Ron Atkinson (No he hasn't died)

[maidstonevillain]

Link to a Telegraph article on Big Ron.  Plugging autobiog.

I haven't subsribed to read full article, but looks like could be good read. Apologies if posted elsewhere.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/fame-fortune/ron-atkinson-went-45000-year-250000/

[LeeB]

Link to a Telegraph article on Big Ron.  Plugging autobiog.

I haven't subsribed to read full article, but looks like could be good read. Apologies if posted elsewhere.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/fame-fortune/ron-atkinson-went-45000-year-250000/

Any chance of a paste, as it's behind the paywall?

[eamonn]

When did Telegraph go all pay-y ?

[maidstonevillain]

Registaered - 1 free article a week.  It's not that good aread actually.  Question and answer format.

on Atkinson is one of football’s biggest characters. He remains the only English boss to have won five major trophies with three different clubs: Manchester United, Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa.

Later he turned to television commentary, but his career crashed when an off-mic comment resulted in him being labelled a racist.
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Now, 77, Atkinson has published his autobiography. With one daughter from his first marriage, he lives with his second wife, Maggie, outside Birmingham.
How did your childhood influence your attitude to money?

My upbringing was brilliant. My dad was a boxer, swimmer and sprinter who played football for Ayr United, although he was never a full-time pro.
Ron Atkinson
Ron Atkinson remains the only English manager to have won five major trophies with three different clubs Credit: Getty Images

I grew up on a new council development on the edge of Birmingham. As soon as we finished school, there would be a football match every day. Even all the fathers joined in after work.

The only time we stopped was just before quarter to seven when a kid would yell: “Dick Barton Special Agent’s on!” and we’d race inside for 15 minutes to listen.
What was your first paid job?

At 16 I was a ground-staff lad at Wolves for £3 a week.

I had to clean dressing rooms, scrape boots and sweep the terraces before training.

I’ve still got a photo of my first commercial enterprise. Billy Wright, my hero at Wolves, was advertising Bic pens.

He gathered six ground staff to pose as autograph hunters all holding a paper for him to sign with his Bic pen. I remember getting 10 bob.
Have you ever worried about money?

Not really. I’ve always felt able to turn my hand to different things and earn decent money. I started window cleaning when I was 22.

At Oxford United, we had long summer breaks and a gang of us worked for Wall’s ice cream. I remember taking it around to shops and all the university kitchens.
Ron Atkinson
'I try not to spend what I haven’t earned; but if I’ve earned it, I spend it' Credit: Getty Images
Are you a spender or saver?

I try not to spend what I haven’t earned; but if I’ve earned it, I spend it.
How did your lifestyle change as you became more successful?

I bought my first home when I was still playing at Oxford and paid £3,500 to build a detached, stone bungalow. We kept it for four years. When we moved to Kettering we sold it for a lot at the time. I think we made £15,000.
When you became Man United manager, did you treat yourself?

I didn’t really. For my first contract there in 1981, I probably earned £40,000 a year.

People talked about my image of perma-tan, cigar and gold jewellery and I’d look at them and think: “But you’ve got more stuff on than I have.”

That was well overplayed.  At Cambridge, when we won the old Fourth Division in 1977, they gave me a Jaguar as a bonus.

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When I went to West Bromwich, I remember Sid Lucas, an old Brummie director, saying, “You’ll like what we’ve got for you, Ron,” and leading me to this nice blue Jaguar, a 3.4.

“Better than what you’ve got at the moment,” he smiled.

And I told him: “Not really, I’ve got one of those already, but it has a bigger engine.”
What were your best and worst moments in football?

I suppose winning five cup finals at Wembley is up there.

My worst definitely was getting relegated with Sheffield Wednesday.
"People talked about my image of perma-tan, cigar and gold jewellery and I’d look at them and think - but you’ve got more stuff on than I have"

We had to attend an end-of-season dinner with the supporters who had paid a lot of money to mingle with the players immediately afterwards.

The fans were terrific and clapped as soon as we walked in. It was humbling and I told the lads: “We owe them big time.”

But we made amends the following season by winning promotion, and, later, our first major trophy in 50 years when we beat Manchester United in the League Cup final.
Most indulgent purchase?

When I was young I’d drive big cars and people asked, “why don’t you get something sensible?” I told them: “I will do when I’m sensible.”
How open were managers about wages in your era?

