Bryan Robson
Encyclopedia
Bryan Robson OBE
(born 11 January 1957) is an English football manager and a former player. He is best known for playing in midfield for Manchester United
, where he was the longest serving captain in club history. He was the manager of Sheffield United
, being relieved of his first team duties at the club in February 2008. The following month, Robson returned to Manchester United as an ambassador for the club.
Born in Chester-le-Street
, County Durham, Robson began his playing career at West Bromwich Albion
, before moving on to Manchester United
, whom he captained to three FA Cup
s and a European Cup Winners' Cup
. He also won two FA Premiership winners medals. Towards the end of his playing career he moved into management as player-manager with Middlesbrough
. Robson had a good goal-scoring record; terrific anticipation, movement, timing on and off the ball; was fiercely competitive and brave; possessed high levels of stamina; tackled, passed well and was also a good header of the ball. He represented England
on 90 occasions, making him the sixth most capped England player of all-time, and has the eleventh highest goalscoring tally with 26. Robson captained his country 65 times, with only Bobby Moore
and Billy Wright having captained England on more occasions. Robson Robson is also known by the nicknames "Robbo" and "Captain Marvel". Bobby Robson stated that after Kevin Beattie, Robson was, along with Alan Shearer
, the best British player he ever worked with. In August 2011, Robson was voted as the greatest ever Manchester United player from a poll of ex Manchester United Players as part of a new book, 19, released to celebrate their 19th league title win.
Robson began his management career with Middlesbrough
in 1994, although he did not retire from playing until 1997. In seven years as Middlesbrough manager, he guided them to three Wembley finals, which were all lost, and earned them promotion to the Premier League on two occasions. He later returned to West Bromwich Albion
for two years as manager, helping them become the first top division team in 14 years to avoid relegation after being bottom of the league table on Christmas Day. Less successful have been his short-lived spells as manager of Bradford City
and Sheffield United
, the former lasting barely six months and ending in relegation from what is now the Football League Championship
, and the latter lasting less than a year and seeing his expensively-assembled side fail to challenge for promotion to the Premier League. On 23 September 2009, Robson was appointed manager of the Thailand national team
. He resigned on 8 June 2011.
, County Durham, the son of Brian Robson, a long distance lorry-driver, and Maureen Robson. He was the second of four children, after sister Susan and ahead of younger brothers Justin and Gary
(also footballers). Robson was brought up in Witton Gilbert
until he was six, when the family moved to nearby Chester-le-Street, the town where he was born. As a boy, he supported Newcastle United
; his childhood hero was Newcastle forward Wyn Davies
. A keen footballer from a young age, he joined the local Cub Scout
group purely so that he could play for their football team. Robson attended Birtley South Secondary Modern School, and later, Lord Lawson of Beamish comprehensive school
, where he competed for the school in athletics and football. He was captain of both his school football team and the Washington
and District team. As a teenager he had trials with Burnley
, Coventry City
, Sheffield Wednesday
, Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion
.
Robson was in the final academic year of pupils who still had the option of finishing education at the age of 15, and in the summer of 1972, he accepted Albion manager Don Howe's offer of a two-year apprenticeship, worth a wage of £5 per week in the first year and £8 per week in the second year.
reserves at Goodison Park
. He signed a professional contract in the summer of 1974, earning £28 per week plus a £250 signing on fee. During 1974–75 he was a regular in Albion's reserve team, but was not selected by Don Howe for the first team. Following Howe's departure with three matches of the season remaining, Robson was called up to the senior team for the first time by caretaker manager Brian Whitehouse
. He made his first team debut away at York City
on 12 April 1975, helping Albion to a 3–1 victory. In the following game, his home debut, he scored his first goal for the club, in a 2–0 win over Cardiff City
, and also scored in the final match of the season away at Nottingham Forest.
During the following season, 1975–76, Robson played only sporadically. He faced stiff competition for midfield places, not least from player-manager Johnny Giles
, and was utilised by Giles in various positions, including centre-half, left-back and midfield. Albion finished third in Division Two to win promotion back to the top-flight.
Robson experienced top-flight football for the first time during the 1976–77 season, and began to appear more regularly in the side, although he was still alternating between the positions of left back and his preferred central midfield role. His rapid progress was halted however, when he received the first serious injury of his career. Playing at left back, he broke his left leg in a tackle with Tottenham Hotspur
striker Chris Jones. Two months later Robson made his comeback in a reserve game at The Hawthorns
, but the original break was refractured in a challenge with Stoke City
's Denis Smith. Again he recovered, and returned to the first team in late December. He went on to enjoy a run in the side and scored his first professional hat-trick
, in a 4–0 win against Ipswich Town
on 16 March 1977. One month later however, he broke his right ankle in a challenge with Manchester City
's Dennis Tueart
, causing him to pull out of the England under-23 squad following his call-up.
Johnny Giles left Albion at the end of 1976–77. His successor, the club's chief scout and former player Ronnie Allen
, picked Robson to replace Giles in central midfield. However Allen himself left mid-way through the season and defender John Wile
was put in temporary charge. Results worsened and Robson was dropped from the team. He returned to the side under new boss Ron Atkinson
, whom Robson described as "a down-to-earth, fair-minded, regular bloke". Atkinson did leave Robson out of the FA Cup
semi-final defeat against Ipswich Town
, but recalled him for the latter stages of the league campaign as Albion qualified for the UEFA Cup
. In 1978–79 Robson was a key player, starting 41 out of 42 league games and wearing the number 7 shirt on each occasion. He played a major part in Albion finishing third in Division One, their highest league placing for more than 20 years, and reaching the UEFA Cup quarter-finals. The following season was a disappointing one by comparison, with the club finishing only 10th in the league, but Robson's performances in midfield helped to earn him his first full England cap in February 1980. In 1980–81 he scored ten goals in 40 league games to help Albion to a 4th place finish in the First Division.
Ron Atkinson left to take over at Manchester United
in June 1981, and speculation mounted that Robson would either follow him to United or join Bob Paisley
's Liverpool
. Albion offered Robson a new contract worth £1000 per week, but he turned it down and put in a transfer request. His teammate Remi Moses
signed for United in September 1981 and Robson followed soon afterwards.
Robson moved to United for a British record transfer fee of £1.5 million on 1 October 1981 and signed the contract on the Old Trafford pitch two days later. The record was not broken for six years, when Liverpool paid £1.9 million for Newcastle striker Peter Beardsley
in the summer of 1987. Robson made his United debut on 7 October 1981 in a 1–0 defeat away at Tottenham Hotspur
in the League Cup
. His league debut for his new club came three days later, in a goalless draw against Manchester City
at Maine Road
. This was his first appearance in the Manchester United number 7 shirt, which he went on to make his own. Robson scored his first goal for United on 7 November 1981 in a 5–1 win over Sunderland
at Roker Park
. He ended his first season at United with 32 games and five goals. Meanwhile, his England career was flourishing as the World Cup neared; he scored in a 4–0 thrashing of Northern Ireland
at Wembley and added a brace in the last warm-up game in Helsinki
against Finland
.
Robson tore his ankle ligaments during the 1983 League Cup semi-final victory over Arsenal
, meaning that he missed the final
, which United lost to Liverpool. He regained his fitness in time for the FA Cup semi-final, again against Arsenal, and scored in a 2–1 win. The final against Brighton
ended in a 2–2 draw. Robson scored twice in the replay, but declined the chance to become the first player in 30 years to score an FA Cup final hat-trick, instead allowing regular penalty taker Arnold Muhren
to convert a spot-kick to seal a 4–0 victory and enable Robson to lift his first trophy as United captain. Although this was United's fifth FA Cup triumph, Robson was only the second English captain to lift the trophy for United, and their first since Charlie Roberts
in the 1909 final
; as United had been captained by an Irishman
in their 1948
and 1963
triumphs and a Scotsman
in 1977
. The following season he helped the club enjoy a great run in the Cup Winners Cup. Robson scored twice in the 3–0 quarter-final second leg victory over FC Barcelona
at Old Trafford, overturning a 2–0 first leg deficit to progress 3–2 on aggregate. He missed both legs of the semi-final defeat by Juventus
due to a hamstring injury, but while in Turin
for the second leg was given permission by United to speak to Juve regarding a proposed transfer. The move never took place as neither Juventus nor any other club were prepared to meet United's £3 million asking price. Robson's injury also meant that he missed several crucial late season games as United's title challenge slipped away and they finished fourth, with Liverpool becoming champions for the 15th time. Robson instead extended his contract with United in 1984, signing a seven-year deal worth around £1 million which would keep him there until at least 1991. In 1985 he captained the club to another FA Cup triumph, this time over Everton
where a Norman Whiteside
goal denied their opponents the chance of a unique treble, as they had already won the league title and the European Cup Winners' Cup.
Robson and United began the following season in fine form with ten successive victories which suggested the championship could be on its way back to Old Trafford for the first time since 1967. But their form slipped after Christmas and they finished the season trophyless in fourth place behind champions Liverpool, runners-up Everton and third-placed West Ham
. Injuries, notably a dislocated shoulder suffering in February 1986, restricted Robson to just 21 out of 42 league appearances for United in 1985–86, though he did manage seven goals.
