Blues boss Mick McCarthy has paid tribute to his legendary predecessor Sir Bobby Robson, hailing him as a “great football man” and a “kind, humble human being”. Town have designated today Sir Bobby Robson Day with the Blues facing Newcastle United, the club he supported and his last club as a manager, at Portman Road this afternoon.

“He was such a great football man,” said McCarthy, pictured above receiving the 2005 Championship Manager of the Year award from Robson.

“I knew him, I managed against him, I actually played against his teams, I played against his team in the 1988 European Championship and the 1990 World Cup.

“I got to know him really well when I was playing golf in his charity golf day in Portugal for the Refugio Aboim Ascensão and he was so selfless at that.

“Even when he was struggling with his cancer, he was still there, still there in the morning, still there in the evening, went to the dinner, did all the stuff.

“A great character and I just saw what a kind, humble human being he was there and a real force of nature really. He kept doing it and raising money for a charity when he was struggling himself.”

He added: “He was such a great character. I think about Bobby and you’re asking me about me [getting flak from fans] here now, well he got vilified at times as well.

“If Sir Bobby Robson gets vilified and abused and Arsene Wenger can, why the hell should I worry about me getting a few saucy comments made to me?

“It’s just incredible. And now there’s not a bad word would ever be said about him. Maybe we should all say the good things about them when they’re alive and not wait until they’re sadly gone."

Would Robson be a success in management in this day and age? “Managers adapt over a period of time because they have to adapt, we all have to adapt to different things, and he did, he evolved.

McCarthy v Robson with Sunderland and Newcastle in 2003 at the Stadium of Light, the Magpies won 1-0

“He innovated how his teams played, so do you not think he’d be more than bright enough to pick up anything that’s new?

“And it hasn’t changed that much. All this about this ‘gegenpressing’, that’s getting the ball back, like they’ve always done.

“This passing that they’re all doing, I remember talking to Kenny Dalglish once and he said ‘What’s all this about possession football? We used to pass it to each other 30 years ago’.

“It hasn’t changed that much, some of the terminology’s changed and probably the fitness has changed and the routines and the health and strength and conditioning’s changed without a doubt, and maybe the way it’s played here because it’s not 4-4-2 all the time, there are different shapes and different systems, I get that.

“But the principle is still the same and Bobby Robson was a helluva bright man, a great football man and I think he’d be more than able to hold his own in terms of managing teams now.

“He was a great coach and that’s what he’s known as but he was also a great manager, he got the best out of people. That’s the other skill. Coaching’s one thing, managing’s another thing altogether.”

Has Robson’s remarkable success at Town made it tougher for his successors at Portman Road? “It always does. I remember Howard Wilkinson going into Leeds and he was following Don Revie and his great Leeds team after a lot of other managers.

“I was told a story that he took all the pictures down of Bremner, Charlton, Clarke, Hunter and Reaney and put pictures up that were relevant to his team because you can’t keep living in the past.

“And, of course, he ended up winning the league. They haven’t won it since, of course, they might have to take those down now.

“But I don’t think about it, it’s not making it harder for me. And, do you know what, most of the fans that come and chant his name, I wonder how many people watched him, watched his team.

“But it’s history and it’s a great history to have and it’s one that we should never forget. I remember it, I remember Ipswich with Bobby Robson, I remember playing here and he had some great teams.”

Photo: Action Images

battyblue added 06:17 - Apr 17 Just the opposite to you them McCarthy.
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blue75 added 06:24 - Apr 17 Had to make it about us and you didn't yer!!
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Penguinblue added 06:46 - Apr 17 unlike you
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Marcus added 06:49 - Apr 17 I'm someone who has generally supported Mick. I consider him an excellent manager who is just a mismatch for Town's way of playing football and someone who is struggling to build a team with the limited resources he's been offered. However, I feel he's really wide of the mark at the moment. He thinks supporters only care about results but it's also the performance. A blood and guys entertaining defeat is better than a ground out draw. We need to both perform and achieve for everyone to be happy but he thinks that grinding draws and snatching the occasional win is enough to keep people happy - he's very wrong. Sadly he will be remembered as the person who steadied a sinking ship but not the person who sailed forwards. However the next manager will be remembered as a [great success/abject failure - delete as appropriate]. I'm worried about replacing Mick as we lack the resources for a new manager to construct a competitive team. Success and entertainment are lacking at the moment. We've gone as stale as we've EVER been. It's time for change for so many reasons but not because Mick in incompetent, but because we desperately need fresh ideas. Sir Bobby has always been remembered as a great and was a respected manager for the majority of his time at Town. Yes, he had to EARN respect after a couple of wobbly seasons but he did exactly that. Mick hasn't really done that, he was considered an emergency recruitment - a necessary evil after two very poor appointments, I think he will be remembered positively for that at least.

