Flashback: The three men who were lined up to take the Sheffield Wednesday job before the return of Danny Wilson

It’s a decision that shocks the majority of Wednesday supporters and was seen by many, including Atkinson himself, to be the ultimate revenge for his walking out of Hillsborough for his beloved Aston Villa some seven years earlier.

But there were three names said to have been offered the job prior to the unveiling of former Owls player Danny Wilson from Barnsley. Let’s take a look at who.

Gerard Houllier

It’s no major secret that former France manager Houllier was offered the Wednesday job before a disagreement over a ‘divorce clause’ in his contract saw the club step back from the deal.

The Frenchman, seen as a silent architect in France’s World Cup win just weeks earlier was a sought-after individual and would go on to become Liverpool’s first foreign manager, winning a famous cup treble in 2001 and playing a key role in the early development of Reds legends Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher.

He’d later pop up at Aston Villa and has an honourary OBE for his services to English football.

Phillippe Troussier

Then the manager of South Africa – who he had led to a famous World Cup qualification – Troussier was seen as one of the hot properties in European football having made clear his desire to head back into club management.

The Frenchman even made public Wednesday’s perceived interest, exclaiming on a meeting with then-Wednesday chairman Dave Richards: “We had a ten-minute chat, and I’m very happy that I’m going to Hillsborough”.

It was a statement that seemed to irk Richards. Troussier went on to manager Japan’s World Cup 2002 campaign and has stayed mainly within international football, managing Marseille in 2004/05.

Walter Smith

It was a done deal. Wednesday had organised a press conference to announce Smith’s signing having tempted him down from three trophy-laden years at Glasgow Rangers.

But Everton swooped in at the final moment, reportedly offering more pay and a more substantial transfer kitty.

The club, a statement said, were left ‘extremely disappointed with Mr Smith’s late change of heart’.