Robson remained in favour with his employers after Ron Atkinson was sacked as United manager in November 1986 and replaced by Alex Ferguson
. But it was not until 1990 that Robson was to lift another trophy. He scored United's first goal in the FA Cup Final against Crystal Palace
in the first match which ended in a 3–3 draw. United won the replay 1–0 and Robson thus became the first United captain to lift the cup three times. Robson had faced his familiar fight against injury once again in that 1989–90 campaign, restricted to 20 appearances out of 38 in the league, as United finished 13th – their lowest finish since relegation in 1974. Robson's testimonial match took place on 20 November 1990 and saw United lose 3–1 to Celtic at Old Trafford. During 1990–91, he was restricted to 17 league appearances due to an injury suffered at the World Cup, and didn't make a first team appearance until December 1990. During his absence, United had been captained by fellow midfielder Neil Webb
, but Robson regained the captain's armband on his return.
He was fit for the European Cup Winners Cup final in which United beat Barcelona 2–1 in Rotterdam
with both goals coming from Mark Hughes
.
Robson was still a regular choice for United during the 1991–92 season despite competition from likes of Paul Ince
, Neil Webb
and Andrei Kanchelskis
. During that season he made his 90th and final appearance for the England team, who by this stage were being managed by Graham Taylor
. But the 1991–92 season ended in disappointment for Robson as United were overhauled in the First Division championship race by Leeds
. He missed their League Cup final victory over Nottingham Forest
through injury and his first-team chances were starting to look increasingly numbered as he faced competition from other players within the United squad and the press reported that Alex Ferguson was hoping to sign a new, younger midfielder, although no such addition took place in 1992.
Robson still captained the club in most of his first-team appearances, but Steve Bruce
was captaining the side when Robson was absent.
Robson made just 14 league appearances during the 1992–93 season, which was the first season of the new Premier League. The club's regular central midfielders for this season were Paul Ince
(who had been at United since 1989) and Brian McClair
(who was shifted from the attacking positions following the late November arrival of Eric Cantona
), while his other favoured position on the right side of midfield was either occupied by Mike Phelan
or the younger, wider-lying Andrei Kanchelskis
and Lee Sharpe
.
He scored on the final day of the season against Wimbledon
– it was his only senior goal of that campaign. By that game United were Premiership champions and Robson finally won the league championship medal that he had been trying to gain since his days at West Bromwich Albion some 15 years earlier. It was not just injuries that were restricting the 36-year-old Robson's first-team chances. Eric Cantona
had been signed during the 1992–93 campaign and played up front with Mark Hughes
, while Hughes's former strike-partner Brian McClair
had been converted into a midfielder. This counted against Robson and the biggest blow came in the summer of 1993 when United signed Nottingham Forest's Roy Keane
.
With the introduction of squad numbers for the 1993–94 Premier League, Robson was issued with the number 12 shirt, while the number 7 shirt that he had worn in virtually every game of his career went to Eric Cantona
instead.
But Robson was still able to make enough appearances for another Premiership champions medal in 1993–94, and scored one of their four goals in the FA Cup semi-final replay victory over Oldham
at Maine Road
. Unfortunately, he was dropped from the squad for the FA Cup final, a decision which manager Alex Ferguson later admitted was one of the hardest of his career. His very last appearance in a United shirt came on the last day of the season, 8 May 1994, when United drew 0–0 at home with Coventry City
. He had played 461 times for them in all competitions, scoring 99 goals, and was widely regarded as one of their finest players ever. The last of his goals had come in the FA Cup semi-final replay against Oldham. In the league, his final goal had come on the opening day of the 1993–94 season (15 August 1993) in a 2–0 win over Norwich City
at Carrow Road
. He had also scored a European Cup goal that season, in the second round first leg tie against Turkish
champions Galatasaray
in a 3–3 draw at Old Trafford.
. From 1994 to 1996 he combined the role with that of England assistant manager (under Terry Venables
), and was linked with the manager's job when Venables announced his intention to quit after Euro 96, only to rule himself out of the running due to his limited experience. He was not included in new manager Glenn Hoddle
's coaching staff.
Robson played his final game as a player on 1 January 1997, in a Premier League game against Arsenal
at Highbury
10 days before his 40th birthday.
for the first time in March 1977, but was withdrawn from the squad by his club West Bromwich Albion, who needed him for a league match against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Albion drew 2–2, with Robson scoring one of the goals. On 6 February 1979 he finally made his England under-21 debut, albeit as an overage player (he was 22 at the time) as England beat Wales Under-21s
1–0 at Swansea's Vetch Field
. He made his
England B
debut on 12 June 1979, and scored after just five minutes to give England a 1–0 lead against Austria B in Klagenfurt
, although the match was abandoned after 60 minutes. He appeared three times for England B in all, captaining the side on his third and final appearance as England drew 0–0 with Algeria's A team in Algiers
on 11 December 1990.
On 6 February 1980 Robson made his full international debut, and his first appearance at Wembley, as England
beat the Republic of Ireland
2–0 in a qualifier for that summer's European Championships. His second cap came in the final preparation game for the finals—a 2–1 win over Australia in Sydney—but he didn't feature in the tournament itself, from which England were eliminated in the first round. On 9 September 1981 he marked his 13th cap by scoring his first goal for England, in a 2–1 defeat to Norway
in Oslo. The match is remembered mainly for Norwegian commentator Bjørge Lillelien
's taunting of England following the final whistle.
England coach Ron Greenwood started to feature Robson regularly in his midfield, selecting him for the first dozen internationals after the European Championships finished, including all eight of the qualifying games for the 1982 World Cup in Spain, through which England earned a place in the finals. Robson was in the record books for 20 years thanks to a goal scored against France
in England's opening game of the 1982 World Cup. It came after just 27 seconds of the match – the second-fastest in World Cup finals history until 2002 when Hakan Şükür
scored after ten seconds in the third-place match against South Korea. For Robson's achievement, he received an inscribed gold watch, which he still occasionally wears.
Robson captained England for the first time on 17 November 1982, leading the side to a 3–0 win over Greece
in Salonika
. He scored a hat-trick
in England's 8–0 victory over Turkey
in Istanbul
on 14 November 1984. Captain Marvel, as he was nicknamed, helped England qualify for the 1986 World Cup
in Mexico. By now he was considered by England manager Bobby Robson to be the best player in England. However his hopes of glory were crushed by re-aggravating an existing shoulder injury in England's second game of the group stages, against Morocco, which prevented him participating further in the tournament: ironically, the enforced change to England's formation benefited them, no longer having to protect an injured player, and – despite also losing vice-captain Ray Wilkins to a red card and subsequent ban – successive 3–0 victories resulted, until England's run finally came to an end with a 2–1 defeat against Argentina
in the quarter final. The same shoulder injury was to trouble him for several weeks after the competition.
Over the next two years, Robson returned to the side to lead them through qualifying for the 1988 European Championship. He played personally well for England, particularly with a fine individual goal against eventual champions the Netherlands, but was unable to prevent them from going out in the first phase of the competition as England lost all three of their group games.
Robson continued his international career until 1991, also helping England to reach the 1990 World Cup. For the second World Cup in succession, though, his role was limited as he once again suffered an injury in the second match (against the Netherlands) that was to keep him out of the rest of the tournament. Even more ironically, for the second World Cup in succession, England's revamped formation played better without their captain, whose place in the team was taken by David Platt during the knock-out stages as England came fourth.
Robson claimed in his autobiography that in one of his last matches for England under Graham Taylor, he was played bizzarely on the left wing, even though he had never played there for club and no longer had the pace to get up and down the line at the age of 34.
Robson was picked by both Bobby Robson
and Tony Adams
in their England dream teams, in their respective autobiographies of all the best players they had worked or played with. Adams claimed additionally that Robson had a "Terrific football brain" and had exceptional awareness and anticipation; often intercepting or knowing where the ball would land ahead of other players. Adams claimed this separated outstanding players from good players, and Robson would fit into the category of "The best". Paul Gascoigne stated in his 2004 book Gazza: My Story that Robson was the best footballer her ever shared a pitch with and the best player of his generation.
title and promotion to the Premier League in their final season at Ayresome Park before relocation to the new 30,000-seat Riverside Stadium
on the banks of the River Tees
. He was assisted by Viv Anderson
, another former Manchester United player.
Middlesbrough made an ambitious return to the Premiership and attracted expensively-signed big names like Nick Barmby
and the Brazilians Juninho
and Branco. They went fourth in the Premiership in October 1995, sparking hopes of UEFA Cup
qualification, but an injury crisis severely demoralised the side and they slid down the table to finish 12th.
In 1996–97, Robson led Boro to both domestic cup finals but they lost both, losing 1–0 in a replay to Leicester City
in the League Cup Final
and 2–0 in the FA Cup Final
to Chelsea
, while they suffered relegation in the Premier League—which would have been avoided if they had not been deducted three points in mid-season for cancelling a fixture at late notice. However, at least Boro had the consolation of staying alive in the league up to the last day of the season. Boro were already bottom of the league at the turn of 1997, but when the points were deducted they found themselves seven points adrift of safety with the 17th placed team having a game in hand. However, results slowly improved over the next few weeks and by the end of March a succession of very good results had seen Boro climb out of the relegation zone. This, coupled with the excellent cup runs, saw Robson voted Premier League Manager of the Month for March 1997. Robson made one playing appearance this season on New Years Day, starting in a 2–0 defeat away to Arsenal. This proved to be his last game as a professional footballer.
Despite these setbacks the board kept faith in Robson and he repaid their loyalty with automatic promotion back to the Premiership in 1997–98. Again the club missed out on cup success at the final hurdle with a 2–0 defeat against Chelsea in the League Cup final
.
