Please log in or register. Registered visitors get fewer ads.
Forum index | Previous Thread | Next thread
Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. 19:25 - May 31 with 3123 viewsMattinLondon

When the FA contacted Ipswich about Sir Bobby becoming the next England manager was it a forgone conclusion that he would leave? Or was there a chance that he would turn it down and stay at the club?
0
Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 19:47 - May 31 with 3048 viewsEpiphone

I think there was accepted inevibility about it,also in those days it was seen more as a badge of honour!
[Post edited 31 May 2020 22:08]
1
Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 20:04 - May 31 with 3000 viewsFtnfwest

It was the only job he would have left for, at least at that time, as he said himself
2
Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 20:07 - May 31 with 2988 viewsShawsey

His ultimate dream.
0
Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 20:20 - May 31 with 2961 viewsTrequartista

I think Patrick Cobbold offered him a 10 year contract to stay but as a fan it seemed pretty inevitable at the time.

Poll: Who do you blame for our failure to progress?

0
Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 21:13 - May 31 with 2879 viewsGlasgowBlue

We’d just finished runners up for the second year running and we were starting to sell our best players to pay for the Pioneer Stand.

Sir Bobby could see that we would struggle to continue punching above our weight. Had Clough been offered the England job Sir Bobby May well have gone to Barcelona or another big club who had tried to get him before.

Iron Lion Zion
Poll: Our best central defensive partnership?
Blog: [Blog] For the Sake of My Football Club, Please Go

1
Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 21:34 - May 31 with 2840 viewsPJH

Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 21:13 - May 31 by GlasgowBlue

We’d just finished runners up for the second year running and we were starting to sell our best players to pay for the Pioneer Stand.

Sir Bobby could see that we would struggle to continue punching above our weight. Had Clough been offered the England job Sir Bobby May well have gone to Barcelona or another big club who had tried to get him before.


I don't think we were actually punching above our weight at the time Glassers.
For the size of the club perhaps we were but you cannot really punch above your weight for a decade-for a season or two you can but not for ten.

We were, for a long period of time, one of the top four clubs in the Country and for some of that time one of the top two.
1
Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 21:40 - May 31 with 2817 viewsPJH

According to TMWMTT the approach for Bobby Robson was not made until after the 1982 World Cup,which ended on 11th July and he officially took up the post on 1st September.

The last sentence in Bobby Robson's 'Time On The Grass' when he talks about turning down an approach from Sunderland in the summer of 1981 is a quote that Bobby attributes to Patrick Cobbold "The only way Bobby Robson will leave this club with our blessing is to become manager of England."
2
Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 21:46 - May 31 with 2806 viewsgainsboroughblue

Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 21:40 - May 31 by PJH

According to TMWMTT the approach for Bobby Robson was not made until after the 1982 World Cup,which ended on 11th July and he officially took up the post on 1st September.

The last sentence in Bobby Robson's 'Time On The Grass' when he talks about turning down an approach from Sunderland in the summer of 1981 is a quote that Bobby attributes to Patrick Cobbold "The only way Bobby Robson will leave this club with our blessing is to become manager of England."


Looking back, that seems an audacious move on Sunderland's part!

I'm guessing that was the summer Alan Durban joined them.

Poll: Favourite Norwich Relegation?

0
Login to get fewer ads

Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 21:50 - May 31 with 2786 viewsPJH

Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 21:46 - May 31 by gainsboroughblue

Looking back, that seems an audacious move on Sunderland's part!

I'm guessing that was the summer Alan Durban joined them.


Probably,it was replacing the sacked Ken Knighton and Frank Clark.

Leading up to the second leg of the UEFA Cup Final there was some suggestion that if we did not end up with the trophy Bobby Robson was getting a bit disillusioned so perhaps they thought they had a chance.

I wish we had one the title at least once under SBR.

edit-just checked and yes,Alan Durban went to Sunderland in summer 1981.
[Post edited 31 May 2020 21:52]
0
Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 22:16 - May 31 with 2728 viewsgtsb1966

The Sun absolutely hated Bobby Robson. They threw everything behind Graham Taylor. That turned out well. I wouldn't use that rag to wipe my @rse.
0
Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 22:46 - May 31 with 2669 viewsThe_Major

I'd agree with the Pioneer Stand theory. He probably saw the writing was on the wall and he knew it was going to be more difficult.

I think he might have given it one more crack. In 82/83 in the first Ferguson season we finished 9th. With Sir Bob in charge, we might have turned that into top six again, and had a pretty good go of the Cups.

By the summer of 1983, I think that would have been it. With Bob Paisley calling it a day at that point, he could have easily ended up at Anfield.
0
Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 23:17 - May 31 with 2616 viewsSuffolktractor

Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 22:46 - May 31 by The_Major

I'd agree with the Pioneer Stand theory. He probably saw the writing was on the wall and he knew it was going to be more difficult.

I think he might have given it one more crack. In 82/83 in the first Ferguson season we finished 9th. With Sir Bob in charge, we might have turned that into top six again, and had a pretty good go of the Cups.

By the summer of 1983, I think that would have been it. With Bob Paisley calling it a day at that point, he could have easily ended up at Anfield.


