THEY called him Judas last time he was at Hillsborough, but in football perceived treachery can vanish with one result. Ron Atkinson's return to Sheffield Wednesday has been marked with three wins and, for the moment, the bitterness of his departure in 1991 has been forgotten.
Andy Booth and Guy Whittingham crowned Big Ron's second coming with goals against Arsenal to bury potential discontent. The three points against potential title contenders lifted Wednesday out of the bottom three. Next came a 3-2 away win over fellow-strugglers Southampton with Big Ron completing his hat-trick with a 2-1 home win over Barnsley.
The win, on Monday night, came courtesy of an 88th minute goal by talented Italian Paolo Di Canio.
Not since Howard Kendall referred to Everton as his wife and Manchester City his mistress has a relationship between club and manager, in this case Atkinson and Wednesday, been so likened to a marriage.
Atkinson's return to Hillsborough has created ambivalent reactions from the jilted, some warming the home fires for his return, others seeing him as an old lecher back after being tempted away by a more glamorous model.
The fanzine 'Spitting Feathers' recorded the mixed welcome, its editorial stating: 'He's Back! And I'm Glad!' while a letter inside read: 'How on earth anyone who booed Atkinson in August '91 and hated him with a passion can seriously welcome 'Judas' back is quite beyond me.' No one could accuse the man of generating indifference.