In November 2000, he criticised his players following a string of poor results which had dragged them into a relegation battle. A month later Middlesbrough brought in Terry Venables
as head coach to assist Robson, who remained as manager. Robson left the club "by mutual consent" in June 2001, having failed to bring the club higher than ninth in the league, or to bring them any silverware. His successor was Steve McClaren
, the Manchester United assistant manager.
, Robson emerged in January 2003 as the bookmakers' favourite to become the new Republic of Ireland
manager, but the job went instead to Brian Kerr. In November 2003 Robson was set to become Nigeria
's national coach, but the appointment was blocked by the Nigerian sports minister due to doubts that Robson's wage demands could be met. Later that month, Robson did make his football comeback—more than two years after leaving Middlesbrough—when he accepted the manager's job with Division One
strugglers Bradford City
. Robson won his first game in charge as Bradford fought back from 2–0 down to beat Millwall
3–2. But he recorded just six more wins as Bradford took only 22 points from 27 games under Robson and were relegated in 23rd position. Robson's short-term contract was not renewed and he handed the reins over to his assistant Colin Todd
.
as manager – 23 years after his departure as a player. His first match in charge ended in a 2–1 home defeat to his former club Middlesbrough. A 4–0 loss away to local rivals Birmingham City
on 18 December meant that Albion were bottom of the Premiership on Christmas Day, a position from which no team had previously escaped relegation from the Premiership. Robson was the subject of derisory chants from Albion supporters during the game. The team were also bottom going into the last game of the season. However Robson and his players defied all the odds to stay up thanks to a 2–0 home win over Portsmouth
on the final day of the season, coupled with favourable results from elsewhere. Despite some significant new signings in the 2005 close season, his team failed to build on this achievement in 2005–06 though, and Albion were relegated with two matches left to play. They had failed to win any of their final 13 Premier League games. Robson left the club "by mutual consent" on 18 September 2006, following a disappointing start to the season with The Baggies in 9th place in the Coca Cola Championship with only three wins from their first eight games.
After his departure from West Brom, Robson spent eight months out of the game. He was interested in becoming the England under-21
team's full-time manager, but the job went instead to Stuart Pearce
on a part-time basis.
would be the new choice of management at Sheffield United
following the resignation of legendary manager Neil Warnock
. His first match in charge was a home match against Colchester United
on 11 August in a 2–2 draw. His first win was three days later in a 3–1 win against Chesterfield
in the Carling Cup
. United subsequently collected nine points in their first 10 league matches
, leaving the Blades in 20th place in the Championship
and prompting Robson to comment about the situation. After a string of inconsistent results and a 2–0 derby
defeat to Sheffield Wednesday
, Robson publicly stated that he had lost patience with his players.
Following calls for Robson's resignation, Sheffield United chairman Kevin McCabe gave Robson his public backing and called for patience and unity.
Robson has since expressed his disappointment at not having the funds he was expecting to help rebuild the team.
After the 0–0 draw at home to Scunthorpe United on 9 February 2008 Robson came under increasing pressure from fans urging the board to sack the manager.
Consequently, Robson was summoned to a meeting in Brussels on 13 February 2008 with club PLC Chairman, Kevin McCabe as the club considered its response to the scenes which followed Saturday's draw with Scunthorpe.
In an interview with BBC Radio Sheffield
Robson stated that his team could have won the match with Scunthorpe if they had better support from the fans. After his meeting with McCabe on 14 February he was "relieved of his first-team duties" before later in the day leaving Sheffield United after turning down another role with the club.
to help United 'promote its commercial and charitable aims'.
in his first foray into international football management. He was contracted to manage the team through to the 2014 World Cup
. On 14 November 2009, Robson celebrated his first competitive match in charge of the team with a 3–1 away victory against Singapore
in a 2011 Asian Cup qualifying group match. On 18 November 2009, Robson then suffered his first loss – a 1–0 defeat against Singapore
on home soil. In January 2010, this was followed by two goalless draws with Jordan
and Iran
during 2011 Asian Cup qualifying. On 3 March 2010, Robson's Thailand
suffered a 1–0 defeat by the hands of Iran
in Tehran
in their final Group E game, effectively ending their hopes of qualifying for 2011 Asian Cup. On 11 August 2010, Robson led Thailand to another victory against Singapore with a score of 1–0 on home soil. In September 2010, Robson overcame Bob Houghton's India in a friendly with a score of 2–1 away from home. In December 2010, Robson failed to bring Thailand past the Group A of the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup
after managing only 2 draws against Laos
and Malaysia
and losing to Indonesia
. He resigned as manager on 8 June 2011.
|1974–75||rowspan="8"|West Bromwich Albion
||rowspan="2"|Second Division
||3||2||||||||
|-
|1975–76||16||1||||||||
|-
|1976–77||rowspan="6"|First Division
||23||8||||||||
|-
|1977–78||35||3||||||||
|-
|1978–79||41||7||||||||
|-
|1979–80||35||9||||||||
|-
|1980–81||40||10||||||||
|-
|1981–82||5||0||||||||
|-
|1981–82||rowspan="13"|Manchester United
||rowspan="11"|First Division
||32||5||||||||
|-
|1982–83||33||10||||||||
|-
|1983–84||33||12||||||||
|-
|1984–85||33||9||||||||
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|1985–86||21||7||||||||
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|1986–87||30||7||||||||
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|1987–88||36||11||||||||
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|1988–89||34||4||||||||
|-
|1989–90||20||2||||||||
|-
|1990–91||17||1||||||||
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|1991–92||27||4||||||||
|-
|1992–93||rowspan="2"|Premier League||14||1||||||||
|-
|1993–94||15||1||||||||
|-
|1994–95||rowspan="3"|Middlesbrough
||First Division
||25||1||||||||
|-
|1995–96||Premier League||38||−1||||||||
|-
|1996–97||Premier League||1||1||||||||
568||115||||||||
568||115||||||||
Last app v Arsenal
in the January 1990 New Year's Honours. In 1998, he was named among the list of Football League 100 Legends
, and was made an Inaugural Inductee of the English Football Hall of Fame
in 2002 in recognition of his impact on the English game as a player. He was named as one of West Bromwich Albion's 16 greatest players, in a 2004 poll organised as part of the club's 125th anniversary celebrations.
reporter Clare Tomlinson
.
, and later New Balance
football boots, as well as owning a stake in the Birthdays
greeting card chain. He was the subject of the television programme This Is Your Life
in the edition aired on 23 January 1985, at just 12 days after his 28th birthday he was one of the show's youngest ever special guests. Robson has appeared in a number of advertisements, including an appearance in Carlsberg's 2006 "Best Pub Side" television commercial, where he starred alongside other former England players. In 2007, he formed a specialist sports company, Robson Lloyd Consultancy Ltd, with an aim to build community sports academies with long-lasting benefits for small Football clubs. His autobiography, entitled Robbo: My Autobiography was released in May 2006.
In March 2010, The Daily Telegraph
published an article claiming that retired England footballer Steve McMahon
and Robson had used their celebrity status to encourage investors to purchase Green belt land plots in Hounslow with a very limited chance of return.
On 18 July 2011, on an episode of the Channel 4
television programme Dispatches
entitled "How to Buy a Football Club", Robson was secretly filmed by reporters during an undercover investigation. In the film, Robson describes how the reporters – who posed as businessmen – could break the strict Football Association
rules that prevent individuals and/or groups from owning multiple football clubs. He also lists a number of clubs he considers as prime targets for take over.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 11 January 1957) is an English football manager and a former player. He is best known for playing in midfield for Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, where he was the longest serving captain in club history. He was the manager of Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
, being relieved of his first team duties at the club in February 2008. The following month, Robson returned to Manchester United as an ambassador for the club.
Born in Chester-le-Street
Chester-le-Street
Chester-le-Street is a town in County Durham, England. It has a history going back to Roman times when it was called Concangis. The town is located south of Newcastle upon Tyne and west of Sunderland on the River Wear...
, County Durham, Robson began his playing career at West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
, before moving on to Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, whom he captained to three FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
s and a European Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
. He also won two FA Premiership winners medals. Towards the end of his playing career he moved into management as player-manager with Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
. Robson had a good goal-scoring record; terrific anticipation, movement, timing on and off the ball; was fiercely competitive and brave; possessed high levels of stamina; tackled, passed well and was also a good header of the ball. He represented England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
on 90 occasions, making him the sixth most capped England player of all-time, and has the eleventh highest goalscoring tally with 26. Robson captained his country 65 times, with only Bobby Moore
Bobby Moore
Robert Frederick Chelsea "Bobby" Moore, OBE was an English footballer. He captained West Ham United for more than ten years and was captain of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup...
and Billy Wright having captained England on more occasions. Robson Robson is also known by the nicknames "Robbo" and "Captain Marvel". Bobby Robson stated that after Kevin Beattie, Robson was, along with Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer OBE, DL is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team...
, the best British player he ever worked with. In August 2011, Robson was voted as the greatest ever Manchester United player from a poll of ex Manchester United Players as part of a new book, 19, released to celebrate their 19th league title win.
Robson began his management career with Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
in 1994, although he did not retire from playing until 1997. In seven years as Middlesbrough manager, he guided them to three Wembley finals, which were all lost, and earned them promotion to the Premier League on two occasions. He later returned to West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
for two years as manager, helping them become the first top division team in 14 years to avoid relegation after being bottom of the league table on Christmas Day. Less successful have been his short-lived spells as manager of Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
and Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
, the former lasting barely six months and ending in relegation from what is now the Football League Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
, and the latter lasting less than a year and seeing his expensively-assembled side fail to challenge for promotion to the Premier League. On 23 September 2009, Robson was appointed manager of the Thailand national team
Thailand national football team
The Thailand national football team represents Thailand in international football competition and is governed by the Football Association of Thailand. The team has a history of success in Southeast Asian competition, with three ASEAN Football Championship titles and nine senior-level Southeast...