Can’t see Bobby ever would have gone to Liverpool. There is no reason. After 81 had he stayed we would have continued to build as an established top 4 side. England was the only job that could have taken Bobby at that time.
I loved him for what he did for England, but wished he had stayed with us, as at that time we were so f***ing good.
0
Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 23:51 - May 31 with 2572 views66notout

Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 21:13 - May 31 by GlasgowBlue

We’d just finished runners up for the second year running and we were starting to sell our best players to pay for the Pioneer Stand.

Sir Bobby could see that we would struggle to continue punching above our weight. Had Clough been offered the England job Sir Bobby May well have gone to Barcelona or another big club who had tried to get him before.


Not an accurate representation of how things really were Glassers.

Constructing a much-needed stand was not the reason for the club’s decline, nor did players have to be sold to pay for it. It was the loss of Bobby Robson and his successor’s inability to make the transition from coach to manager that brought about the demise. The line about the stand was peddled by people who knew little about the way the abrasive Ferguson’s relationship with most players deteriorated to the point of them wanting to depart. Paul Mariner has even admitted that when he left Town for Arsenal he took a drop in salary. Sadly, Ferguson was a good coach but had few, if any, of Robson’s managerial attributes and that was what contributed to the departure of so many players, while the club’s youth programme also suffered through the lack of Bobby R’s charisma, which helped to attract apprentices whose parents knew their offspring would be well looked after under his rule.
At least that’s what I have heard from people who were close to the club at the time. The stand was not so much a luxury as a priority, bearing in mind that every single seat back then was sold as a season ticket and, as older fans will be able to confirm, there was a fairly lengthy waiting list of fans who did not want to stand, for a variety of reasons, and who were having to be turned away, thus costing the club a fortune in lost revenue.
The timing of Bobby’s departure for the England job was unfortunate but there was no way the club were going to stand in his way. Arnold Muhren also left on a free transfer, which was agreed two years earlier when he signed a two-year deal, so that was something else that could not be avoided. I knew players of that era, including Warky, and they all confirmed they decided to go because they were not happy with Ferguson’s style of management and could see, because of that, Town were no longer going to be able to satisfy their career ambitions.
I should add that Bobby R was always going to take the England job In 1982 and that the club sounded out another Ferguson - Alex, then at Aberdeen - about succeeding him before deciding to keep it in-house and trying to create a Liverpool-like dynasty by appointing from within.
[Post edited 1 Jun 2020 0:06]
0
Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 00:42 - Jun 1 with 2523 viewsfactual_blue

Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 23:17 - May 31 by Suffolktractor

Can’t see Bobby ever would have gone to Liverpool. There is no reason. After 81 had he stayed we would have continued to build as an established top 4 side. England was the only job that could have taken Bobby at that time.
I loved him for what he did for England, but wished he had stayed with us, as at that time we were so f***ing good.


I think the Cobbolds rejected two approaches for Bobby from Man Utd.

Ta neige, Acadie, fait des larmes au soleil
Poll: Do you grind your gears
Blog: [Blog] The Shape We're In

0
Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 08:52 - Jun 1 with 2344 viewsElephantintheRoom

Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 21:13 - May 31 by GlasgowBlue

We’d just finished runners up for the second year running and we were starting to sell our best players to pay for the Pioneer Stand.

Sir Bobby could see that we would struggle to continue punching above our weight. Had Clough been offered the England job Sir Bobby May well have gone to Barcelona or another big club who had tried to get him before.


I would suggest that Town repeatedly punched below there weight from 1974-75 when they were clearly the best team in the country through to 1981-82 when they were again clearly the best team in the country.

Other than that I agree with you... it seems odd that Clough, who got two teams to punch well above their weight (and recognised the importance of the goalkeeping position) didn't get the job - presumably because of his personality, because the football his teams played and his footballing philosophy was impecable

Blog: The Swinging Sixty

0
Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 09:22 - Jun 1 with 2312 viewspatrickswell

Looking back from an historical perspective, the candidates in 1982 essentially boiled down to those who had lost out to Ron Greenwood in 1977, though I don’t think Brian Clough was interviewed on this occasion. Assuming that Bob Paisley, then just a year away from retirement, was never spoken to it would probably have been a choice between Bobby and Lawrie McMenemy, who was putting together a good side at Southampton.
0
Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 12:36 - Jun 1 with 2204 viewsRadlett_blue

Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 21:40 - May 31 by PJH

According to TMWMTT the approach for Bobby Robson was not made until after the 1982 World Cup,which ended on 11th July and he officially took up the post on 1st September.

The last sentence in Bobby Robson's 'Time On The Grass' when he talks about turning down an approach from Sunderland in the summer of 1981 is a quote that Bobby attributes to Patrick Cobbold "The only way Bobby Robson will leave this club with our blessing is to become manager of England."


I think the reality is that SBR was quite good at fluttering his eyelashes at one or two suitors, notably Everton who tried to get him on four occasions in the 1970s. On one occasion, SBR apparently tore up a large cheque which Everton had given him, allegedly because the deal had got out into the public domain, but I think SBR had used the leverage to get a big pay increase out of the Cobbolds.

