bobby robson

Britain Football Soccer – Ipswich Town v Newcastle United – Sky Bet Championship – Portman Road – 17/4/17 A statue of Sir Bobby Robson outside the stadium before the match Mandatory Credit: Action Images / John Sibley Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

Netflix watchlist: Bobby Robson – More Than A Manager

If you’re looking for something to watch on Netflix this weekend, we’ve got a suggestion.

bobby robson

Britain Football Soccer – Ipswich Town v Newcastle United – Sky Bet Championship – Portman Road – 17/4/17 A statue of Sir Bobby Robson outside the stadium before the match Mandatory Credit: Action Images / John Sibley Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

With additional reporting from AFP.

The documentary film Bobby Robson – More Than A Manager is a must see for football fans of any affiliation and offers a unique insight into what made the former England and Barcelona manager tick.

The film uses archive footage as well as fresh interviews with players and support staff who worked with Robson during his storied career as a manager.

It tracks Robson’s rise alongside Ipswich Town where he ran the football club with methods that were ahead of their time.

Robson inspired the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho, who was his deputy during his stint at Barcelona. 

The documentary tells how Robson shaped the careers of superstars at Barcelona after his early days working miracles on a shoe-string budget at Ipswich Town.

The film doesn’t introduce any new information but it a a charming portait of one of the most influential managers in English football history.

His time as England manager would end in a flood of Paul Gascoigne’s tears in Italia but he remains one of the most fondly remembered figures to have helmed the national team and is considered the country’s first modern manager.

The archive footage cut together with interviews of players remembrances conjure a time past and chronicles a change in the way the game was directed.

Watch: Bobby Robson – More than a manager trailer

Bobby Robson’s legacy

As a youngster, Robson, born in County Durham, fell in love with football as he travelled with his father Philip and brother Ronnie 20 miles on the bus to watch the Newcastle team of the 1940s, which included the great Jackie Milburn.

Robson, whose father was a miner, had started to learn the same trade when he avoided a career underground by signing for Fulham, aged 17.

Through the 1950s and early 1960s he was a top midfielder with the London club and with West Bromwich Albion.

Robson was the first player to negotiate an image rights deal and was paid a fee of three guineas for his photo to appear on cigarette cards.

He won 20 England caps, and took part in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.

His first managerial role came at Fulham, but he made his name during a successful reign at Ipswich from 1969 to 1982.

Under Robson‘s astute leadership, Ipswich – an unheralded provincial club – became one of the most feared teams in England and their boss earned a reputation as one of the gentleman of British sport.

Ipswich won the FA Cup in 1978, beating Arsenal 1-0 in the final, and enjoyed European glory for the first time in 1981 with victory over Dutch side AZ 67 Alkmaar in the UEFA Cup final.

A year later Robson was appointed England coach and, after missing out on qualification for the 1984 European Championships, he took England to the quarter-finals of the World Cup in 1986.

England’s run in Mexico ended in controversial circumstances when Diego Maradona’s infamous ‘hand of god’ goal and a brilliant solo effort handed Robson‘s team a 2-1 defeat.

“It wasn’t the hand of God, it was the hand of a rascal,” Robson said.

By the time England reached the 1990 World Cup in Italy, Robson had grown tired of the pressures of the job and revealed he would leave to take charge at PSV after the tournament.

He almost went out on a high as England, inspired by a young Paul Gascoigne, reached the last four for the first time since winning the competition in 1966.

A heart-breaking penalty shoot-out defeat to West Germany ended Robson‘s England reign, but he was to enjoy more success for the rest of his career.

With his reputation restored, Robson won the Dutch league twice with PSV, then went on to Sporting Lisbon and Porto in Portugal, where he won more championships.

A move to Barcelona in 1996 was perhaps the biggest job in his club career, and he led them to Spanish Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup success in Europe before he briefly became general manager.

In 1999 he made a romantic return to Newcastle at the age of 66 but was unable to end the club’s long wait for silverware.

Robson was knighted in 2002 but two years later Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd sacked him despite a fifth place finish in the Premier League the previous season.

His last job in football came in 2006 when he was a consultant to the rookie Republic of Ireland boss Steve Staunton.