. He resigned on 8 June 2011.
Early life
Robson was born in Chester-le-StreetChester-le-Street
Chester-le-Street is a town in County Durham, England. It has a history going back to Roman times when it was called Concangis. The town is located south of Newcastle upon Tyne and west of Sunderland on the River Wear...
, County Durham, the son of Brian Robson, a long distance lorry-driver, and Maureen Robson. He was the second of four children, after sister Susan and ahead of younger brothers Justin and Gary
Gary Robson (footballer)
Gary Robson is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, he played in the Football League between 1982 and 1996 for West Bromwich Albion and Bradford City, making nearly 300 league appearances.Robson later played non-league...
(also footballers). Robson was brought up in Witton Gilbert
Witton Gilbert
Witton Gilbert is a village and civil parish in County Durham, England. It is situated to the north-west of Durham.The village once had a railway station on the...
until he was six, when the family moved to nearby Chester-le-Street, the town where he was born. As a boy, he supported Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
; his childhood hero was Newcastle forward Wyn Davies
Wyn Davies
Ronald Wyn Davies is a Welsh former professional footballer who made over 550 Football League appearances in the 1960s and 1970s, and who was also capped by Wales.-Domestic career:...
. A keen footballer from a young age, he joined the local Cub Scout
Cub Scout
A Cub Scout is a member of the section of the worldwide Scouting movement for young persons, mainly boys normally aged about 7 to 11. In some countries they are known by their original name of Wolf Cubs and are often referred to simply as Cubs. The movement is often referred to simply as Cubbing...
group purely so that he could play for their football team. Robson attended Birtley South Secondary Modern School, and later, Lord Lawson of Beamish comprehensive school
Lord Lawson of Beamish Community School
Lord Lawson of Beamish Community School is a comprehensive school in the town of Birtley in the Gateshead area of Tyne and Wear, England, which has just over 1,500 students. It was first opened to pupils in the early 1970s and was rebuilt in September 2007. The new building was constructed by...
, where he competed for the school in athletics and football. He was captain of both his school football team and the Washington
Washington, Tyne and Wear
Washington is a town in the City of Sunderland in Tyne and Wear, England. Historically part of County Durham, it joined a new county in 1974 with the creation of Tyne and Wear...
and District team. As a teenager he had trials with Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
, Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
, Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
, Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
.
Robson was in the final academic year of pupils who still had the option of finishing education at the age of 15, and in the summer of 1972, he accepted Albion manager Don Howe's offer of a two-year apprenticeship, worth a wage of £5 per week in the first year and £8 per week in the second year.
West Bromwich Albion
Towards the end of 1973–74, his second season as an apprentice, Robson made his reserve team debut, against EvertonEverton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
reserves at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
. He signed a professional contract in the summer of 1974, earning £28 per week plus a £250 signing on fee. During 1974–75 he was a regular in Albion's reserve team, but was not selected by Don Howe for the first team. Following Howe's departure with three matches of the season remaining, Robson was called up to the senior team for the first time by caretaker manager Brian Whitehouse
Brian Whitehouse
Brian Whitehouse is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward. He later undertook various coaching and scouting positions.-References:...
. He made his first team debut away at York City
York City F.C.
York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...
on 12 April 1975, helping Albion to a 3–1 victory. In the following game, his home debut, he scored his first goal for the club, in a 2–0 win over Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
, and also scored in the final match of the season away at Nottingham Forest.
During the following season, 1975–76, Robson played only sporadically. He faced stiff competition for midfield places, not least from player-manager Johnny Giles
Johnny Giles
Michael John "Johnny" Giles is a former association footballer and manager best remembered for his time as a midfielder with Leeds United in the 1960s and 1970s...
, and was utilised by Giles in various positions, including centre-half, left-back and midfield. Albion finished third in Division Two to win promotion back to the top-flight.
Robson experienced top-flight football for the first time during the 1976–77 season, and began to appear more regularly in the side, although he was still alternating between the positions of left back and his preferred central midfield role. His rapid progress was halted however, when he received the first serious injury of his career. Playing at left back, he broke his left leg in a tackle with Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
striker Chris Jones. Two months later Robson made his comeback in a reserve game at The Hawthorns
The Hawthorns
The Hawthorns is an all-seater football stadium in West Bromwich, Sandwell, England, with a capacity of 26,484. It has been the home of West Bromwich Albion F.C. since 1900, when it became the sixth ground to be used by the club. The ground was the last Football League ground to be built in the...
, but the original break was refractured in a challenge with Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
's Denis Smith. Again he recovered, and returned to the first team in late December. He went on to enjoy a run in the side and scored his first professional hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
, in a 4–0 win against Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
on 16 March 1977. One month later however, he broke his right ankle in a challenge with Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
's Dennis Tueart
Dennis Tueart
Dennis Tueart was an English footballer who played for Sunderland, Manchester City, Stoke City and Burnley at club level. On the international scene, he won six full caps for England.-Career:...
, causing him to pull out of the England under-23 squad following his call-up.
Johnny Giles left Albion at the end of 1976–77. His successor, the club's chief scout and former player Ronnie Allen
Ronnie Allen
Ronald "Ronnie" Allen was an English international football player and manager. He was a professional footballer for nineteen years, between 1946 and 1964, making 638 appearances in the Football League, and scoring 276 goals. He also won five caps for England national team...
, picked Robson to replace Giles in central midfield. However Allen himself left mid-way through the season and defender John Wile
John Wile
John David Wile is an English former footballer and manager.Wile played as a central defender for Sunderland, although he did not play a Football League match for them. In 1967–68 he signed for Peterborough United, having had a trial there first...
was put in temporary charge. Results worsened and Robson was dropped from the team. He returned to the side under new boss Ron Atkinson
Ron Atkinson
Ronald Ernest Atkinson, commonly known as "Big Ron" and "Bojangles" is an English former football player and manager. In recent years he has become one of Britain's best-known football pundits...
, whom Robson described as "a down-to-earth, fair-minded, regular bloke". Atkinson did leave Robson out of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
semi-final defeat against Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
, but recalled him for the latter stages of the league campaign as Albion qualified for the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
. In 1978–79 Robson was a key player, starting 41 out of 42 league games and wearing the number 7 shirt on each occasion. He played a major part in Albion finishing third in Division One, their highest league placing for more than 20 years, and reaching the UEFA Cup quarter-finals. The following season was a disappointing one by comparison, with the club finishing only 10th in the league, but Robson's performances in midfield helped to earn him his first full England cap in February 1980. In 1980–81 he scored ten goals in 40 league games to help Albion to a 4th place finish in the First Division.
Ron Atkinson left to take over at Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
in June 1981, and speculation mounted that Robson would either follow him to United or join Bob Paisley
Bob Paisley
Robert "Bob" Paisley OBE was an English football half back turned manager. His association with Liverpool was to span nearly half a century including his contribution to the club, first as a player, then as a physiotherapist and coach, and finally as manager.In nine years as manager between 1974...
's Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
. Albion offered Robson a new contract worth £1000 per week, but he turned it down and put in a transfer request. His teammate Remi Moses
Remi Moses
Remi Mark Moses is a former English football player whose main position was as a defensive midfielder.In 1981, Moses was transferred from West Bromwich Albion to Manchester United for £500,000...
signed for United in September 1981 and Robson followed soon afterwards.
Manchester United
Robson moved to United for a British record transfer fee of £1.5 million on 1 October 1981 and signed the contract on the Old Trafford pitch two days later. The record was not broken for six years, when Liverpool paid £1.9 million for Newcastle striker Peter Beardsley
Peter Beardsley
Peter Andrew Beardsley MBE is an English former footballer who played between 1979 and 1999. He once set a record transfer fee in the game and represented his country 59 times between 1986 and 1996, once as captain...
in the summer of 1987. Robson made his United debut on 7 October 1981 in a 1–0 defeat away at Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
in the League Cup
League Cup
In association football, a League Cup or Secondary Cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament to be called "League Cup" was held in Scotland in 1946/47 and was entitled the Scottish...
. His league debut for his new club came three days later, in a goalless draw against Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
at Maine Road
Maine Road
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England that was home to Manchester City F.C. from its construction in 1923 until 2003...
. This was his first appearance in the Manchester United number 7 shirt, which he went on to make his own. Robson scored his first goal for United on 7 November 1981 in a 5–1 win over Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
at Roker Park
Roker Park
Roker Park was an English football stadium situated in Roker, Sunderland. The stadium was the home of the English football club Sunderland A.F.C. from 1897 to 1997 before the club moved to the Stadium of Light. Near the end of the stadium's history, its capacity was around 22,500 with only a small...
. He ended his first season at United with 32 games and five goals. Meanwhile, his England career was flourishing as the World Cup neared; he scored in a 4–0 thrashing of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
at Wembley and added a brace in the last warm-up game in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
against Finland
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....
.
Robson tore his ankle ligaments during the 1983 League Cup semi-final victory over Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, meaning that he missed the final
1983 Football League Cup Final
The 1983 Milk Cup Final was a football match held on 26 March 1983 between League Cup holders Liverpool and Manchester United, who would go on to win the FA Cup later that year. Liverpool won the match 2-1; Norman Whiteside scored the opener for Manchester United, before Alan Kennedy equalised with...
