In Bobby Robson we've lost a great manager and a great man

Football Food For Thought / Frank Gregan / 06 August 2009 /

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Sir Bobby Robson was one of the true gentlemen of the game

"What is disappointing is how poorly he was treated by both England and Newcastle and begs the question: what exactly are we looking for in a manager? Sir Bobby had his ups and downs as England manager but always conducted himself in the same highly professional manner that was his trademark throughout his managerial career."

Frank Gregan pays tribute to Sir Bobby Robson as he discusses his career, achievements and the type of person he was.

Football lost one of its very finest last week with the passing of Sir Bobby Robson, a real gentleman and a true aficionado of the game. His passion for football was legendary and his dedication to the sport amazing. Just where did he get the stamina from? In my lifetime there have been some very good English managers, Sir Alf Ramsey of course achieved the ultimate prize but Sir Bobby could hold his own in any like-for-like comparison with his peers.

As an Englishman and a Geordie my two strongest memories of him are his spells in charge of England and Newcastle but he did of course also manage Fulham, Ipswich Town, PSV Eindhoven (twice), Sporting Lisbon, FC Porto and Barcelona. Added to that, as a player he made 583 league appearances in England, 447 of them at the highest level. That is an awesome record.

What is disappointing is how poorly he was treated by both England and Newcastle and begs the question: what exactly are we looking for in a manager? Sir Bobby had his ups and downs as England manager but always conducted himself in the same highly professional manner that was his trademark throughout his managerial career.

Prior to the 1990 World Cup Finals he was informed by the FA that they would not be renewing his contract. What a way to prepare for the most important football tournament in the world! England made it through to the semi finals and after drawing 1-1 with Germany after extra time were knocked out on penalties. Sir Bobby had taken some incredible stick off the media during his tenure and had offered his resignation on two occasions but had come through the other side and had built a squad that was a toss of a coin away from being in a World Cup Final. He ended up being replaced by Graham Taylor - unbelievable!

The treatment he received at Newcastle was no better. He was handed the poisoned chalice when Ruud Gullit was dismissed after dropping Alan Shearer for the Sunderland derby. The club were in free-fall and struggling towards the foot of the table. Sir Bobby turned it around and through hard work and determination, he once again established Newcastle as a major force and achieved back-to- back Champions League qualifications. After slipping to a fifth (yes fifth) placed finish during the 2003/04 season Robson was fired at the end of August after a slow opening couple of weeks of the following campaign. He was replaced by Graeme Souness and so started the Geordie's demise.

Newcastle are of course not even a Premier League club five years on and they start their Championship campaign with a trip to West Brom on Saturday. Newcastle are a very big [3.55] which reflects the turmoil the club is presently in, with the Baggies at [2.26] and the draw at [3.5]. West Brom are too short at that price in my opinion and the recommendation is to lay them but given Newcastle's susceptibility to capitulation, a wee saver at odds of [14.0] on any other score in the correct score market may prove prudent.

When the great man passed away my wife dug out a half page newspaper article with a picture of me on one side of the piece and a photo of Sir Bobby Robson on the other . The story was in the Non-League Paper and was about my testimonial dinner during which there was an auction of signed international and club shirts. Our Vice Chairlady had been unable to penetrate the administrative rottweilers Newcastle had placed around Sir Bobby and my home town club was one of the few Premier League sides whose shirt we didn't have. A journalist rang Sir Bobby direct and informed him what was going on. He sent his apologies and said that there would be a signed shirt there in 48 hours. There was.

Every comment that has been written about Sir Bobby since his passing has been indicative of the respect and affection felt for him throughout Europe. Football has not only lost a great manager, we've also lost a great man.

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