Sporting legend who’s never forgotten his roots

Mar 25 2008 by Paul James, The Journal

SIR Robert William Robson is best known for his achievements as a manager, but was a highly-regarded wing-half and inside forward.

His playing career saw him score 68 goals in 152 appearances for Fulham, before moving to West Bromwich Albion, making 239 appearances, scoring 57 goals. He returned to Fulham in 1962 for the final five years of his career.

He was capped 20 times by England and was selected for two World Cup finals squads – 1958 in Sweden and 1962 in Chile. It was at Ipswich Town where Bobby Robson made his name as a top-level football manager.

Over 13 years the club twice finished as League runners-up, and won the FA Cup in 1978, defeating Arsenal. They captured the Uefa Cup in 1981 beating Dutch side AZ 67.

Robson took the England job in 1982, and reached the quarter-final in 1986 and the semi-final in 1990. He went on to win the Dutch league with PSV Eindhoven, the Portuguese league with FC Porto, then the Spanish Cup, Spanish Super Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup with Barcelona.

In 1999 he took over at Newcastle United. They qualified in consecutive seasons for the Champions League, but he was fired in 2004, just weeks into the new season.

His honours include a CBE, a knighthood, the freedom of Ipswich, the Uefa President’s Award and he was made an Honorary Freeman of Newcastle .