12 August 2023 , 10:35
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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.
A face in the crowd: Ron Atkinson (Christopher Furlong)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.
“I was good friends with Renato, who was a great singer although the song which made him famous embarrassed him a bit. But I brought him into the changing room and said, 'Go on, give us the Goalkeeper Song' – I always called Nessun Dorma the 'Goalkeeper Song' because when it was the theme tune at the 1990 World Cup in Italy, Dino Zoff used to dive across the screen.
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“Anyway, Renato is giving it the full tenor when Fergie walks past in the corridor and our door is half-open. I called out to him, 'Hey, Alex, come in here!' So 15 minutes before kick-off, I've got Fergie in our dressing room listening to Renato serenading our Italian lads with Nessun Dorma.
“United had beaten us 6-1 at Old Trafford six months earlier, but we beat them 2-0 and Di Canio scored one of the goals. Strangely, that was the last time I managed to persuade Sir Alex to join in one of our concert recitals, but United have always held a special place in my heart.
“I still like teams and players who express themselves. I like Bruno (Fernandes) at United – I know he gets a bit excited sometimes, but he's a proper player, he wants to be a winner. He reminds me of Steven Gerrard in the way he looks to supply the front players quickly. You can't beat a forward pass in football.”
Just as Erik ten Hag ended six years without a trophy at Old Trafford when United won the League Cup six months ago, Atkinson's FA Cup triumph in 1983 ended a similar barren stretch off the Chester Road.
Renato Pagliari made it to No.1A lapse into prehistoric language cost him his gig as an ITV co-commentator almost 20 years ago, but when history judges Atkinson's contribution to United and English football at large, the swagger of his teams will live far longer in the memory. And he still knows decent football when he sees it.
“Full marks to Arsenal - they were smashing last season,” he said. “I expect them to do well again this year because they will have the belief, and those new additions to the squad will help. But I'm looking for a more concerted challenge to Manchester City's domination and I think United will be right in the mix.
“A lot will depend on the new centre-forward (Rasmus Hojlund), but it might be a bit ambitious to think he'll have the same impact Erling Haaland made across town. The rest of the side looks strong, but if Harry Maguire's leaving that's a bit of a shame. He's a better footballer than he's been credit for and he's never let England down. He'll be a terrific signing for West Ham.
“I wouldn't normally advocate spending £100 million on a 30-year-old player, but in Harry Kane's case, I would make an exception. For United, I think he would have made the difference between winning the title and top four. I know there's talk of Tottenham refusing to sell to another English club they consider as rivals, but if Kane had signed for United, I would have made them favourites to win the Premier League, or level favourites with City."