Sir Robert William Robson CBE (18 February 1933 – 31 July 2009).
His professional playing career as an inside-forward spanned nearly 20 years, during which he played for just three clubs – Fulham, West Bromwich Albion and briefly for the defunct Vancouver Royals. He also made 20 appearances for England, scoring four goals.
After his playing career he found success as both a club and international manager, winning league championships in both the Netherlands and Portugal, earning trophies in England and Spain, and taking England to the semi-final of the 1990 World Cup. His last management role was as a mentor to the manager of the Irish national football team.
Robson was created a Knight Bachelor in 2002, was a member of the English Football Hall of Fame, and was the honorary president of Ipswich Town. From 1991 onwards he suffered recurrent medical problems with cancer, and in August 2008, he admitted defeat to lung cancer. He said: "My condition is described as static and has not altered since my last bout of chemotherapy...I am going to die sooner rather than later. But then everyone has to go sometime and I have enjoyed every minute."
Early life
Born in Sacriston, County Durham, Robson was the fourth of five sons of Philip and Lilian Robson (née Watt). When he was just a few months old, Robson's family moved to the nearby village of Langley Park where his father was a coal miner. As a boy, he was often taken by his father to watch Newcastle United at St James' Park, requiring a bus ride or a walk of several miles.
Robson describes Jackie Milburn and Len Shackleton as his childhood heroes. Both played for Newcastle in the inside-forward position, the position Robson would later assume during his playing career.
Robson attended Waterhouses Secondary Modern School but the headmaster did not allow the school football team to join a league. Instead, he began to play for Langley Park Juniors on Saturday mornings at the age of eleven, and by the time he was 15, he was representing the club at Under-18 level. Robson played football whenever he possibly could but also worked as an electrician's apprentice for the National Coal Board in the Langley Park colliery. In May 1950, Bill Dodgin, the Fulham manager made a personal visit to the Robson household to offer Bobby a professional contract. Despite being offered a contract by nearby Middlesbrough, the offer made by Dodgin was too attractive to turn down, so he signed for Fulham and moved to London, playing as a wing-half and inside-forward. Robson had also interested his beloved Newcastle, but he opted to join Fulham as, in his opinion, "Newcastle made no appreciable effort to secure [my] signature".
Playing career
Club playing career
Although Robson had signed professionally, his father insisted he continue to work as an electrician. He spent the day working at the Festival of Britain site and trained three nights a week at Fulham. Eventually this took its toll on Robson and he gave up his trade for full-time football.
Robson made his debut in 1950 for Fulham, recently promoted to the First Division, in a match against Sheffield Wednesday. He came to regard Fulham as "a nice club, a social club..." but "never...a serious, championship-challenging club". Indeed, he and Fulham were relegated from the top-flight in the 1951–52 season, but he made his return to the First Division, four years later, when he signed for Vic Buckingham's West Bromwich Albion in March 1956.[9] The transfer fee of £25,000 was a club record for Albion at the time.
He made his Albion debut in a 4–0 home defeat by Manchester City on 10 March 1956. In 1957–58 he was the club's top league goalscorer; his tally of 24 goals included four in a 5–1 win against Burnley. He went on to play 257 games and score 61 goals for West Bromwich Albion and captained the team for the 1960–61 and 1961–62 seasons. In August 1962, however, he returned to Fulham after a disagreement with Albion vice-chairman Jim Gaunt over his salary. The on-going dispute over both minimum and maximum wages in the game, instigated by Robson's team-mate Jimmy Hill and the Professional Footballers' Association, combined with the birth of Robson's second son, prompted Robson to demand a higher salary. Gaunt refused to negotiate Robson's contract, so Robson placed a transfer request and was sold to Fulham for £20,000 in a deal which doubled his salary. Soon after Robson joined Fulham, the club sold Alan Mullery and Rodney Marsh, meaning Robson's chances of securing any significant honour there were substantially reduced. Robson himself stated "In all my time as a footballer, I didn't win a thing."
Despite press reports of interest from Arsenal, and the offer of a player-manager role by Southend, Robson left Fulham in 1967 and accepted a three-year deal with Canada's Vancouver Royals. He was to be player-manager in their inaugural 1968 season in the North American Soccer League and believed it "...was a chance too good to miss". The position proved difficult; a long-distance joint-ownership agreement gave the Hungarian footballer Ferenc Puskás control over the San Francisco section of the squad, while Robson took care of the Vancouver squad. Robson was dissatisfied by this situation and when, in January 1968, Fulham offered him a contract as their manager, he accepted the position at Craven Cottage.
