Source: SKY_Sports
Fans honour Sir Bobby
Thousands of fans and some of the biggest names in football attended a thanksgiving service for Sir Bobby Robson at Durham Cathedral on Monday.
Robson died on 31st July at the age of 76 following a long battle against cancer.
A thanksgiving service was arranged in his native Durham to celebrate the life of the former England and Newcastle manager.
Robson enjoyed an illustrious playing and management career in football, having success with Fulham and West Brom before going on to manage Ipswich, PSV Eindhoven, Sporting Lisbon, Porto and Barcelona and his hometown club Newcastle.
The likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Fabio Capello and Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, as well as a host of other famous faces, attended the event.
Sir Bobby fought cancer five times, and devoted his final years to helping others with the disease.
Such was the affection felt for a genuine football man, his target of raising £500,000 was met in just eight weeks.
In February, he was proud to officially open a cancer trials centre at the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle, and he said then that he wanted that to be his legacy.
England and Newcastle star Peter Beardsley said as he arrived for the service: "Sir Bobby was one of the greatest football men of all time.
"He was so close in 1990. Lady Elsie would be so proud."
Other arrivals included current Newcastle United caretaker manager Chris Hughton and players from the first-team squad.
Former goalkeeper Shay Given was also among the guests.
Current Ipswich manager Roy Keane walked alone into the cathedral before the service.
Everton manager David Moyes remembered receiving a hand-written letter from Sir Bobby when he was at Barcelona in response to a request by the would-be coach to come to watch training.
Moyes said he still has a copy of the letter at home. He added: "All the Premier League managers look up to Sir Bobby."
Former Fulham player Tom Wilson recalled Sir Bobby's early playing days and his love for his "beloved" north east of England.
He said: "Friends have said to me you should never finish a eulogy with a cliche such a 'we'll never see his like again'... but we won't."
Gary Lineker told the congregation about Sir Bobby welcoming him to the England squad when he was first called up.
Lineker said: "He made me feel 7ft tall. "He'd seen something in my game I wasn't even aware of myself."
He went on: "He made you feel good about yourself and good about the game."
The former England forward said: "I had the extreme good fortune to reach my peak at the same time as Bobby Robson was the England manager.
"Two World Cup campaigns and a European championships over a six-year period was easily enough time for me to realise that Bobby was indeed not just a brilliant leader of men who brought the absolute best out of his players but also, without question, the single most enthusiastic and passionate man I ever met in football."
Lineker finished his eulogy saying: "He was everything that was good about the game.
"He loved the game and the game loved him. He was a lion of a man. No, make that three lions.
"Sir Bobby Robson, we will miss you but we will never, ever forget you."
Sir Alex Ferguson said Sir Bobby never forgot his roots in the North East.
He told the congregation: "He never forgot that. He always knew his roots.
"Fantastic that he would do that, not to change his entire life. It's a great talent that, not to change, to be the same person."
Speaking about Sir Bobby's fight against cancer, Sir Alex said: "He fought his disease with incredible courage and resilience and showed you what his background was."
The Manchester United manager spoke of Sir Bobby's enthusiasm for football and remembered many times when they would speak about the game together.
"He never lost that enthusiasm," he said.
"That enthusiasm, you just can't explain it, special people have got it.
"I think I speak for almost everyone here in football terms, he influenced me but what made him so special was he influenced people who didn't know him.
They admired his courage, his dignity, his enthusiasm."
Sir Alex said people would "forever" remember his "little jig" when England scored against Belgium in the 1990 World Cup.
The manager ended his eulogy: "It has been one of the privileges of my life to have met him and to have been enthused by him.
"He influenced me then and he's always influenced me."
