In Memoriam: Sir Bobby Robson
I’m sure that my co-writers here will have much to say of substance about one of the great figures of English football who is no longer with us. For my part, I simply want to acknowledge what is a very sad day for all of us, to record the enormous debt of gratitude that we owe Sir Bobby for his astonishing contributions – it’s safe to say that none of us will ever forget that World Cup semi-final in 1990 – and to offer condolences to his family.
Rest in peace.
Amen.
Agreed, he is one of the few English coaches that has a superb track record in multiple countries. To that end he achieved something that few of the top coaches have in the game today.
He is one of the few managers I have seen that is as graceful in victory as he is in defeat. He played his football the right way and looked to keep the ball moving. In some ways he was ahead of his time in the UK due to his years spent abroad. Going to watch his teams play was genuinely exciting. His first game at Newcastle was an 8-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday, that set the tone for his tenure. He was a tactical genius as well, the substitutions he made that resulted in a 4-3 victory over Manchester United in his 100th game in charge were inspired, they changed the formation and swung the game in our favour.
He knew football inside out and was successful and loved everywhere he went. I was lucky enough to meet the man on several occasions, he was as charming and engaging as the media would have you think. A true gentleman, and legend of the game.
Heard a few Bobby Robson-isms on the radio the other day, I’ll just share a few here.
“We didn’t underestimate them. They were just a lot better than we thought.”
“In a year’s time, he’s a year older.”
“The first ninety minutes of a football match are the most important.”
“Manchester United dropped points, Liverpool dropped points, Chelsea dropped points, Everton dropped points, so in a way we haven’t lost anything at all really, although we dropped all three…”