Sir Bobby Robson: a belated tribute

In the fast moving society we live in today, it’s not very often that a piece of news stops you dead in your tracks and makes you think. This was the case however, when I returned from holiday last weekend to hear of the passing of Sir Bobby Robson.

In a career in football which spanned 57 years, everybody is likely to have their own different memories of Sir Bobby. Mine are linked to Italia ’90, the time I think my relationship with football began. The joy of the vitctories over Belgium and Cameroon will live long in the memory, as will the heartache of the penalty shoot out against West Germany.

Robson deserved better on that occasion. However, in stark contrast to many of today’s coaches and managers, Sir Bobby refused to lay the blame at anybody’s door, or to take aim at any of his critics. He didn’t complain when the FA did not renew his contract either, he simply went to the continent and showed them what he could do there.

And how much would Newcastle United fans give to have him back at the helm, having seen it all slowly fall apart since his departure? The outpouring of tributes from the footballing world in the past week suggests they are not the only ones who will miss him.