, which United lost to Liverpool. He regained his fitness in time for the FA Cup semi-final, again against Arsenal, and scored in a 2–1 win. The final against Brighton
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
ended in a 2–2 draw. Robson scored twice in the replay, but declined the chance to become the first player in 30 years to score an FA Cup final hat-trick, instead allowing regular penalty taker Arnold Muhren
Arnold Mühren
Arnold Johannes Hyacinthus Mühren is a Dutch football manager and former midfielder. His older brother Gerrie, also a midfield player, won three European Cup titles with Ajax in the early 1970s...
to convert a spot-kick to seal a 4–0 victory and enable Robson to lift his first trophy as United captain. Although this was United's fifth FA Cup triumph, Robson was only the second English captain to lift the trophy for United, and their first since Charlie Roberts
Charlie Roberts
Charles "Charlie" Roberts was an English footballer.-Playing career:Born in Darlington, Roberts started his football career with Bishop Auckland, but soon moved to Grimsby Town....
in the 1909 final
1909 FA Cup Final
The 1909 FA Cup Final was the final match of the 1908–09 FA Cup, the 38th season of England's premier club football cup competition. The match was played on 24 April 1909 at Crystal Palace, and was contested by Manchester United and Bristol City, both of the First Division. Manchester United won by...
; as United had been captained by an Irishman
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in their 1948
1948 FA Cup Final
The 1948 FA Cup Final was contested by Manchester United and Blackpool at Wembley Stadium on 24 April 1948. United, who had not appeared in an FA Cup Final for 39 years, won 4–2, with two goals from Jack Rowley and one apiece from Stan Pearson and John Anderson. Eddie Shimwell and Stan Mortensen...
and 1963
1963 FA Cup Final
The 1963 FA Cup Final was the final of the 1962–63 FA Cup, the 82nd season of England's premier club football competition. The match was played at Wembley Stadium on 25 May 1963 and contested by Manchester United and Leicester City. United won 3–1, with a goal from Denis Law and two from...
triumphs and a Scotsman
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1977
1977 FA Cup Final
The 1977 FA Cup Final was the final match of the 1976–77 FA Cup, the 96th season of England's premier cup football competition. The match was played on 21 May 1977 at Wembley Stadium, London, and it was contested by Manchester United and Liverpool. United won the game 2–1. All three goals came in a...
. The following season he helped the club enjoy a great run in the Cup Winners Cup. Robson scored twice in the 3–0 quarter-final second leg victory over FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
at Old Trafford, overturning a 2–0 first leg deficit to progress 3–2 on aggregate. He missed both legs of the semi-final defeat by Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
due to a hamstring injury, but while in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
for the second leg was given permission by United to speak to Juve regarding a proposed transfer. The move never took place as neither Juventus nor any other club were prepared to meet United's £3 million asking price. Robson's injury also meant that he missed several crucial late season games as United's title challenge slipped away and they finished fourth, with Liverpool becoming champions for the 15th time. Robson instead extended his contract with United in 1984, signing a seven-year deal worth around £1 million which would keep him there until at least 1991. In 1985 he captained the club to another FA Cup triumph, this time over Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
where a Norman Whiteside
Norman Whiteside
Norman Whiteside is a former Northern Ireland international footballer who played in two World Cups.He appeared for Manchester United and Everton, before his career was ended by injury at the age of 26. He won the FA Cup twice during his time playing for Manchester United, in 1983 and 1985...
goal denied their opponents the chance of a unique treble, as they had already won the league title and the European Cup Winners' Cup.
Robson and United began the following season in fine form with ten successive victories which suggested the championship could be on its way back to Old Trafford for the first time since 1967. But their form slipped after Christmas and they finished the season trophyless in fourth place behind champions Liverpool, runners-up Everton and third-placed West Ham
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
. Injuries, notably a dislocated shoulder suffering in February 1986, restricted Robson to just 21 out of 42 league appearances for United in 1985–86, though he did manage seven goals.
Robson remained in favour with his employers after Ron Atkinson was sacked as United manager in November 1986 and replaced by Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
. But it was not until 1990 that Robson was to lift another trophy. He scored United's first goal in the FA Cup Final against Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
in the first match which ended in a 3–3 draw. United won the replay 1–0 and Robson thus became the first United captain to lift the cup three times. Robson had faced his familiar fight against injury once again in that 1989–90 campaign, restricted to 20 appearances out of 38 in the league, as United finished 13th – their lowest finish since relegation in 1974. Robson's testimonial match took place on 20 November 1990 and saw United lose 3–1 to Celtic at Old Trafford. During 1990–91, he was restricted to 17 league appearances due to an injury suffered at the World Cup, and didn't make a first team appearance until December 1990. During his absence, United had been captained by fellow midfielder Neil Webb
Neil Webb
Neil John Webb is an English former footballer and television pundit. He played as a midfielder and defender between 1980 and 1997 notably for Portsmouth, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United...
, but Robson regained the captain's armband on his return.
He was fit for the European Cup Winners Cup final in which United beat Barcelona 2–1 in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
with both goals coming from Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes, OBE , is a former Welsh international footballer. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals....
.
Robson was still a regular choice for United during the 1991–92 season despite competition from likes of Paul Ince
Paul Ince
Paul Emerson Carlyle Ince is an English football manager and a former professional player. He has managed Blackburn Rovers, Milton Keynes Dons and Macclesfield Town...
, Neil Webb
Neil Webb
Neil John Webb is an English former footballer and television pundit. He played as a midfielder and defender between 1980 and 1997 notably for Portsmouth, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United...
and Andrei Kanchelskis
Andrei Kanchelskis
Andrei Antanasovich Kanchelskis is a Ukrainian-born Russian football manager and former association footballer who played as a right winger. Kanchelskis is the only player in history to have scored in each of the Glasgow, Merseyside and Manchester local derbies.Currently, he is managing FC...
. During that season he made his 90th and final appearance for the England team, who by this stage were being managed by Graham Taylor
Graham Taylor (football manager)
Graham Taylor OBE is a football pundit, ex-football manager, and a former player. He is best known as the manager of the England national football team, as well as being manager of Watford, a club he took from the Fourth Division to the First in the space of five years, then from bottom of the...
. But the 1991–92 season ended in disappointment for Robson as United were overhauled in the First Division championship race by Leeds
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
. He missed their League Cup final victory over Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
through injury and his first-team chances were starting to look increasingly numbered as he faced competition from other players within the United squad and the press reported that Alex Ferguson was hoping to sign a new, younger midfielder, although no such addition took place in 1992.
Robson still captained the club in most of his first-team appearances, but Steve Bruce
Steve Bruce
Stephen Roger "Steve" Bruce is an English football manager and former player. Born in Corbridge, Northumberland, he was a promising schoolboy footballer but was rejected by a number of professional clubs. He was on the verge of quitting the game altogether when he was offered a trial with Gillingham...
was captaining the side when Robson was absent.
Robson made just 14 league appearances during the 1992–93 season, which was the first season of the new Premier League. The club's regular central midfielders for this season were Paul Ince
Paul Ince
Paul Emerson Carlyle Ince is an English football manager and a former professional player. He has managed Blackburn Rovers, Milton Keynes Dons and Macclesfield Town...
(who had been at United since 1989) and Brian McClair
Brian McClair
Brian John McClair is a former Scottish international football player who played as a forward, notable for his near 11-year spell at Manchester United, as well as important tenures at Scottish clubs Celtic and Motherwell...
(who was shifted from the attacking positions following the late November arrival of Eric Cantona
Eric Cantona
Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona is a French actor and former French international footballer. He played for Auxerre, Martigues, Marseille, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nîmes and Leeds United before ending his professional footballing career at Manchester United, where he won four Premier League titles in...
), while his other favoured position on the right side of midfield was either occupied by Mike Phelan
Mike Phelan
Michael Christopher "Mike" Phelan , also known as Mick Phelan or Micky Phelan, is an English football coach, former player, and current assistant manager of Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson....
or the younger, wider-lying Andrei Kanchelskis
Andrei Kanchelskis
Andrei Antanasovich Kanchelskis is a Ukrainian-born Russian football manager and former association footballer who played as a right winger. Kanchelskis is the only player in history to have scored in each of the Glasgow, Merseyside and Manchester local derbies.Currently, he is managing FC...
and Lee Sharpe
Lee Sharpe
Lee Stuart Sharpe is an English former footballer. Predominantly a left winger, Sharpe joined Manchester United from Torquay United as a youngster in 1988, playing for the club up until 1996...
.
He scored on the final day of the season against Wimbledon
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
– it was his only senior goal of that campaign. By that game United were Premiership champions and Robson finally won the league championship medal that he had been trying to gain since his days at West Bromwich Albion some 15 years earlier. It was not just injuries that were restricting the 36-year-old Robson's first-team chances. Eric Cantona
Eric Cantona
Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona is a French actor and former French international footballer. He played for Auxerre, Martigues, Marseille, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nîmes and Leeds United before ending his professional footballing career at Manchester United, where he won four Premier League titles in...
had been signed during the 1992–93 campaign and played up front with Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes, OBE , is a former Welsh international footballer. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals....
, while Hughes's former strike-partner Brian McClair
Brian McClair
Brian John McClair is a former Scottish international football player who played as a forward, notable for his near 11-year spell at Manchester United, as well as important tenures at Scottish clubs Celtic and Motherwell...
had been converted into a midfielder. This counted against Robson and the biggest blow came in the summer of 1993 when United signed Nottingham Forest's Roy Keane
Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland....
.
With the introduction of squad numbers for the 1993–94 Premier League, Robson was issued with the number 12 shirt, while the number 7 shirt that he had worn in virtually every game of his career went to Eric Cantona
Eric Cantona
Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona is a French actor and former French international footballer. He played for Auxerre, Martigues, Marseille, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nîmes and Leeds United before ending his professional footballing career at Manchester United, where he won four Premier League titles in...
instead.