Poll: Should horse racing be banned in the UK?

1
Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 14:18 - Jun 1 with 2121 viewsPJH

Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 12:36 - Jun 1 by Radlett_blue

I think the reality is that SBR was quite good at fluttering his eyelashes at one or two suitors, notably Everton who tried to get him on four occasions in the 1970s. On one occasion, SBR apparently tore up a large cheque which Everton had given him, allegedly because the deal had got out into the public domain, but I think SBR had used the leverage to get a big pay increase out of the Cobbolds.


Yes, no doubt.

There were several clubs that were interested in and/or attempted to get him which, apart from anything else, must have made him feel pretty good about himself as I suppose it would most people doing a job well enough for someone else to want them to work for them.

Also each time a club sniffed around it would have strengthened his hand at Portman Road because the Cobbold's were desperate to try to keep him happy.

He must have generally been very happy here otherwise he could have engineered an exit but,as you said, he was very close to leaving at least once.
1
Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 14:23 - Jun 1 with 2110 views70s_Legend

Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 12:36 - Jun 1 by Radlett_blue

I think the reality is that SBR was quite good at fluttering his eyelashes at one or two suitors, notably Everton who tried to get him on four occasions in the 1970s. On one occasion, SBR apparently tore up a large cheque which Everton had given him, allegedly because the deal had got out into the public domain, but I think SBR had used the leverage to get a big pay increase out of the Cobbolds.


There must be some uncertainty about how loyal he actually was considering how many clubs he secretly met up with and how many jobs he was offered. He wrote that he accepted the Everton job but turned it down when it was leaked to the sun the next day, so he didn't feel he could trust them & duly tore up the £50k bribery cheque.

The list of clubs he met with to talk about job offers is quite long, with Everton, Leeds, Manchester United, Sunderland, Bilbao & Barcelona just from the top of my head. Whether he really wanted all those jobs or just liked the attention or leverage to get pay rises is debatable.

I do feel he knew the youth team production line was quickly drying up & he felt he had outgrown us to some extent. He openly admitted he considered Everton as a bigger more ambitious club and was keen to try his luck there.

With regards to the England job it came at a perfect time for him when he was looking to move on. Clough was the other candidate and admitted he was green with envy that Robson got offered the job. Clough went on to write some scathing articles about him (in the sun I think) which prompted Robson to offer his resignation so Clough could take over. The offer was declined but the scathing didn't.

Robson was part of the England setup for a few years prior to his appointment and beat Bob Paisley to become England 'B' manager and was part of the Greenwood's team that went to the 1982 world cup. During which he was offered the job, with the contract officially starting a couple of days after the world cup finished.
1
Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 21:29 - Jun 1 with 1963 viewspatrickswell

Bobby Robson appointment as England manager. on 14:23 - Jun 1 by 70s_Legend

There must be some uncertainty about how loyal he actually was considering how many clubs he secretly met up with and how many jobs he was offered. He wrote that he accepted the Everton job but turned it down when it was leaked to the sun the next day, so he didn't feel he could trust them & duly tore up the £50k bribery cheque.

The list of clubs he met with to talk about job offers is quite long, with Everton, Leeds, Manchester United, Sunderland, Bilbao & Barcelona just from the top of my head. Whether he really wanted all those jobs or just liked the attention or leverage to get pay rises is debatable.

I do feel he knew the youth team production line was quickly drying up & he felt he had outgrown us to some extent. He openly admitted he considered Everton as a bigger more ambitious club and was keen to try his luck there.

With regards to the England job it came at a perfect time for him when he was looking to move on. Clough was the other candidate and admitted he was green with envy that Robson got offered the job. Clough went on to write some scathing articles about him (in the sun I think) which prompted Robson to offer his resignation so Clough could take over. The offer was declined but the scathing didn't.

Robson was part of the England setup for a few years prior to his appointment and beat Bob Paisley to become England 'B' manager and was part of the Greenwood's team that went to the 1982 world cup. During which he was offered the job, with the contract officially starting a couple of days after the world cup finished.


The BBC Match of the Day video about Ipswich includes an interview with Bobby after a win over Wolves in early 1981 which touches on previous instances where he could have left:

Des Lynam: A season or two ago there was talk of you going abroad. Any regrets that you didn’t?

Robson: Yes and no. I mean I wanted to go, there was a lot of money about and money isn’t everything, but it was kind of a chance of a lifetime as far as that was concerned, but it was also the facet of continental football: new players, new language - better experience in a sense. And it was for two years, I mean I could come back home after two years. So in that sense, I was disappointed. But fate’s a funny thing isn’t it? I got the sack at Fulham, I thought it was the most dreadful thing that had ever happened to me. It was the best thing that ever happened to me, because I came here. And I couldn’t take the job at Barcelona which I thought was a terrible thing for me not to be able to accept. And now here we are, possibly, hopefully, we might win the championship. Now if we do that, every cloud has a silver lining.....
[Post edited 1 Jun 2020 21:32]
0
About Us Contact Us Terms & Conditions Privacy Cookies Advertising
© TWTD 1995-2024