conference North in 2007–08...
- Southern League Division One North TitleSouthern Football LeagueThe Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
winner: 1971–721971-72 in English footballThe 1971–72 season was the 92nd season of competitive football in England.-FA Cup:Leeds United overcame holders Arsenal to win the 1972 FA Cup Final... - Southern League Premier Division Title winner: 1972–731972-73 in English footballThe 1972–73 season was the 93rd season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The Football League announced that a three-up, three-down system would operate between the top two divisions from the following season, rather than the traditional two-up, two-down system...
- Northants Senior Cup winner: 1972–73
Cambridge United
Cambridge United F.C.
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League...
- Fourth Division TitleFootball League Fourth DivisionThe Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
winner: 1976–771976-77 in English footballThe 1976–77 season was the 97th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The Football League revamped the tie-breaking criteria for teams level of points, replacing the traditional goal average tie-breaker with one based on goal difference to try to encourage more scoring... - Third DivisionFootball League Third DivisionThe Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
runner-up: 1977–781977-78 in English footballThe 1977–1978 season was the 98th season of competitive football in England, from August 1977 to May 1978:-First Division:Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest side took on the First Division by storm, by winning the League Cup on 22 March and confirming themselves as league champions the following month...
Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
- FA Charity Shield winner: 1983
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
winner: 19831983 FA Cup FinalThe 1983 FA Cup Final was contested by Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion at Wembley Stadium.Manchester United were the favourites, as Brighton had been relegated from the First Division that season...
, 19851985 FA Cup FinalThe 1985 FA Cup Final was contested by Manchester United and holders Everton at Wembley Stadium. United won by a single goal, scored in extra time by Norman Whiteside....
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
- Birmingham Senior CupBirmingham Senior CupThe Birmingham Senior Cup is a football competition for Birmingham County FA club teams, organized by the Birmingham County Football Association...
winner: 1988
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
- Rumbelows CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
(League Cup) winner: 1990–911990-91 in English footballThe 1990–91 season was the 111th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Arsenal won the league. Runners-up spot was achieved by Liverpool, who had led the table for much of the first half of the season but had been shell-shocked in February by the sudden resignation of manager...
Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
- Coca-Cola CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
(League Cup) winner: 1993–941993-94 in English footballThe 1993-1994 season was the 114th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:From the start of this season, the FA Premier League would be sponsored by Carling Breweries - an association which would last for eight years...
Managerial statistics
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
| Kettering Town Kettering Town F.C. Kettering Town Football Club are a football club originating in Kettering, Northamptonshire but currently based in the nearby village of Irthlingborough. The club play in the Conference National after winning the Conference North in 2007–08... |
 |
14 December 1971 | 22 November 1974 | – | ||||
| Cambridge United Cambridge United F.C. Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League... |
|
22 November 1974 | 12 January 1978 |
|||||
| West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion F.C. West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands... |
|
12 January 1978 | 9 June 1981 |
|||||
| Manchester United Manchester United F.C. Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958... |
|
9 June 1981 | 6 November 1986 |
|||||
| West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion F.C. West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands... |
|
3 September 1987 | 12 October 1988 |
|||||
| Atlético Madrid |  |
12 October 1988 | 16 January 1989 |
|||||
| Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday F.C. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the... |
|
14 February 1989 | 6 June 1991 |
|||||
| Aston Villa Aston Villa F.C. Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder... |
|
7 June 1991 | 10 November 1994 |
|||||
| Coventry City Coventry City F.C. Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry... |
|
15 February 1995 | 5 November 1996 |
|||||
| Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday F.C. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the... |
|
14 November 1997 | 17 May 1998 |
|||||
| Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest F.C. Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship... |
|
11 January 1999 | 16 May 1999 |
|||||
| Total |
||||||||
External links
- Example of Big Ron's chalkboard (text only) The Guardian,
- Suntalk page at The Sun website