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whufcroe 12:59 Thu Feb 18
Bobby Robson would have been 83 today, this real football man knew his stuff....
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"What is a club in any case? Not the buildings or the directors or the people who are paid to represent it. It’s not the television contracts, get-out clauses, marketing departments or executive boxes.
It’s the noise, the passion, the feeling of belonging, the pride in your city. It’s a small boy clambering up stadium steps for the very first time, gripping his father’s hand, gawping at that hallowed stretch of turf beneath him and, without being able to do a thing about it, falling in love. "
RIP Sir Bob
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Replies - In Chronological Order ( Show Newest Messages First)
Marston Hammer
1:06 Thu Feb 18
Re: Bobby Robson would have been 83 today, this real football man knew his stuff....
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We didn't underestimate them. They were a lot better than we thought.
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Moncurs Putting Iron
1:07 Thu Feb 18
Re: Bobby Robson would have been 83 today, this real football man knew his stuff....
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Yep, revered where I live and with good reason.
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Infidel
1:12 Thu Feb 18
Re: Bobby Robson would have been 83 today, this real football man knew his stuff....
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A great, great man.
I had the privilege of spending a week with him in the most bizarre of circumstances.
In 1998 I was sent by my then employer to cover the African Cup of Nations in Burkina Faso. The event was chaotic, with the Burkina military trying and failing to organise the event with comic consequences.
I spotted Bobby Robson - who was then at Barcelona - at lunch at the only decent hotel in Ougadougou, the Burkina capital. As he's always been a hero of mine (so nearly won us the World Cup in 1990) I went up to him and introduced myself. He was pretty rude to me and I went back to my table gutted.
A few minutes later he came over and sat next to me and apologised for what he had said. He told me he had had a nightmare - the airline had lost his luggage, he'd been in the same clothes for three days, he'd been allocated a room sharing with some African dignitary, and he couldn't even make a phone call as there was no signal - in short he was at the end of his patience.
We had a lot of clout there so I got him sorted - sent someone into town to buy him some clothes, persuaded the hotel to give him a room on his own, sent someone to the airport to sort through the hundreds of pieces of lost luggage to find his bag, let him use our sat phones etc
He was enormously grateful and over the next week we spent quite a lot of time together. We went to several matches together (he was scouting for talent) and sat in the bar every night drinking beer. I bombarded him with questions about Italia 90 and have to say I could have sat up all night talking to him.
A wonderful,warm, funny, down to earth fantastic bloke who was one freak German goal away (it ricocheted off Paul Parker's boot and looped bizarrely into the net) from getting us to a final we would definitely have won. His death was a massive loss to the world of football.
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ted fenton
1:12 Thu Feb 18
Re: Bobby Robson would have been 83 today, this real football man knew his stuff....
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Lovely man
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BarkingMadHammer
1:12 Thu Feb 18
Re: Bobby Robson would have been 83 today, this real football man knew his stuff....
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A true legend ! Had a warmth about him like he was one of your family . . .
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Far Cough
1:14 Thu Feb 18
Re: Bobby Robson would have been 83 today, this real football man knew his stuff....
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Yeah yeah but what about Carl Cort?
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El Scorchio
1:21 Thu Feb 18
Re: Bobby Robson would have been 83 today, this real football man knew his stuff....
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Nice post infidel.
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mentor
1:27 Thu Feb 18
Re: Bobby Robson would have been 83 today, this real football man knew his stuff....
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He was really nice to me. I just wish I could have lived up to his expectations.
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ted fenton
1:33 Thu Feb 18
Re: Bobby Robson would have been 83 today, this real football man knew his stuff....
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Infidel 1:12 Thu Feb 18
Excellent
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Takashi Miike
1:33 Thu Feb 18
Re: Bobby Robson would have been 83 today, this real football man knew his stuff....
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he was a great manager and decent bloke. his book where he describes his first season at Barcelona is worth a read, co-written by Jeff King
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Mart O
1:38 Thu Feb 18
Re: Bobby Robson would have been 83 today, this real football man knew his stuff....
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Great post, Infidel. Italia 90 is by far my favourite WC and a lot of that is down to him. So, so close to getting to a final we could only have won. Still think he should have picked Paul Davis, but one of the great English managers.
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ted fenton
1:40 Thu Feb 18
Re: Bobby Robson would have been 83 today, this real football man knew his stuff....
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Being an Ex Newsagent I somehow have in the loft a complete sealed box of Panini world cup 1990 stickers and 3 albums !
Evidently worth a few bob.
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terry-h
1:46 Thu Feb 18
Re: Bobby Robson would have been 83 today, this real football man knew his stuff....
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I am a big admirer of Bobby Robson.
The only black mark I can think of is he was responsible for advancing the career of Mourinho at Porto.
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HairyHammer
1:52 Thu Feb 18
Re: Bobby Robson would have been 83 today, this real football man knew his stuff....
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Infidel 1.12
That is one hell of a great story you are obviously a true gent.
I love the story about all the England players betting on Bobby talking about the war in the dressing room before the game v Germany and sure enough he walked in and said.
" Well lads it wasn't easy but we beat them in 1945 and we did it in 66 on the pitch too "
Lineker told that story not sure if iv'e got it 100% right, but Sir Bobby was a sweet man loved football and apparently taught Mourinho a lot about managing.
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Grumpster
1:54 Thu Feb 18
Re: Bobby Robson would have been 83 today, this real football man knew his stuff....
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That England played brilliantly as a team.
Shame I was too young to watch that tournament in the boozer.
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Council Scum
1:57 Thu Feb 18
Re: Bobby Robson would have been 83 today, this real football man knew his stuff....
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"Once coming home from South America the England plane was delayed. Five hours later Robson was gathering up his squad and couldn’t find Peter Reid.
“He’s always going missing,” shouted Robson. “We’ll miss this plane if he doesn’t appear.”
Captain Bryan Robson had to quietly remind Bobby that he hadn’t actually picked Reid in the squad."
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Council Scum
1:58 Thu Feb 18
Re: Bobby Robson would have been 83 today, this real football man knew his stuff....
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"At the Italy World Cup he once went to Terry Butcher and asked him how he thought England should play in the next game against Cameroon.
“I was chuffed,” said Butcher. “He had made me captain and was asking for advice. We agreed to meet later by the hotel swimming pool.”
Butcher and Robson started talking and Butcher was in full flow when he looked towards his manager and found him fast asleep.
“He hadn’t listened to a word,” added Butcher. "
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Mart O
2:04 Thu Feb 18
Re: Bobby Robson would have been 83 today, this real football man knew his stuff....
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Funny as fuck, CS. I loved the old boy. He took some right flak in the press at some stages, as I recall.
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Pancho
2:08 Thu Feb 18
Re: Bobby Robson would have been 83 today, this real football man knew his stuff....
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An absolute legend in every sense of the word.
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El Scorchio
2:09 Thu Feb 18
Re: Bobby Robson would have been 83 today, this real football man knew his stuff....
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"What is a club in any case? Not the buildings or the directors or the people who are paid to represent it. It’s not the television contracts, get-out clauses, marketing departments or executive boxes."
Makes you wonder why there's quite so many arguments on here over some of that stuff.
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