Sir Bobby Robson, RIP

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/8177945.stm

Fuck.

I mean, it's hardly unexpected, I guess, but still.

Still the best England manager of my lifetime, RIP.

rip.

Journalist: "So Shola, do you have a nickname at the club?"
Ameobi: "Not really no."
Journalist: "What do the lads call you?"
Ameobi: "Shola."
Journalist: "What does Bobby Robson call you?"
Ameobi: "Carl Cort."

Still the only thing ever associated with Newcastle I didn't hate, RIP.

Damn., damn, damn. Not unexpected but still...

Met him once at a book signing, tried to take a photo of him with my son but my camera packed in and he got extremely impatient and snappy very quickly. Then I realised that he must have been terrifying to a lot of his players despite his gentle, avuncular persona. Got a picture in the end but my face was burning at the time.

Best manager that Ipswich ever had amirite?

That massive thumping sound you just heard is Gazza falling off the wagon.

All the players ate together at a buffet every day.
Bobby was getting horrendous stick in the press after the team lost to no-hopers Portugal and then drew 0-0 with whipping boys Morocco. He was paranoid about sabotage.
Anyway, in 86 a popular song was "the heat is on" and it became an anthem for Terry Butcher and Chris waddle. In Mexico it was searingly hot all the time.
So Butch and waddle are in the queue waiting to be served and bobby is ahead of them. They start singing quietly under their breath "the heat is on".
Bobby runs over to the radiators shouting "the heaters are on, the heaters are on!".

RIP Bobby

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

Whenever I made prank calls as a kid, I always used his name. RIP

I think I've told this story on ILX before, but anyway.

A friend of a friend went to a book signing of BR's. Queued for a long time -- it was a big queue. When he got to the front he was chatting with Bobby while he signed the book. "You must have signed a few of these today, Sir Bobby?!" "Oh yeah, thousands and thousands". Transaction complete friend of friend left the bookshop and looked in the inside cover to see what Bobby had written: "All the best, Bobby Thousands".

That story was on Holy Moly about an hour ago.

For what it's worth, it's true.

I have definitely posted it here before, which means it must be true.

Anyway, RIP big man.

Great man. RIP.

Thanks for the good times. '78 FA cup.

He looked in a *really* bad way at that charity England v Germany match last weekend, but it's still a bit of a shock that he's died so soon afterwards.

I feel that as an England manager he was lucky more than good. But a great club manager, and (mostly) a stand-up guy. RIP

Great, charming man. RIP

(he's not forgotten abroad as well. PSV has arranged a minute of silence before their league game tomorrow)

uncle sir bobby rip

A real good guy and one of the last links to a different era. He copped some of the worst media abuse ever as England manager but always carried himself incredibly well. RIP

Yeah, always remember the clip from Euro '88 when he's walking through an airport hounded by the press pack and there's one gu overweight, sweaty guy in an ill fitting beige polyester suit who's pestering him with a shit eating grin. I think if he'd lamped him no one would have minded.

Full marks to the Sunderland fans at the Celtic game yesterday ending the game singing "there's only one Bobby Robson". He did strike me as one of the guys that could transcend rivalries, I've never really heard anyone say anything bad about him. Also, yeah, one of the last of the old school. RIP.

To Sir Bobby from Daft as a Brush

When I was 12 I met a man called Bobby,
It was in Ipswich in a lobby,
At first I seen him he just smiled with such glee,
I knew he was the man for me,
He was a great man,
Even better than Peter Pan,
He looked after me for so many years,
He was like a tree with the fruit of the pears,
I know he's above,
And I'll always be his son like the feathers of a dove,
He has now passed away,
But every night I say a little pray,
For the great man Sir Bobby he will be missed,
I've kept okay and hope not to get p****d
I will never forget you for as long as I live,
You gave me a chance,
I started to bounce,
There are no rules for loving and sharing,
But hearts beat faster when someone is caring.

Love Gazza