Bobby Robson | A Sir Abroad
Sir Bobby Robson left a mark everywhere he went and I’m not even talking about this quality as a football manager. He was a special individual, with a passion for the game you could easily see.
The list of English football managers, who had success outside the UK in the last 40 years, is not exactly extensive, but Sir Bobby Robson managed to achieve success in 3 different countries, with trophies at Barcelona, FC Porto and PSV, which proves just how adaptable he was. He left a brand of attacking football on the pitch and a joyous mood outside of it, which endeared him to the supporters of the clubs he coached.
Sir Bobby Robson has a magnificent resume, winning trophies with Ipswich Town, PSV Eindhoven, FC Porto, FC Barcelona, including a UEFA Cup in 1980/81 and a Cup Winners' Cup in 1996/97. Furthermore, he steered England to its best result in a World Cup since 1966, reaching 4th place in 1990 (England reached 4th place again in 2018). Bobby Robson was a fantastic manager, who achieved results still above par for most managers and with that left a winning legacy.
Some legendary players had their first game in important competitions under Sir Bobby Robson’s leadership. Ronaldo’s first game for FC Barcelona, van Nistelrooy’s first Champions League match and a whole host of notable England debutants began their international careers under Robson. Gary Lineker, Tony Adams, Paul Gascoigne, Chris Waddle, John Barnes and David Seaman alongside many others owe their successful legacies to Sir Bobby. He just had a way of finding himself with great attacking players in his squads. The list of world class / very good strikers who had enormous success playing for Sir Bobby Robson is mind-blowing, with Romario and van Nistelrooy at PSV, Ronaldo with Barcelona, Domingos at FC Porto, Alan Shearer for Newcastle, Lineker for England, all of them achieved insane levels with the legendary English manager.
We could talk stats and numbers all day, but when it comes to Sir Bobby Robson, it’s all about vibes - all about the way he smiled during press conferences and on the sideline, with many of his former players paying their tributes as often as they can, but also us supporters, who deeply treasure all the work he did for our clubs.
England is arguably the home of football and it holds a degree of fascination over us that is not easily forgotten or put aside. One way or another, most of us have deep feelings about English football, and at least for me, Sir Bobby Robson will always be a part of that, because growing up, watching him smile and talk about goals and pressing and passing was just beautiful. English football ideas don’t really ‘travel well’ outside the UK, for a myriad of reasons, some cultural, others merely football related, but Sir Bobby Robson always found a way of adapting his ideas to whatever club he was coaching, and usually they went through attacking and shooting until the problem is solved, and you can’t blame him for it.
I wanted to write about his time at Ipswich Town, which he coached between 1969 and 1982, reaching its peak with winning the UEFA Cup in 1981. Before he managed the club, Ipswich had only played 4 games in its European history, but when he left the club, Ipswich Town had 50 European games in its record and more importantly, a trophy. That Ipswich Town side played and beat sides like Real Madrid, Lazio, Feyenoord, Barcelona. This is one unbelievable story that I will write about one day, but today I’m focusing on the architect, not the projects.
To leave you thinking, let’s have a look at two possible starting 11s with players coached by Sir Bobby Robson.
England XI – Peter Shilton, Gary Stevens, Tony Adams, Terry Butcher, Stuart Pearce, Ray Wilkins, Bryan Robson, Chris Waddle, Gazza, Alan Shearer, Lineker
Foreign XI - Vitor Baia, Joao Pinto, Popescu, Fernando Couto, Sergi, Pep Guardiola, Paulo Sousa, Rui Barros, Figo, Ronaldo, Romario.
These 2 lineups are not mean to be some sort of ideal 11s, but instead a display of the quality of players who were managed by Sir Bobby Robson.
Sir Bobby Robson passed away in 2009, after a lengthy battle against an opponent that I’m far too familiar with, leaving behind a legacy of wins, trophies, but above all else, a positive mind-set and attitude towards life and our game. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting his statue in Newcastle and the one in Ipswich, to pay my respects to the man, the legend. The Sir abroad.
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