Sir Bobby Robson RIP

Been a while since I've written on here, was gonna have a rant about swine flu but I didn't see the point. However, really sad news today as Sir Bobby Robson has died.

I'm reading All Played Out by Pete Davies at the moment; its an outstanding book about the 1990 World Cup. Davies has access to all the players as well as the press and to that end, the conflict between the two factions. I'm sure some of the same press that castigated Robson before a ball had been kicked in anger at the 1990 World Cup will be eulogising about him in the papers tomorrow, Robson said himself :"I was just a victim of the tabloid newspaper war. I had watched this cancer spread over the eight years. It was ugly and damaging".

I met Bobby Robson once, well I say 'met', myself and my friends Nathan and perhaps Andy Gray (not that one) were at Portman Road for an exhibition game between the Ipswich 1981 UEFA Cup winning team and an England XI (including Barnes, Waddle an, er Chris Woods- who Alan Brazil sat on his backside with one of the goals). We standing around chatting, when we heard a voice from behind us say "'Scuse me lads", and lo and behold, wor Bobby walked past us with John Barnes, polite as you like with that radiant smile of his in full view. As brief a meeting as you could imagine, but a memorable all the same.

To close here are some of Bobby's finest quotes, bless yer big man, you were a true great:


* "I played cricket for my local village. It was 40 overs per side, and the team that had the most runs won. It was that sort of football"

* "We're taking 22 players to Italy, sorry, to Spain... where are we, Jim?" On whether Paul Gascoigne should have gone to the 1998 World Cup.

* "If you're a painter, you don't get rich until you're dead. The same happens with managers. You're never appreciated until you're gone, and then people say: 'Oh, he was OK'. Just like Picasso"

* "Ray Wilkins' day will come one night"

* Alan Brazil: "I'm delighted to say we've got Sir Bobby Robson on the end of the phone, fresh from getting his knighthood at Buckingham Palace.
Bobby, terrific news."
Sir Bobby Robson: "What is?"
Brazil: "You know, getting the old sword on the shoulder from Prince Charlie."
Sir Bob: Eh? [Long pause] "Oh yeah... well, it was a day I'll never forget."