England remembers Bobby Robson

August 3, 2009

Since his death on Friday, tributes have continued to be paid to Sir Bobby Robson, the former manager of the English national association football team. Silences were held at football games throughout the country over the weekend, with fans creating makeshift shrines at Newcastle United and Ipswich Town, the two clubs he was most strongly associated with.

Today Robson's widow was moved to tears when she visited the shrine created by over 50,000 fans at Newcastle. She went on to express her gratitude to the generosity and affection of fans who have since Friday raised over £2,000,000 for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, the cancer charity founded by her late husband. At Ipswich fans hope to rename one of the stands at Portman Road after their former manager.

Despite failing to win any major trophies with the national team. Bobby Robson was one of the most successful and best loved England managers. His team infamously lost a penalty shoot out to West Germany for a place in the finals of the 1990 World Cup.

Robson was picked for the position of England manager after a 13 year spell at Ipswich Town enabling them to become league runners up twice and to win the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup.

Following the decision by the Football Association to not renew his contract after the 1990 World Cup, Robson won honours in club football with PSV Eindhoven, FC Porto, and FC Barcelona. His success as a manager has been put down to a great tactical brain and the ability to get the best out of his players, not least through his respect and generosity of spirit towards them.

Robson will be remembered for his humour, his integrity, and his love of a game that he relished from childhood visits to his beloved Newcastle, a team he was later to manage. He died at the age of 76 after a long battle with cancer, and leaves behind his wife of 54 years Elsie and their sons Andrew, Paul, and Mark.