Source: Telegraph
Sir Bobby Robson: Even when he was really hurting Bobby never let it show
He held his nerve, took it in his stride, said, 'Well, that's the way of football', and moved on. He knew the law of penalties, that even if England had the luxury of fielding the five best players in the world, that it was no guarantee the outcome would be any different. [LNB]He was more than disappointed and, absolutely, there were times during the final years of his England reign that he was hurt, but he was not going to show it. He emphatically was not going to show it to the players. [LNB] Related ArticlesSir Bobby loved playing footballEmotional Gascoigne remembers Sir Bobby RobsonPeter Shilton's tributeSir Bobby Robson: fact fileSir Bobby Robson: Newcastle tributesSir Bobby Robson: football's tributesOf course, he was upset by some of the more sustained criticism, especially after the 1988 European Championships, when the Daily Mirror ran a headline saying: 'In the name of God, go.' But he believed that in the England job, you had to be ready for criticism. [LNB]Bobby always seemed to have his coaching ability wrapped up; since we received our full badges at the same time, I never doubted his success. I first met him at West Bromwich after he had been transferred from Fulham, in 1961. He came to West Brom as a good, hard-working midfield player and as I was a right-back, it was important that we came to understand each other's games. [LNB]Our winning formula never significantly changed but at the same time, we tried to enjoy it. People forget what a talented player he was: he proved good at winning the ball, juggling the ball, and we combined together on the right wing very effectively. We enjoyed it. [LNB]He might have become an extremely good coach but he was a good player first of all he played for England, and was part of the team that beat Spain at Wembley. [LNB]At West Brom, too, he fitted in well: he was very similar to me, with a young wife and family, and without any large cars or houses. The two of us liked a joke but we knew that when there was a match on, we were there to win. [LNB]With England, too, there was never any pretence. He was not one of these managers who would burst into a room effing and blinding. When times were tough during the early stages of Italia 90, he barely changed; he kept his cool, he dealt with the players patiently. [LNB]In more relaxed moments, he liked to sing songs on the coach. If we were in the car or on the team bus, he simply wanted to sing, just him and me. [LNB]At the height of England hysteria, I remember that at one stage he was having lessons in dealing with the media. It was ahead of one England match when we were talking and he warned me: 'Don't fall out with any of the press'. I replied: 'I'm not going to fall out with them, that's your job.' [LNB]He said: 'Yes, that's right, but if one of them should sneak around the back and ask a question, don't treat them with contempt, just be nice to them.'' He conducted all his professional relationships like that and I think gradually the journalists got the message. [LNB]Bobby was so controlled and there was never a story in the newspapers the next day where you would think, 'Where has that come from?' I cannot even recall him having an argument with a journalist. Many managers would be aggressive but not Bobby at press conferences he would tell me, 'Come and sit next to me', and I could observe the way he operated. [LNB]There might be a question where I would think, 'Cheeky prat', and where the man doing the asking was expecting a blast. But Bob would just say: 'Good question...' There's not much you can say after that. [LNB]There were occasions when he let rip, but more often than not when he was coming out of a difficult press conference, and wanted to talk to me down at the pub. Then he could have a release. [LNB]If a controversy cropped up, he would think, 'Who can I contact?' It was a very sensible approach. Any time that he was worried about facing a particular question, I would remind him about it and he would say, 'Don't worry, I've got it.'[LNB] 'What do you mean, you've got it?' Invariably he called up a close confidant for advice on how to handle a tricky situation. [LNB]He would come out of any low mood with the same attitude he maintained throughout his career: that nobody could get to him. [LNB]