International playing career
During his first spell at Fulham, Robson participated in two ambassadorial Football Association tours in the West Indies in 1955 and South Africa in 1956. However, it was during his time at West Bromwich Albion that he graduated to the full England squad, with his first call-up in 1956. His manager, Vic Buckingham, advocated the "push and run" approach to the game, a precursor to "total football", and playing this, Robson graduated to the full England squad in 1956, It was also at West Bromwich Albion that Robson met future England international and assistant coach Don Howe.
He went on to make 20 appearances for the England national team, making his debut in a November 1957 victory against France, scoring twice in a 4–0 victory. Although he made a successful debut, he was dropped for England's next game against Scotland, in favour of Bobby Charlton. He was, however, selected for the 1958 World Cup squad, ahead of Nat Lofthouse and Stanley Matthews but returned from Sweden disappointed, as England were defeated by the Soviet Union in a group play-off match.
Following the 1958 World Cup, Robson became an established member of the England squad, enjoying considerable success in a period between October 1960 and March 1961 when he played in six England victories, including a record 9–3 defeat of Scotland at Wembley Stadium. He was selected for the 1962 World Cup finals in Chile but an injury to his ankle sustained in a pre-tournament friendly against a Chilean club side ruled him out of most of the tournament. As Robson recalled, "I never played for England again...my international career was unfulfilled".
Managerial career
Early club management
In 1959, the then England manager and FA Director of Coaching Walter Winterbottom suggested to Robson that he take a coaching course at Lilleshall. Robson made his debut as a manager in January 1968 at his former club Fulham, against Macclesfield Town, then in the Cheshire League, in the third round of the FA cup. Fulham were struggling with 16 points from 24 games. Despite the acquisition of the young Malcolm Macdonald, Robson could not save the club from relegation to the Second Division, and he left them in November, with the club sitting eighth in the Second Division. He discovered that he had been sacked, not from the club itself, but from the headline "Robson sacked" on an Evening Standard placard outside Putney station.
Statue of Sir Bobby at Portman Road.He moved on to Ipswich Town in 1969 and it was there that he established his reputation as a successful manager. He won the vacant job at the Suffolk club after a chance encounter with Town director Murray Sangster while scouting at Portman Road for Chelsea manager Dave Sexton. After four mediocre seasons, Robson led Ipswich to fourth place in the First Division and success in the Texaco Cup in the 1972–73 season. In the following nine seasons, Ipswich finished lower than sixth place in the First Division only once, in the 1977–78 season, however that season was a success with a 1–0 victory over Arsenal in the FA Cup Final. His reign at Ipswich lasted 13 years, during which time the club twice finished as League runners-up, and made regular appearances in European competitions, capturing the UEFA Cup in 1981 with a 5–4 aggregate victory over Dutch side AZ 67 Alkmaar. During his thirteen year tenure, he brought in only 14 players from other clubs, relying instead on players developed through Ipswich's youth programmes.
In 2002, in recognition of his achievements with the club, a life-size statue of Robson was unveiled opposite the Cobbold Stand of Ipswich Town's ground Portman Road. On 7 July 2006, Robson was named as honorary president of Ipswich Town Football Club, the first since Lady Blanche Cobbold who had died in 1987.[52]
England
Robson's achievements with Ipswich earned him a job offer from the Football Association for the position of national coach, and he declined an offer of a ten-year contract extension from Ipswich director Patrick Cobbold. On 7 July 1982, two days after England were knocked out of the 1982 World Cup, he succeeded Ron Greenwood as coach of the English national football team,[9] selecting former West Bromwich Albion team-mate Don Howe as his chief coach.