But Robson was still able to make enough appearances for another Premiership champions medal in 1993–94, and scored one of their four goals in the FA Cup semi-final replay victory over Oldham
Oldham Athletic A.F.C.
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...
at Maine Road
Maine Road
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England that was home to Manchester City F.C. from its construction in 1923 until 2003...
. Unfortunately, he was dropped from the squad for the FA Cup final, a decision which manager Alex Ferguson later admitted was one of the hardest of his career. His very last appearance in a United shirt came on the last day of the season, 8 May 1994, when United drew 0–0 at home with Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
. He had played 461 times for them in all competitions, scoring 99 goals, and was widely regarded as one of their finest players ever. The last of his goals had come in the FA Cup semi-final replay against Oldham. In the league, his final goal had come on the opening day of the 1993–94 season (15 August 1993) in a 2–0 win over Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
at Carrow Road
Carrow Road
Carrow Road is a football stadium in Norwich, England, and is the home of Norwich City Football Club. The stadium is located toward the easterly end of the city, not far from Norwich railway station and the River Wensum....
. He had also scored a European Cup goal that season, in the second round first leg tie against Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
champions Galatasaray
Galatasaray
Galatasaray Spor Kulübü is a Turkish sports club based in Istanbul, most notable for its football section, also known as Galatasaray S.K.. It also fields teams in Athletics, Basketball, Wheelchair basketball, Volleyball, Water polo, Swimming, Rowing, Sailing, Judo, Bridge, Equestrian, Handball,...
in a 3–3 draw at Old Trafford.
Middlesbrough
Robson's 13-year spell at Manchester United came to an end after nearly 500 appearances and 99 goals in May 1994 when he accepted the role of player-manager at MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
. From 1994 to 1996 he combined the role with that of England assistant manager (under Terry Venables
Terry Venables
Terence Frederick "Terry" Venables , often referred to as "El Tel", is a former football player and manager, as well as being a media pundit. During the 1960s and 70s, he played for various clubs including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers, and gained two caps for England...
), and was linked with the manager's job when Venables announced his intention to quit after Euro 96, only to rule himself out of the running due to his limited experience. He was not included in new manager Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle is an English former footballer and manager who played as an attacking midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, AS Monaco, Chelsea and Swindon Town and at international level for England....
's coaching staff.
Robson played his final game as a player on 1 January 1997, in a Premier League game against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
at Highbury
Arsenal Stadium
Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006...
10 days before his 40th birthday.
International playing career
In the summer of 1975 Robson was called up to the England youth team for the "mini World Cup". He played as a centre-half during the tournament, which England won, beating Finland 1–0 in the final. He was selected for the England Under-21sEngland national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
for the first time in March 1977, but was withdrawn from the squad by his club West Bromwich Albion, who needed him for a league match against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Albion drew 2–2, with Robson scoring one of the goals. On 6 February 1979 he finally made his England under-21 debut, albeit as an overage player (he was 22 at the time) as England beat Wales Under-21s
Wales national under-21 football team
The Wales national under-21 football team, also known as the Wales U21s, is the national under-21 football team of Wales and is controlled by the Football Association of Wales. The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years...
1–0 at Swansea's Vetch Field
Vetch Field
The Vetch Field was a multi-purpose stadium in Swansea, Wales. It was used mostly for football matches and was the home ground of Swansea City until the Liberty Stadium opened in 2005. Opened in 1912, the ground held around 12,000 at the time of its closure, but upwards of 30,000 at its peak...
. He made his
England B
England B national football team
England B is a secondary football team run occasionally as support for the England national football team. At times they have played other nations' full teams; they have also played matches against 'B' teams from other football associations...
debut on 12 June 1979, and scored after just five minutes to give England a 1–0 lead against Austria B in Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt
-Name:Carinthia's eminent linguists Primus Lessiak and Eberhard Kranzmayer assumed that the city's name, which literally translates as "ford of lament" or "ford of complaints", had something to do with the superstitious thought that fateful fairies or demons tend to live around treacherous waters...
, although the match was abandoned after 60 minutes. He appeared three times for England B in all, captaining the side on his third and final appearance as England drew 0–0 with Algeria's A team in Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
on 11 December 1990.
On 6 February 1980 Robson made his full international debut, and his first appearance at Wembley, as England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
beat the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
2–0 in a qualifier for that summer's European Championships. His second cap came in the final preparation game for the finals—a 2–1 win over Australia in Sydney—but he didn't feature in the tournament itself, from which England were eliminated in the first round. On 9 September 1981 he marked his 13th cap by scoring his first goal for England, in a 2–1 defeat to Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
in Oslo. The match is remembered mainly for Norwegian commentator Bjørge Lillelien
Bjørge Lillelien
Bjørge Lillelien was a Norwegian sports journalist and commentator.A commentator for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation from 1957 until just before his death from cancer in 1987, he commentated on many sports, but concentrated on winter sports and football.Lillelien was a popular and engaged...
's taunting of England following the final whistle.
England coach Ron Greenwood started to feature Robson regularly in his midfield, selecting him for the first dozen internationals after the European Championships finished, including all eight of the qualifying games for the 1982 World Cup in Spain, through which England earned a place in the finals. Robson was in the record books for 20 years thanks to a goal scored against France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
in England's opening game of the 1982 World Cup. It came after just 27 seconds of the match – the second-fastest in World Cup finals history until 2002 when Hakan Şükür
Hakan Sükür
Hakan Şükür is a retired Turkish footballer who played as a striker. He spent the majority of his professional career with Galatasaray, being a three-time Gol Kralı , representing the club in three different spells and winning a total of 14 major titles.Şükür represented Turkey a...
scored after ten seconds in the third-place match against South Korea. For Robson's achievement, he received an inscribed gold watch, which he still occasionally wears.
Robson captained England for the first time on 17 November 1982, leading the side to a 3–0 win over Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
in Salonika
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
. He scored a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
in England's 8–0 victory over Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...
in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
on 14 November 1984. Captain Marvel, as he was nicknamed, helped England qualify for the 1986 World Cup
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
in Mexico. By now he was considered by England manager Bobby Robson to be the best player in England. However his hopes of glory were crushed by re-aggravating an existing shoulder injury in England's second game of the group stages, against Morocco, which prevented him participating further in the tournament: ironically, the enforced change to England's formation benefited them, no longer having to protect an injured player, and – despite also losing vice-captain Ray Wilkins to a red card and subsequent ban – successive 3–0 victories resulted, until England's run finally came to an end with a 2–1 defeat against Argentina
Football in Argentina
Football in Argentina is the most popular sport, the one with the most players and is the most popular recreational sport, played from childhood into old age...
in the quarter final. The same shoulder injury was to trouble him for several weeks after the competition.
Over the next two years, Robson returned to the side to lead them through qualifying for the 1988 European Championship. He played personally well for England, particularly with a fine individual goal against eventual champions the Netherlands, but was unable to prevent them from going out in the first phase of the competition as England lost all three of their group games.
Robson continued his international career until 1991, also helping England to reach the 1990 World Cup. For the second World Cup in succession, though, his role was limited as he once again suffered an injury in the second match (against the Netherlands) that was to keep him out of the rest of the tournament. Even more ironically, for the second World Cup in succession, England's revamped formation played better without their captain, whose place in the team was taken by David Platt during the knock-out stages as England came fourth.
Robson claimed in his autobiography that in one of his last matches for England under Graham Taylor, he was played bizzarely on the left wing, even though he had never played there for club and no longer had the pace to get up and down the line at the age of 34.
Robson was picked by both Bobby Robson
Bobby Robson
Sir Robert William "Bobby" Robson, CBE was an English footballer and manager, who coached seven European clubs and the England national team during his career....
and Tony Adams
Tony Adams
Tony Adams may refer to:*Tony Adams , Welsh actor*Tony Adams , American football player*Tony Adams , Irish-born film and stage producer...
in their England dream teams, in their respective autobiographies of all the best players they had worked or played with. Adams claimed additionally that Robson had a "Terrific football brain" and had exceptional awareness and anticipation; often intercepting or knowing where the ball would land ahead of other players. Adams claimed this separated outstanding players from good players, and Robson would fit into the category of "The best". Paul Gascoigne stated in his 2004 book Gazza: My Story that Robson was the best footballer her ever shared a pitch with and the best player of his generation.
Middlesbrough
Robson made a dream start to his managerial career as Middlesbrough won the Division OneFootball League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
title and promotion to the Premier League in their final season at Ayresome Park before relocation to the new 30,000-seat Riverside Stadium
Riverside Stadium
The Riverside Stadium is a football stadium in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England, which has been the home of Middlesbrough F.C. since it opened in 1995...
on the banks of the River Tees
River Tees
The River Tees is in Northern England. It rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines, and flows eastwards for 85 miles to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar.-Geography:...
. He was assisted by Viv Anderson
Viv Anderson
Vivian Alexander "Viv" Anderson MBE is an English football player and coach, who played for clubs including Nottingham Forest, Arsenal, Manchester United and Sheffield Wednesday in the 1970s and 1980s...
, another former Manchester United player.
