Football: Captain Atherton's band of hopefuls

LIKE A respected session musician, he's been summoned by many of the finest big-name lead vocalists of football to provide the background rhythm to their efforts, Ron Atkinson and Glenn Hoddle among them. Yet, if truth be told, Peter Shreeves relishes his moment in control and in front of the microphone just as much as the late Jim Morrison or Mick Jagger, though perhaps without the tight trousers and gyrations.

The caretaker manager, who might once have been a London cabbie and did "the knowledge" after a broken leg terminated his career at the age of 25 when he was a stylish inside-left with Reading, positively thrives on the responsibility of extracting Sheffield Wednesday from a position that appeared irreversible. When he succeeded Danny Wilson in late March, answering what he describes as a "Mayday call", with Wednesday seven points below fourth-from- bottom Derby County and 11 below the next club, Wimbledon, he had actually been summoned, we all presumed, merely to lead the salvage operation of a stricken vessel until a major name was appointed next season. Not initiate a full-scale rescue.

Now they are five points behind fourth-from-bottom Wimbledon, with a game in hand. In between are Bradford. By the final Sunday, the nerves of supporters will be twanging as excruciatingly as an untuned guitar. Shreeves recognises that, but possesses the sang froid and experience necessary to deal with it.

With four games remaining, Shreeves believes his team require seven points for survival, starting at home this afternoon against a Leeds team whose own desire for Champions' League qualification points will make them daunting opponents.

"I feel very comfortable managing in this situation," reflected the man who, though born in Neath, delivers his thoughts in precise, refined London tones. By which he means that the big-city clubs, with extravagant expectations, are no longer magnets for him. "The truth is that the spotlight in London on the manager is ferocious," he said. "Was then, is now. The lad at Chelsea [Gianluca Vialli], he's had a marvellous season, but he's getting absolutely hung, drawn and quartered. Ridiculous."

"Then" was the mid-Eighties, at White Hart Lane, when, in his first managerial posting, he proceeded to guide Tottenham to third in the championship, the only occasion in over a quarter of a century that Spurs have come remotely near to winning it. Shreeves, who succeeded Keith Burkinshaw, to whom he had been assistant when Tottenham won two FA Cups and a Uefa Cup, and was also part of the Chelsea revolution with Hoddle, added: "I don't care about fame and all of that. I know what I can do, and I enjoy the fruits of it. I graft away. That's why I've been employed for the past 25 years as a coach. I must have done something right."

The Sheffield Wednesday manager, in his second stint at Hillsborough having assisted David Pleat there for two years, was speaking after training on Friday in the company of two men, Barry Horne and captain Peter Atherton, in whom he has the utmost faith. Midfielder Horne, approaching 38, he describes as "the signing of my career - and I've signed a few, including Clive Allen and Chrissy Waddle at Spurs. He's given stability to the team in a vital area of the field."

Shreeves continued: "He's added, and I stress that word, leadership qualities, because I've got a captain who's also a leader. Then I've got Des Walker who's always been a really good player, but who is now joining in the cause. I've got an excellent bunch of senior professionals, with two internationals at full-back in Hinchy [Andy Hinchcliffe of England] and Ian Nolan [of Northern Ireland], and the goalkeeper [Kevin Pressman] is doing exceptionally well. The fact that I was here before has made it easier for me. They knew exactly what I did and what I was like."

Shreeves knew that renewing acquaintance with the versatile Atherton would make his own task a simpler one. In the roll of honour of unsung heroes they don't come any more formidable or dependable than the stocky defender. His virtues include being a model of consistency. "Peter has always been the first name you put on the team-sheet. He can play four positions, does a marvellous job keeping himself fit, and he's mentally strong. He has played more games in the Premier League than any other player." Atherton himself is not exactly certain how many that is, though it is approaching 300.

Shreeves added: "When I left Wednesday, managers would ring me up and say, `Any good players there, Pete?' and I'd say, `Yes, Peter Atherton'. They'd say, `Peter who?' And I'd have to spell it out. We still need the flair, of course, but it's people like Peter who will get us out of this with his over-my-dead-body attitude."

Atherton may share a name with an England cricket captain, and originate from one of the traditional base-camps of rugby league, but there has only ever been one destiny for the man from Wigan, from the moment he signed for his home-town club. He chuckles when you ask: could he and Michael be, by any chance, related? "Nah," he said. "He's the posh one. He changed his name a bit. I never heard me name spoken like that until he came on the scene. It's Ath-r-tun, not Ath- er-ton."