Robson's first game in charge saw immediate controversy, as he dropped Kevin Keegan for the match against Denmark; this led to Robson being spat on by Newcastle United supporters. On 21 September 1983, Robson suffered his only loss in the 28 qualifying matches he was to undertake as England manager. The defeat, once again to Denmark, ultimately led to England's failure to qualify for the 1984 European Championships, and resulted in Robson offering to resign in favour of Brian Clough. The resignation was rejected by the FA chairman, Bert Millichip (primarily down to his and the FA's disdain for Clough), and Robson went on to lead the England team to qualify for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
England began the competition poorly and captain Bryan Robson was injured with a recurrence of a dislocated shoulder. Bobby Robson changed the team's tactics for the final match of the first round, selecting Peter Beardsley ahead of Mark Hateley as a striking partner for Gary Lineker. The team won its next two matches, against Poland and Paraguay, 3–0 and qualified for the quarter-finals.[62] England were defeated in the last eight by Argentina with a brace of goals from Diego Maradona; the infamous "Hand of God" goal, and the "Goal of the Century" he scored five minutes later. Robson was unimpressed by Maradona's claim of divine intervention:
“ It wasn't the hand of God. It was the hand of a rascal. God had nothing to do with it... That day, Maradona was diminished in my eyes forever. ”
Robson's England dropped only one point in qualifying for Euro 1988 which included an 8–0 defeat of Turkey. However this was followed by failure at the tournament itself, held in West Germany, where England were knocked out in the group stage. They finished bottom of their qualifying group, succumbing to defeats against Ireland, Holland and the USSR. Robson was vilified by the British press, and after a draw in a friendly with Saudi Arabia, one newspaper demanded: "In the name of Allah, go". Once again Robson submitted his resignation, and once again it was rejected by Millichip (again Brian Clough is often cited as a reason).
Robson led England without conceding a goal through the six-match qualification for the 1990 World Cup where they were one of six seeded teams. Once again they were placed in a group with Holland and Ireland, with Egypt the fourth side. As in the 1986 World Cup, Robson was denied the service of his captain, Bryan Robson, who suffered an achilles tendon injury which prevented him playing in the latter stages of the tournament. England topped their qualifying group, accumulating four points from their three games. However their progress was not without controversy. England changed formation from their traditional 4-4-2 to incorporate a sweeper, with some sources suggesting this was due to player revolt after the 1–1 draw in the first match with the Republic of Ireland. Robson denies this claim:[72]
“ ...I made the switch, not them. I had no intention of allowing van Basten and Gullit to rip holes in us... ”
This was followed by victories over Belgium and Cameroon in the knock-out stages, to set up a semi-final with West Germany. England lost the match on a penalty shoot-out, after the score had been tied at 1–1 following extra time. Robson has since said that "not a day goes by when [he] does not think about the semi-final and other choices [he] might have made".
Continental management
Before the 1990 World Cup, the FA told Robson that they would not renew his contract as England manager, so he moved on to the Netherlands to coach PSV Eindhoven, who sought a manager capable of instilling discipline into a fractious squad. Robson described the move as "a culture shock" but felt "...a sense of adventure."The Dutch penchant for tactical debate surprised Robson. In an interview with Voetbal International he lamented: "An English pro accepts the manager's decision. After every match here, the substitutes come and visit me." Another of his challenges at PSV was handling the Brazilian international Romário. Robson became frustrated with the Brazilian's work ethic, although admitted "...in some matches he would be scintillating." Robson arranged showdown talks with Romário, with Frank Arnesen, Robson's assistant, acting as a translator. The talks proved unsuccessful, with Romário unwilling to change his lifestyle. Despite this, PSV won the Dutch league in both the 1990–91 and 1991–92 seasons. However, the team did not make the progress expected by the board in European competitions and Robson was informed that he would be leaving the club at the end of the 1991–92 season.
Robson moved to Sporting Clube de Portugal in July 1992, where his Portuguese interpreter was a young José Mourinho, future F.C. Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan manager. Robson guided the club to a third place finish in his first season in charge while admitting the club was in "...a terrible state". He described the club's president as a "loose cannon", who frequently signed players without Robson's consent. Robson was sacked in December 1993 with the club sitting at top of the league table for the first time in fifteen years. The club President, Jose Sousa Cintra, cited the club's early exit from the UEFA Cup at the hands of Casino Salzburg as the reason for his dismissal.
League finishes for clubs managed by Robson (* indicates Robson left the club before the end of the season).Sporting Lisbon's rivals, F.C. Porto, quickly hired Robson, with Mourinho appointed as his assistant manager. Porto were in a poor state when Robson arrived and the average attendance had dwindled to 10,000. The club promptly went on to beat Robson's former club, Sporting Lisbon, in the Portuguese Cup final,[9] following that achievement with successive League titles in the 1994–95 and 1995–96 seasons.
