HIS profile somewhat flatlined these days, Big Ron Atkinson – aka Mr Bojangles, 78 next month – addressed a sportsmen’s evening last Friday at Tindale Crescent Workmen’s Club, near Bishop Auckland.

The talk begins with a mocked-up microphone malfunction, “rectified” by the MC. “I wish every microphone in the world was like that,” says Atkinson, adding that he’s just got a new one-year contract with Sky.

“It’s £45 and there’s free movies.”

Though the incident’s not specifically mentioned at the time, it’s all rueful reference to the infamous occasion 12 years ago when, believing his television mic to be switched off, he’d made an appallingly offensive reference to Chelsea player Marcel Desailly in which “lazy” was by far the least objectionable word.

For the high profile former manager turned media man, once described by Total Football magazine as the best television pundit in the world, it was a spectacular act of self-immolation which prematurely pulled the plug on his broadcast and media career. The embers still smoulder.

“Once mainstream, Big Ron now splashes around the backwaters,” said the Daily Telegraph last October – a piece about the publication of The Manager, his latest autobiography.

So is the man who led Manchester United and Atletico Madrid, Aston Villa, West Brom and Sheffield Wednesday, now just about managing (as our newish Prime Minister might suppose)?

Though his fingers are rather less bejewelled than when last we’d crossed paths, 25 years ago at a Whitby Town do, the suit’s expensively cut and the watch hasn’t come out of a Christmas cracker, either.

Whether Tindale Crescent WMC is a backwater is for others to suppose. It’s also the case that he will be very well rewarded for his evening’s efforts – but Big Ron seems much diminished, nonetheless.

HE'S joined by former Wolves and Manchester City midfielder Steve Daley, 63. The evening’s chiefly to raise funds for St Mary’s Boys Club in Bishop Auckland, a buoyant and successful outfit with teams at all age groups.

It’s the 28th such event organised by the magnificent Steve Coulthard, generating more than £50,000, and will probably be his last. “Time for someone else to have a go,” says Steve.

Atkinson’s pretty good, Daley excellent in a familiarly self-deprecating way. The bit about the Observer supposing his record breaking transfer from Wolves to Man City “the biggest waste of money in football history” is true; the story about his 18th second goal against Ferencvaros in the 1972 UEFA Cup semi-final – “brilliant header, if only it hadn’t been through our own goal” – isn’t. He scored at the right end.

Atkinson talks about his time at Manchester United, succeeded by Alex Ferguson. “Between us we won 50 trophies, it’s just a shame that I only won three of them.”

At the end there’s a question and answer session. Someone asks about the North-East big three. “Well it’s disappointing that Hartlepool aren’t doing so well and Darlington haven’t been the same since George Reynolds left,” says Atkinson.

And what does he really think about Marcel Desailly? “One thing about me, if I have an opinion I stick by it,” he says.

It is not the highlight of the evening.

BIG Ron is one of only two men in the room who’s wearing a suit, the only one with a tie.

To some surprise, the other sartorial standard bearer is the column’s old friend Paul Hodgson, former secretary of Spennymoor Boxing Academy. The suit, he explains, was bought before Christmas at a Black Friday sale.

Unfortunately there’s a mishap between a plate of pie and peas, the particularly mushy sort, and the new garment. Many will remember the owl and the pussy cat’s beautiful pea green boat – Hodgy now has a beautiful pea green suit and, as someone rather unkindly remarks, a dry cleaning bill which will probably cost more than the whistle did.

LAST week’s note on the death of former Middlesbrough FC favourite Lindy Delapenha, the first Jamaican to play in the Football League, noted that he’d played cricket for Wolviston.

Martin Birtle points out that he also played cricket for the Boro, claiming 43 wickets at 18.32 between 1950-56 and averaging almost 30 in 33 outings with the bat.

Iron and Willow, Ray Baker’s comprehensive club history, records that his annus whatist may have been in 1954 – 4-2 against Synthonia, 6-18 against Thornaby and 7-53 against Hartlepool.

The following season he hit an undefeated 92 in 45 minutes against Normanby Hall. The stand put on 102.

CURRENT account, we’d wondered a couple of weeks ago what Crook Electric were doing in 1970, playing sunshine football in Lloret del Mar.

“Our annual overseas tour,” says organiser Arthur Bainbridge, now 75 and still in Crook. “We were pretty much pioneers in those days.”

The first had been to Belgium the previous year, beaten 6-1 by Racing Club de Bruxelles. “It was when we realised that football and alcohol, don’t mix,” says Arthur.

The trips were organised by the late and much lamented Darlington based travel agent and hairdresser John Hunter – “fabulous guy,” says Arthur – who was also a Darlington FC director and unmissable on every northern racecourse.

Arthur worked for what still he calls the Electric Board – as, at first, did all the other players. “We were getting beat tens and twelves, we decided we had to spread our wings a little bit,” he recalls.

In 1972 they played Majorcan first division side Porreras, were invited to take their own match officials – celebrated local referee Ernie Minto – lost 3-2 after the Majorcans insisted on their own ref after half-time but still feted at a civic reception.

The following year they were back on Lloret del Mar, winning 13-1. “We were really on top of our game by then,” says Arthur, so much so that they were invited to become Crook Town Reserves in the Auckland and District League.

Still they have reunions, still talk about Crook’s tours. “We had to get permission from the relevant FAs but it was usually just one or two letters. They were wonderful long weekends, tremendous for team spirit, guaranteed sunshine, crowds of two and three thousand and in those days not much more than £20 a man.”

The team picture and match poster from the 1970 game (admission 35 pesetas) are among much of interest in Durham Amateur Football Trust’s grass roots exhibition, still running at the National Railway Museum in Shildon. DAFT’s exhibition marking my 20 years as Northern League chairman is at Darlington library until February 27.