I had a rough idea what everybody was on, though I think the leading managers in the Eighties and early Nineties were all on much of a muchness. But I always worked on the premise that if you were happy with your own salary, it’s fine.
What was your best moneymaking year?

When I moved from West Bromwich to Atlético Madrid in 1988, I went from £45,000 a year to £250,000. We lived in a five-star hotel and were just about to buy a house when I found out I was no longer required.
You appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2013. Did you do it for money or fame?

People ask what made me do it, but it was extremely lucrative.

I was paid a six-figure fee, even though I’d never seen it. My wife didn’t want me to do it, but I phoned [former Liverpool player] Neil “Razor” Ruddock and [jockey] Frankie Dettori who’d done it.
Ron Atkinson
Ron Atkinson said most managers were on similar salaries during the Eighties and Nineties Credit: Les Williamson

They told me it was a walk in the park.  I kept my head down, stayed out of the way and was arguably the most boring contestant they’d ever had.
What’s your best business move?

Buying property is the obvious one. With my previous house, we paid £400,000 and sold it for £1m profit 15 years later.

At Coventry, I had a deal where I’d get £1 for every fan over 14,000. I did quite well. With a few good results, I bought good players, did some publicity and got the crowds up by an extra 10,000 fans at home games.
Which signings represent your best and worst investments?

You definitely make mistakes in the transfer market. I don’t want to name a worst signing as it wouldn’t be fair. I paid a record fee for Bryan Robson, who’d make anybody’s all-time greatest side.
A comment off-mic ended your TV commentary career. What was harder, dealing with the financial impact or reputational damage?

First and foremost, it cost me a lot of money but que sera.

Things could have gone wrong for me at many clubs, but people would never have guessed in a million years that would be the reason I’d have a problem, because to this day I had more contact with black guys than your normal do-gooders.
Ron Atkinson
Buying property was one of Ron's best business moves Credit: PA

Carlton Palmer lives in Shanghai and one of the first things he does when he comes over is ring up and say: “I’m calling in for a cuppa, gaffer.”

I’ve not had a problem whatsoever with people.
Was there any silver lining?

Black players that I worked with during the height of racism rallied around, including Barnesy [John Barnes], Cyrille Regis, Brendon Batson, Paul McGrath and all those that knew me – people who I’m still friendly with now.

One or two who didn’t know me tried to get on the bandwagon. 

Barnesy said: “I know full well you’re not a racist. If I went for a job you were handing out and I could do it, you’d give it to me. I’ve been in other rooms when people were nice as pie to my face, but I didn’t stand a cat in hell’s chance of getting the job.”
Do you invest in stocks and shares?

Not now. At one time, I had shares worth £60,000 that all went belly up. After that, I wasn’t bothered.
Ron Atkinson
Ron's off-mic comment cost him a lot of money - but 'que sera', he said Credit: Getty Images
At 77, do any thoughts of retirement cross your mind?

No. I could manage on a short-term basis or do a job at a league club in an advisory capacity. Nowadays, I work for Manchester United Television and I love the involvement. But I never think a football match is hard work.

Ron Atkinson’s autobiography,
 The Manager, is published by deCoubertin Books, and costs £20.

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[LeeB]

Could you expand on the cashback offer?

[danno]

Thanks for posting.
Was Ron being interviewed by a sports journalist or a financial advisor?
 Most of the questions were about his bank balance!

[Godfrey Brian]

What a fantastic contract clause- £1 for every fan over 14000! Imagine the arguments over 'actual' attendances every Monday morning! 

[Sexual Ealing]

I've just had my first ever text-based acid flashback.

[cheadlevilla]

I would be more confident of
1. Promotion
2. Watching entertaining football
If Ron was in charge at the start of next season

[ciggiesnbeer]

I've just had my first ever text-based acid flashback.

Like.

[lovejoy]

I would be more confident of
1. Promotion
2. Watching entertaining football
If Ron was in charge at the start of next season

Seconded.
We will always have 1994.

[UK Redsox]

Apparently, Mark* who sits in front of me in the LTR is in one of the photos in the book

(* SligoTom and claretandbeer will know who I mean)

[eamonn]

I would be more confident of
1. Promotion
2. Watching entertaining football
If Ron was in charge at the start of next season

Would 'arry do instead? Let's nick a decent manager off that lot for a change.

[cdbearsfan]

He's not "decent", in terms of managerial ability or morals.

[LeeB]

He's not "decent", in terms of managerial ability or morals.

No, they're very welcome bedfellows.