Such was the impact of Robson at Porto, he became known to the locals as "Bobby Five-O" in honour of the number of matches Porto won 5–0, and he signed a new contract with the club in 1995.[84] Suffering from malignant melanoma and missing the first few months of the 1995–96 season, Robson still successfully led Porto in defence of their league title.
A phone call during the summer of 1996 from FC Barcelona's vice-president Joan Gaspart to discuss Luís Figo resulted in an offer of employment with the Spanish club. Robson took over in July 1996, where once again his assistant was Mourinho; Robson had made Mourinho's move with him to the Camp Nou a condition of his employment. One of the key decisions Robson made during his brief tenure at Barcelona was the $19.5 million signing of Ronaldo, who was influential in a season when Barcelona won the Spanish Cup, Spanish Super Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup.[88] Robson himself was voted European Manager of the Year for 1996–97, while Ronaldo stated, "as a trainer without doubt [Robson] is one of the greatest in the world".
The 1997–98 season saw Robson moved "upstairs" to the position of General Manager by Barcelona, with Louis van Gaal taking over the managerial reins, but he stayed in this position for only one season before returning to manage PSV Eindhoven on a short-term deal for the 1998–99 season. PSV missed out on the league title, finishing third behind Feyenoord and Willem II, but Robson still led the club to qualification for the Champions League on the last day of the season.
Return to England
The cover of Bobby Robson's autobiography Farewell but not Goodbye, published in 2005.After Robson's contract expired, he returned to England to take up a position in the Football Association's technical department, but following the resignation of Ruud Gullit at Newcastle United, Robson moved to St James' Park in September 1999. Robson was disappointed with the club's opening salary offer, stating "...it was miles below the going rate", but negotiated a one year £1 million deal.
In his first home match in charge, Newcastle (at the bottom of the league) faced second bottom Sheffield Wednesday, thrashing them 8–0. In his first season in charge, 1999–2000, Robson led the club to an 11th place finish, with 14 wins from his 32 games in charge. In late 2000, following the resignation of Kevin Keegan as England manager, the Football Association asked Newcastle Chairman Freddy Shepherd to permit Robson to take over in a part-time caretaker capacity but the request was refused. Robson guided Newcastle from bottom of the Premier League to a fourth-place finish in the 2001–02 season. The following season, Newcastle finished third, ensuring qualification for the Champions League for the second consecutive year. Despite the qualification of third place however, Robson was unable to guide United through the Champion's League qualifying rounds and the club was pushed back into the UEFA Cup for the 2003–04 season. At the end of the 2003–04 season, Newcastle United finished fifth in the table, five points short of the Champion's League qualifying fourth place.
He held the Newcastle post until 30 August 2004, when he was dismissed by Freddy Shepherd, after a poor start to the Premier League season and alleged discontent in the dressing room. Robson's dismissal followed publication of his off the record observation of his disappointment that only 5,000 fans stayed to see the traditional lap of honour made by the players at St James' Park at the end of the previous season. However, he is still held in the highest esteem by the fans; he was granted the Freedom of the City of Newcastle-upon-Tyne on 2 March 2005.
His autobiography, entitled Bobby Robson: Farewell but not Goodbye was released in 2005. The title is based on one of his quotes upon leaving the England job in 1990: "I'm here to say goodbye—maybe not goodbye but farewell". In the book, Robson was critical of Shepherd, claiming that while manager he was denied information regarding the players' contracts and transfer negotiations. He also criticised Shepherd and the club's deputy chairman Douglas Hall, for their focus on the first team and St James' Park, causing them to neglect less glamorous issues, such as the training ground, youth development and talent scouts. The club's training ground was later blamed by Graeme Souness, Robson's successor, for a series of injuries to first team players.
Football consultant
On 7 June 2005 he declined the invitation to become manager of Hearts because he wanted to stay in Newcastle. On 13 January 2006, Steve Staunton was appointed manager of the Republic of Ireland national team, with Robson named in a support role as International Football Consultant. Robson stepped down from his role of consultant on 17 November 2007, after the Republic's final match in their unsuccessful qualifying campaign for Euro 2008. Robson was a former Vice President of the League Managers Association, a non-executive role.