Archive for tag: Bobby Robson England manager.

The final whistle: A biography of Sir Bobby Robson. Part Three – England Manager.

August 17th, 2009 | 6 Comments |

<< Part Two – Coming soon: Part Four >>

Bobby Robson: England Manager.

Sir Bobby: Always in the eye of the media.
Sir Bobby: Always in the eye of the media.
“Managing England was very different to managing a club. For one thing, it took me two years to adjust to the job. It was lonely. You didn’t see your players for months sometimes and then the chance you had for any coaching work with them was almost non-existent.” Sir Bobby Robson – ‘Farewell but not Goodbye’ 2005.

Robson’s long reign as England manager was an eventful one with many great moments, some great runs, a few disappointing patches (inevitably followed by huge vitriol from the press), often followed by inspirational tactical switches and salvation. But, alas, it always seemed to be bad lack that got Bobby in the end, whether it was ‘divine intervention’ on behalf of Diego Maradona, disallowed goals or Oscar winning acting performances (and slightly better penalty taking it must be said) from the Germans. Though Bobby himself was far too much of a gentleman to condemn the great Franz Beckenbauer’s supreme gamesmanship, he wasn’t above criticising Maradona when he questioned the role of God’s hand in that famous goal of 1986:

“It wasn’t the hand of God. It was the hand of a rascal. God had nothing to do with it… That day, Maradona was diminished in my eyes forever.” (more…)