Former Aston Villa striker Dean Saunders has lifted the lid on the brutally brilliant man-management methods of manager Ron Atkinson during the early 1990s.
Speaking in a hilarious and revealing interview on the Claret & Blue podcast, Saunders recounted how 'Big Ron' ruled the Bodymoor Heath training ground with a unique blend of wit and withering honesty.
The Monday Morning Inquisition
According to Saunders, Atkinson's most memorable tactic was his weekly team selection process for practice matches, which he used as a weapon to deliver home truths to under-performing players.
"We'd come in on Monday morning and Ron would run the show," recalled Saunders. "He'd join in training and played on the wing every day. It was like the film Kes! It was his ball, he was captain and he had first pick."
The former Wales international described how Atkinson would appoint another player as captain of the opposing team and then systematically critique their selections in front of the entire squad.
Saunders, often collapsing into laughter during the retelling, shared a classic exchange between Atkinson and striker Dwight Yorke.
"Ron: Dwight Yorke, you can be captain today, who are you going to pick first? Dwight: I'll have Dalian Atkinson. Ron: Dalian? Oof. Did you not watch how he played on Saturday? Bang off form, bang off form."
Atkinson would then select his own player, Ugo Ehiogu, praising him as "seven out of 10 every day, know what I'm gonna get."
When Yorke selected Saunders next, Atkinson delivered another brutal assessment: "Deano? Oh no. Pitch is too small, pitch is too small. He needs grass to run into. Five-a-side is not his game."
The Mind Games Master
Saunders revealed that the team-picking taunts were just one example of Atkinson's psychological methods to extract the best from his players.
The former Villa boss employed his backroom staff - assistant Jim Barron, physio Jim Walker and kitman Jim Paul - as "soft cops" to deliver subtle motivational messages.
"Jim Paul said to me once, 'don't say anything but the gaffer's had a big, big bet on you today to score first, but I never told you that'," Saunders explained.
"If you think about what that means, it means the manager actually likes me and he actually thinks I am going to score before everybody else. He never had the bet, but without saying anything to me, by putting Jim Paul up to it, he gave me that confidence."
A Management Great
Saunders believes Atkinson possessed the same rare man-management qualities as legendary figures like Bill Shankly and Alex Ferguson.
"We talk about managers now, is he a good man manager? But people like Ron were masters," he added. "They were obviously good at knowing what to say to the players, to make them feel like they can achieve."
The former striker noted that Atkinson knew exactly when to deliver both praise and criticism, sometimes telling players: "'you might as well get your boots and go play somewhere else.'"
Saunders was speaking to the Claret & Blue podcast on behalf of casino.org.
