A very sad day for football but also a chance to celebrate the great man's life. It was very fitting that he got to attend the match last Sunday for his cancer foundation which underlined how he had selflessly devoted himself to fundraising and cancer awareness over recent years when he knew his life was ending.
I've a few family connections in Newcastle so always had a soft spot for the Toon Army. When you compare Robson's record there between 1999 and 2004 it stands up to any other managerial record in recent years (apart from Ferguson, Wenger and Mourinho). He was also one of the few English managers who took up the challenge of managing abroad with a great deal of success and the list of players he has worked with is staggering (Romario, Ronaldo, Figo etc).
While the Staunton regime was a miserable time for all of us I am glad that we got the all too brief opportunity to have someone like Robson within the FAI. I think that ultimately the decision to hire Trapattoni may have been influenced to some extent by the realisation of what an experienced grey-haired manager could offer.
Bobby was an old school football man and there are precious few of them left.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.