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jas0999 added 07:25 - Apr 17 Couldn't resist a dig at the fans even when talking about Sir Bobby. Let's enjoy today, but this club is currently in one heck of a mess. Sad.
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Carberry added 07:34 - Apr 17 This isn't the time or the place to talk about you Mick. You are infatuated with yourself. Show some of the humility that Sir Bobby had in abundance and you sadly lack.
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bluemike1969 added 08:04 - Apr 17 Pal, your not in the same league as Sir Bob, you don't and never will be anywhere close to him. He was everything your not and you never will be! He was and always will be Mr Ipswich and loved by all of us who have supported the blues with him in command and beyond. Today is not about YOU. Today we honour and remember the late great Sir Bobby Robson and everything he did for this once great club. You wonder why you are not liked? You are self centred, full of your own self importance and the only person that thinks you are doing a good job is you! Hardly a fan club is it? Thank you Bobby for all the good times, Thank you for doing everything you did for our club and God bless you. Keep sleeping well xxx

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muccletonjoe added 08:06 - Apr 17 I watched Bobby Robsons teams. But obviously there will be many there today who did not because they are too young. Why mm should think this would make it inapropriate for those people to pay their respects i do not know. Once again he opens his trap when he should keep it shut.
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Woodbridgian added 08:15 - Apr 17 a “great football man” and a “kind, humble human being”. Yes he was and everything your not MM. To use this article to be once again critical of the fans is disingenuous! But the fans will always win in the end and there will never be a Mick McCarthy day or a MM statue at PR.
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Bob7881 added 08:37 - Apr 17 Poor Comments from Michael McCarthy no class at all. Please Mr Evans cut your losses and sell the club. Sadly i will not attend today as i feel i cant give money to Evans i shall stay at home and watch clips of games from the time Sir Bobby was at the helm great memories. One favor i ask is please keep an eye out for that great ITFC man Sheepshanks see if he bothers to turn up in my humble opinion the architect of the downfall of ITFC.

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Bob7881 added 08:51 - Apr 17 Just one other thought i agree you cant live in the past Records are set to be broken and Achievements surpassed so i suggest Michael McCarthy you concentate on creating your own legacy. Sir Bobby raised the bar at ITFC im 100% sure he would love to see another manager raise it higher. As he always said ITFC was his baby he would only want the best for the club. If that is not motivation i dont know what is.

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cat added 08:54 - Apr 17 Getting stick from the fans when your doing crap is part and parcel of the game, you old sour DINO! He should know and except that better than anyone after 25 glorious years in management lol! whether your a TOP manager or one STRUGGLING near the foot of the Championship, it makes no odds. MM just loves that BUDGET CARD though, he plays this to his advantage when we were doing ok, on how wonderful I am...blah, blah, blah, then uses it as an excuse when we're crap. Playing football the right way don't cost money DINO, you just have to believe in it.

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blackcat added 09:02 - Apr 17 Of course he would be a success today, unlike you who would still be crap 30 years ago. Your not fit to lace Sir Bobby's boots
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RonFearonsHair added 09:31 - Apr 17 "Maybe we should all say the good things about them when they're alive and not wait until they're sadly gone." Like putting his statue up while he was still with us? Oh, wait...
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Dissboyitfc added 09:36 - Apr 17 CAT.....spot on, Football can still be achieved on a budget!
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shakytown added 09:43 - Apr 17 One major difference Muck his teams played football yours play cr.p.
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midastouch added 10:09 - Apr 17 If in doubt, MUCK IT OUT! :-)
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midastouch added 10:18 - Apr 17 Lincoln play football as we saw first hand, what sort of budget do they have in comparison to ours? Over to you Muck...
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MooseJuice added 10:20 - Apr 17 The fact that there are people on here who still down arrow comments like Cats' and Dissboys' absolutely baffle me! Not only is it just common knowledge that you don't need to spend millions to play an attacking, adventurous brand of football, but anyone who's actually been down to Portman Road over the last couple of seasons and seen the likes of Lincoln and Portsmouth play us off the park (twice each!!!) would know this first hand! The great man who we remember today was a shinning example of this. A born man-manager, an infectious personality and a positive attitude can get you to some high, high places! MM take note.

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cat added 10:21 - Apr 17 Lovely to see the "minus brigade" are out in force, I would feel fecking embarrassed if I downmarket posters without having the balls to explain why????. I guess this is a true flection what these types are all about!!! Gutless feckwits
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midastouch added 10:26 - Apr 17 How many Mick supporters does it take to change a light bulb? Hopefully not any more than 2 as that's about all he's got left! ;-)
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Bluetone added 10:30 - Apr 17 I started to count the number of "I"s in McCarthy's little thinly disguised ego booster but gave up far too many. The one and only thing McCarthy cares about that is himself. Bobby was all the things this Relict of the past isn't. If you list all Bobby's virtues you'd be hard pressed to find one that Dino possesses
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Lightningboy added 11:07 - Apr 17 Hopefully the only name that gets chanted today is SIr Bobbys - by fans of all ages whether they were lucky enough or not to see the great man in person. No Mick out chants - don't give him the satisfaction - save them for the next game.
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bluemike1969 added 11:12 - Apr 17 Totally agree Cat. Same ones marking me down once again. I have been following the town since 1975 so have seen the good and bad times. If anyone can honestly say a good thing about MM then please explain why my post was wrong. Even John Duncan had more of a clue than him and that's saying something. I notice one that keeps minusing me doesn't tend to post! Hmmmmm

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bluemike1969 added 11:14 - Apr 17 Cat....nice to see you get the same ones as me!!!
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