Middlesbrough made an ambitious return to the Premiership and attracted expensively-signed big names like Nick Barmby
Nick Barmby
Nicholas Jon "Nick" Barmby is an English footballer who plays for Hull City as a midfielder, where he is also caretaker manager. At his peak he earned a total of 23 caps for England between 1995 and 2001...
and the Brazilians Juninho
Juninho Paulista
Osvaldo Giroldo Júnior , better known as Juninho Paulista or simply Juninho, is a former Brazilian footballer...
and Branco. They went fourth in the Premiership in October 1995, sparking hopes of UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
qualification, but an injury crisis severely demoralised the side and they slid down the table to finish 12th.
In 1996–97, Robson led Boro to both domestic cup finals but they lost both, losing 1–0 in a replay to Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
in the League Cup Final
1997 Football League Cup Final
The 1997 Coca-Cola Cup Final was played between Middlesbrough and Leicester City. The first game at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, 6 April 1997 ended in a 1–1 draw after extra time. Fabrizio Ravanelli opened the scoring only for Leicester's Emile Heskey to equalise in the last minute of extra time...
and 2–0 in the FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final 1997
The 1997 FA Cup Final took place on 17 May 1997 at Wembley Stadium and was won by Chelsea with a 2–0 victory over Middlesbrough.Chelsea were attempting to win their first FA Cup final for 27 years, while Middlesbrough were contesting their first ever final...
to Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
, while they suffered relegation in the Premier League—which would have been avoided if they had not been deducted three points in mid-season for cancelling a fixture at late notice. However, at least Boro had the consolation of staying alive in the league up to the last day of the season. Boro were already bottom of the league at the turn of 1997, but when the points were deducted they found themselves seven points adrift of safety with the 17th placed team having a game in hand. However, results slowly improved over the next few weeks and by the end of March a succession of very good results had seen Boro climb out of the relegation zone. This, coupled with the excellent cup runs, saw Robson voted Premier League Manager of the Month for March 1997. Robson made one playing appearance this season on New Years Day, starting in a 2–0 defeat away to Arsenal. This proved to be his last game as a professional footballer.
Despite these setbacks the board kept faith in Robson and he repaid their loyalty with automatic promotion back to the Premiership in 1997–98. Again the club missed out on cup success at the final hurdle with a 2–0 defeat against Chelsea in the League Cup final
1998 Football League Cup Final
The 1998 Coca-Cola Cup Final was a football match played between Chelsea and Middlesbrough on 29 March 1998 at Wembley Stadium. Chelsea, under new manager Gianluca Vialli, won with two extra time goals and would go on to win the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup later that season...
.
In November 2000, he criticised his players following a string of poor results which had dragged them into a relegation battle. A month later Middlesbrough brought in Terry Venables
Terry Venables
Terence Frederick "Terry" Venables , often referred to as "El Tel", is a former football player and manager, as well as being a media pundit. During the 1960s and 70s, he played for various clubs including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers, and gained two caps for England...
as head coach to assist Robson, who remained as manager. Robson left the club "by mutual consent" in June 2001, having failed to bring the club higher than ninth in the league, or to bring them any silverware. His successor was Steve McClaren
Steve McClaren
Stephen "Steve" McClaren is an English football manager and former player.McClaren was previously manager of VfL Wolfsburg in Germany between May 2010 and February 2011, having left his post at Dutch side FC Twente, with whom he won the club's first Eredivisie championship in the 2009–10 season...
, the Manchester United assistant manager.
Bradford City
Following the resignation of Mick McCarthyMick McCarthy
Michael Joseph "Mick" McCarthy is an English-born former Irish international footballer who is currently the manager of Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he has been in charge since July 2006....
, Robson emerged in January 2003 as the bookmakers' favourite to become the new Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
manager, but the job went instead to Brian Kerr. In November 2003 Robson was set to become Nigeria
Nigeria national football team
The Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the Super Eagles or Green Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation . The team has ranked as high as 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, in April 1994...
's national coach, but the appointment was blocked by the Nigerian sports minister due to doubts that Robson's wage demands could be met. Later that month, Robson did make his football comeback—more than two years after leaving Middlesbrough—when he accepted the manager's job with Division One
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
strugglers Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
. Robson won his first game in charge as Bradford fought back from 2–0 down to beat Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
3–2. But he recorded just six more wins as Bradford took only 22 points from 27 games under Robson and were relegated in 23rd position. Robson's short-term contract was not renewed and he handed the reins over to his assistant Colin Todd
Colin Todd
Colin Todd is an English football manager and former player. As a player, he made more than 600 appearances in the Football League, playing for Sunderland, Derby County, Everton, Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest, Oxford United and Luton Town, and also played in the North American Soccer League...
.
West Bromwich Albion
Robson's third management job began on 9 November 2004, when he agreed to return to his old club West Bromwich AlbionWest Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
as manager – 23 years after his departure as a player. His first match in charge ended in a 2–1 home defeat to his former club Middlesbrough. A 4–0 loss away to local rivals Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
on 18 December meant that Albion were bottom of the Premiership on Christmas Day, a position from which no team had previously escaped relegation from the Premiership. Robson was the subject of derisory chants from Albion supporters during the game. The team were also bottom going into the last game of the season. However Robson and his players defied all the odds to stay up thanks to a 2–0 home win over Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
on the final day of the season, coupled with favourable results from elsewhere. Despite some significant new signings in the 2005 close season, his team failed to build on this achievement in 2005–06 though, and Albion were relegated with two matches left to play. They had failed to win any of their final 13 Premier League games. Robson left the club "by mutual consent" on 18 September 2006, following a disappointing start to the season with The Baggies in 9th place in the Coca Cola Championship with only three wins from their first eight games.
After his departure from West Brom, Robson spent eight months out of the game. He was interested in becoming the England under-21
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
team's full-time manager, but the job went instead to Stuart Pearce
Stuart Pearce
Stuart Pearce OBE is an English football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of the England national under-21 team and the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic football team...
on a part-time basis.
Sheffield United
On 22 May 2007 it was announced at a press conference that Robson and Brian KiddBrian Kidd
Brian Kidd is an English football coach and former player, who is currently Assistant Manager to Roberto Mancini at Manchester City....
would be the new choice of management at Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
following the resignation of legendary manager Neil Warnock
Neil Warnock
Neil Warnock is an English former footballer who is currently manager of English Premier League club Queens Park Rangers....
. His first match in charge was a home match against Colchester United
Colchester United F.C.
Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
on 11 August in a 2–2 draw. His first win was three days later in a 3–1 win against Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
in the Carling Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
. United subsequently collected nine points in their first 10 league matches
English football league system
The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for association football clubs in England, with six teams from Wales also competing...
, leaving the Blades in 20th place in the Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
and prompting Robson to comment about the situation. After a string of inconsistent results and a 2–0 derby
Steel City derby
The Steel City Derby is a local derby that takes place between Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday, the two professional football league teams based in the city of Sheffield, England...
defeat to Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
, Robson publicly stated that he had lost patience with his players.
Following calls for Robson's resignation, Sheffield United chairman Kevin McCabe gave Robson his public backing and called for patience and unity.
Robson has since expressed his disappointment at not having the funds he was expecting to help rebuild the team.
After the 0–0 draw at home to Scunthorpe United on 9 February 2008 Robson came under increasing pressure from fans urging the board to sack the manager.
Consequently, Robson was summoned to a meeting in Brussels on 13 February 2008 with club PLC Chairman, Kevin McCabe as the club considered its response to the scenes which followed Saturday's draw with Scunthorpe.
In an interview with BBC Radio Sheffield
BBC Radio Sheffield
BBC Radio Sheffield is the BBC Local Radio service for English metropolitan county of South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire. This includes the city of Sheffield, plus Doncaster, Barnsley, Rotherham, Chesterfield and surrounding areas. It was the BBC local radio station, beginning on 15 November 1967...
Robson stated that his team could have won the match with Scunthorpe if they had better support from the fans. After his meeting with McCabe on 14 February he was "relieved of his first-team duties" before later in the day leaving Sheffield United after turning down another role with the club.
Return to Manchester United
In March 2008, 14 years after he had last played for them, Robson returned to Manchester United to work as an ambassador, for an initial period of 12 months. He works alongside Bobby CharltonBobby Charlton
Sir Robert "Bobby" Charlton CBE is an English former professional football player, a member of the England team who won the World Cup and Ballon d'Or for European Footballer of the Year in 1966...
to help United 'promote its commercial and charitable aims'.
Thailand national team
On 23 September 2009, Robson agreed to become coach of Thailand national teamThailand national football team
The Thailand national football team represents Thailand in international football competition and is governed by the Football Association of Thailand. The team has a history of success in Southeast Asian competition, with three ASEAN Football Championship titles and nine senior-level Southeast...
in his first foray into international football management. He was contracted to manage the team through to the 2014 World Cup
2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup, an international association football tournament that will take place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014....
