Sale journalist Tim Rich has ghost-written the latest autobiography of former Manchester United manager, Ron Atkinson.

‘The Manager’ charts the 50 year career of football’s managerial heavy-weight from his time in charge at Kettering Town to Old Trafford, Atletico Madrid and Villa Park.

Written over a period of five months, Tim spent hours with one of football’s most high-profile characters.

“Ron Atkinson had been involved in football for more than half a century and I was one of the very few football writers whom he didn’t know,” said Tim, who is also a director of Rich Media PR, in Dane Road.

“We were introduced by his publishers who had commissioned him to write his autobiography. I was to go down to his house in Worcestershire to see if he and I would ‘hit it off’ – we did.”

It was a tall order for Tim to write the book to a strict deadline alongside, running the business and continuing his work as a sports writer for national newspapers. The finished manuscript was delivered just two days before Tim flew to France to cover the European Championships for the Independent. But the task was made easier by Ron’s incredible memory.

Tim said: “Ron loves words and he loves talking football. His memory was pin sharp. He could recall the fit of the shirts when Honved played Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1954, where the skill and the sheer presence of the Hungarian footballers left an impression that would last a lifetime.

“Ron Atkinson’s life has also been very full. He had managed Manchester United for four years; he had taken two Midlands clubs, Aston Villa and West Brom, to within an ace of the league title and had taken charge of one of Spain’s great clubs, Atletico Madrid. He had a story to tell.”

The Manager, published by De Coubertin, is out now.