. On 14 November 2009, Robson celebrated his first competitive match in charge of the team with a 3–1 away victory against Singapore
Singapore national football team
The Singapore national football team is the national association football team of Singapore. The team comes under the organization of the Football Association of Singapore...
in a 2011 Asian Cup qualifying group match. On 18 November 2009, Robson then suffered his first loss – a 1–0 defeat against Singapore
Singapore national football team
The Singapore national football team is the national association football team of Singapore. The team comes under the organization of the Football Association of Singapore...
on home soil. In January 2010, this was followed by two goalless draws with Jordan
Jordan national football team
The Jordan national football team is the national team of Jordan and is controlled by the Jordan Football Association...
and Iran
Iran national football team
The national football team of Iran represents Iran in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran...
during 2011 Asian Cup qualifying. On 3 March 2010, Robson's Thailand
Thailand national football team
The Thailand national football team represents Thailand in international football competition and is governed by the Football Association of Thailand. The team has a history of success in Southeast Asian competition, with three ASEAN Football Championship titles and nine senior-level Southeast...
suffered a 1–0 defeat by the hands of Iran
Iran national football team
The national football team of Iran represents Iran in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran...
in Tehran
Azadi Stadium
The Azadi Stadium formerly Aryamehr Stadium is Iran's national stadium and the largest in the country. The Azadi stadium officially has a capacity of 100,000 people and was built to host the 1974 Asian Games...
in their final Group E game, effectively ending their hopes of qualifying for 2011 Asian Cup. On 11 August 2010, Robson led Thailand to another victory against Singapore with a score of 1–0 on home soil. In September 2010, Robson overcame Bob Houghton's India in a friendly with a score of 2–1 away from home. In December 2010, Robson failed to bring Thailand past the Group A of the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup
2010 AFF Suzuki Cup
The 2010 AFF Cup, sponsored by Suzuki and officially named the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup, took place on December 1–29, 2010. Indonesia and Vietnam hosted the preliminary stage from 1 to 7 December for Group A and 2 to 8 December for Group B. The semi-finals were played home and away with the first legs...
after managing only 2 draws against Laos
Laos national football team
The Laos national football team is the national team of Laos and is controlled by the Lao Football Federation. A member of the AFC, Laos has developed regional rivalries with Thailand and Burma.-History:...
and Malaysia
Malaysia national football team
The Malaysian national football team nicknamed Harimau Malaya, as the Malayan Tiger, is the national team of Malaysia and is controlled by the Football Association of Malaysia...
and losing to Indonesia
Indonesia national football team
The Indonesia national football team represents Indonesia in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Indonesia . Prior to independence in 1945, the team competed as the Dutch East Indies national football team. Under this name, Indonesia was the first Asian team to...
. He resigned as manager on 8 June 2011.
Career statistics
|-|1974–75||rowspan="8"|West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
||rowspan="2"|Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
||3||2||||||||
|-
|1975–76||16||1||||||||
|-
|1976–77||rowspan="6"|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||23||8||||||||
|-
|1977–78||35||3||||||||
|-
|1978–79||41||7||||||||
|-
|1979–80||35||9||||||||
|-
|1980–81||40||10||||||||
|-
|1981–82||5||0||||||||
|-
|1981–82||rowspan="13"|Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
||rowspan="11"|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||32||5||||||||
|-
|1982–83||33||10||||||||
|-
|1983–84||33||12||||||||
|-
|1984–85||33||9||||||||
|-
|1985–86||21||7||||||||
|-
|1986–87||30||7||||||||
|-
|1987–88||36||11||||||||
|-
|1988–89||34||4||||||||
|-
|1989–90||20||2||||||||
|-
|1990–91||17||1||||||||
|-
|1991–92||27||4||||||||
|-
|1992–93||rowspan="2"|Premier League||14||1||||||||
|-
|1993–94||15||1||||||||
|-
|1994–95||rowspan="3"|Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
||First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||25||1||||||||
|-
|1995–96||Premier League||38||−1||||||||
|-
|1996–97||Premier League||1||1||||||||
568||115||||||||
568||115||||||||
Last app v Arsenal
Managerial stats
- Includes all competitive games. Updated 6 January 2010.
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
| Middlesbrough Middlesbrough F.C. Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889... |
 |
August 1994 | June 2001 |
|||||
| Bradford City Bradford City A.F.C. Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two.... |
|
24 November 2003 | 17 June 2004 |
|||||
| West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion F.C. West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands... |
|
9 November 2004 | 18 September 2006 |
|||||
| Sheffield United Sheffield United F.C. Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production... |
|
22 May 2007 | 14 February 2008 |
|||||
| Thailand Thailand national football team The Thailand national football team represents Thailand in international football competition and is governed by the Football Association of Thailand. The team has a history of success in Southeast Asian competition, with three ASEAN Football Championship titles and nine senior-level Southeast... |
 |
23 September 2009 | 8 June 2011 |
|||||
Manchester United
- Premier League (2): 1992–93, 1993–94
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
(3): 1982–831983 FA Cup FinalThe 1983 FA Cup Final was contested by Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion at Wembley Stadium.Manchester United were the favourites, as Brighton had been relegated from the First Division that season...
, 1984–851985 FA Cup FinalThe 1985 FA Cup Final was contested by Manchester United and holders Everton at Wembley Stadium. United won by a single goal, scored in extra time by Norman Whiteside....
, 1989–901990 FA Cup FinalThe 1990 FA Cup Final was a football match contested by Manchester United and Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium, London, England. The match finished 3–3 after extra time. Bryan Robson and Mark Hughes scored for United; Gary O'Reilly and Ian Wright for Palace... - Football League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
(1): 1991–921992 Football League Cup FinalThe 1992 Football League Cup Final took place at Wembley Stadium, and was played between Manchester United and Nottingham Forest.Manchester United won 1–0 in what was their first League cup win... - FA Charity ShieldFA Community ShieldThe Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
(3): 19831983 FA Charity ShieldThe 1983 FA Charity Shield was the 61st FA Charity Shield, an annual football match played between the winners of the previous season's First Division and FA Cup competitions. The match was played on 20 August 1983 at Wembley Stadium and contested by Liverpool, who had won the 1982–83 First...
, 19901990 FA Charity ShieldThe 1990 FA Charity Shield was the 68th Charity Shield, a football match contested by the winners of the previous season's Football League and FA Cup competitions. The match was played on 18 August 1990 between 1989–90 Football League champions Liverpool and 1989–90 FA Cup winners...
, 19931993 FA Charity ShieldThe 1993 FA Charity Shield was the 71st FA Charity Shield, an annual football match played between the winners of the previous season's Premier League and FA Cup competitions. The match was played on 7 August 1993 at Wembley Stadium and contested by Manchester United, who had won the 1992–93... - UEFA Cup Winners' CupUEFA Cup Winners' CupThe UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
(1): 1990–91 - UEFA Super Cup (1): 1991
Middlesbrough
- Football League First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
(1): 1994–95
Personal honours
Robson was awarded the OBEOrder of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in the January 1990 New Year's Honours. In 1998, he was named among the list of Football League 100 Legends
Football League 100 Legends
The Football League 100 Legends is a list of 100 great association football players who played part or all of their professional career in English Premier season of League football...
, and was made an Inaugural Inductee of the English Football Hall of Fame
English Football Hall of Fame
The English Football Hall of Fame is housed at the National Football Museum, currently being relocated to Manchester, England. The Hall aims to celebrate and highlight the achievements of the all-time top English footballing talents, as well as non-English players and managers who have become...
in 2002 in recognition of his impact on the English game as a player. He was named as one of West Bromwich Albion's 16 greatest players, in a 2004 poll organised as part of the club's 125th anniversary celebrations.
Personal life
Robson married Denise Brindley on 2 June 1979. The couple have three children: Claire (born 17 September 1980), Charlotte (born 17 June 1982), and Ben (born 2 September 1988). In 2000 he was exposed as having an affair with Sky SportsSky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
reporter Clare Tomlinson
Clare Tomlinson
Clare Louise Tomlinson is an anchorwoman for the British satellite broadcast sports network Sky Sports.-Public relations career:In the early 1990s, Tomlinson worked at the Football Association as a media officer...
.
Illness
On 16 March 2011, it was revealed that Robson had undergone surgery in Bangkok on 3 March 2011 for throat cancer.Other activities
As a player, Robson endorsed products by adidasAdidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
, and later New Balance
New Balance
New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. , best known as simply New Balance, is a footwear manufacturer based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America. It was founded in 1906 as the New Balance Arch Support Company...
football boots, as well as owning a stake in the Birthdays
Birthdays (retailer)
Birthdays is a British High Street greeting cards retailer. From its beginning in 1966, Ron Wood Greeting Cards operated as a wholesaler of greeting cards and gift wrap in Bury, Greater Manchester. In the mid 1970s three card shops were opened and soon the number had increased to thirty...
greeting card chain. He was the subject of the television programme This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life (UK TV series)
This Is Your Life is a British biographical television documentary, based on the 1952 American show of the same name. It was hosted by Eamonn Andrews from 1955 until 1964, and then from 1969 until his death in 1987 aged 64...
in the edition aired on 23 January 1985, at just 12 days after his 28th birthday he was one of the show's youngest ever special guests. Robson has appeared in a number of advertisements, including an appearance in Carlsberg's 2006 "Best Pub Side" television commercial, where he starred alongside other former England players. In 2007, he formed a specialist sports company, Robson Lloyd Consultancy Ltd, with an aim to build community sports academies with long-lasting benefits for small Football clubs. His autobiography, entitled Robbo: My Autobiography was released in May 2006.
In March 2010, The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
published an article claiming that retired England footballer Steve McMahon
Steve McMahon
Stephen Joseph McMahon is an English former football midfielder who most notably played for Liverpool in the late 1980s...
and Robson had used their celebrity status to encourage investors to purchase Green belt land plots in Hounslow with a very limited chance of return.
On 18 July 2011, on an episode of the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
television programme Dispatches
Dispatches (TV series)
Dispatches is the British television current affairs documentary series on Channel 4, first transmitted in 1987. The programme covers issues about British society, politics, health, religion, international current affairs and the environment, usually featuring a mole in an organisation.-Awards:*...
entitled "How to Buy a Football Club", Robson was secretly filmed by reporters during an undercover investigation. In the film, Robson describes how the reporters – who posed as businessmen – could break the strict Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
rules that prevent individuals and/or groups from owning multiple football clubs. He also lists a number of clubs he considers as prime targets for take over.