Source: Daily_Mail
Sir Bobby's Ipswich side brought sophistication to Suffolk
In the Ipswich dressing room, they called him Mogadon Man because his team talks tended to be more sermons than summaries. But the point was, they all listened. [LNB]And how those Ipswich heroes would have loved to hear his voice on Friday after it had been silenced for ever. [LNB]Ipswich Town, the sleepy Suffolk side run by the upper-crust Old Etonian Cobbold family was an unlikely destination for Bobby Robson, the Durham miner's son. Their upbringing and philosophies were diametrically opposed.[LNB] Glory days: Robson celebrates guiding Ipswich to to the FA Cup in 1978 with coach Cyril Lea and players David Geddis and captain Mick Mills [LNB] [LNB]But by 1969, Bobby was anxious for work. He had been sacked by Fulham, where his playing career started and ended. [LNB] Sir Bobby Robson: Brave player, great coach... but most of all a true gentSir Bobby Robson 1933-2009: The tributes for a true legendSir Alex Ferguson on Sir Bobby Robson: There is no person I would put an inch above himSir Bobby Robson dies at the age of 76A tribute to Sir Bobby Robson: England hero, football visionary and eccentric comic geniusObituary: Farewell to a true legend and gentleman of British footballVIDEO: Sir Alex Ferguson, Italia 90 heroes... and legend in his own words A life in pictures - tribute to one of football's finest managersSir Bobby Robson: Sportsmail writers' personal memories of a Geordie legend Bobby would subsequently recall how he stood in the Craven Cottage centre circle and cried, wondering hopelessly how he would pay for the television he had bought for his beloved wife Elsie and their boys. [LNB]He need not have worried. They liked the cut of his jib, his honesty and enthusiasm for the game. They hired him there and then and it turned out to be a perfect marriage. [LNB]Charlie Woods, who was to become a lifelong friend, was one of the players Bobby inherited and he recalled: 'He walked through the door and there was something immediately that I thought was special. You could feel it.' [LNB]Born to win: Sir Bobby parades the UEFA Cup in 1981[LNB]His legacy was the value of producing your own players from an organised system. It worked as well for Robson in the Seventies as it did for Sir Alex Ferguson in the Nineties. [LNB]The names trip off the tongue - John Wark, Mick Mills, Kevin Beattie, Terry Butcher, Russell Osman, Eric Gates, Trevor Whymark, Alan Brazil. [LNB]Indeed, in his 13 years at the club he bought only 14 players, but he was one of the first to import from abroad, bringing Arnold Muhren and Frans Thijssen from Holland. They brought a balance and a sophistication to the side. [LNB]They were fun times for those of us who travelled Europe with the captivating Cobbolds and the relentless Robson, obsessed with success. [LNB]The Cobbolds knew they had a treasure and they would only release him to manage England. That call came in 1982 and Bobby could not resist. [LNB] Sir Bobby Robson: Brave player, great coach... but most of all a true gentSir Bobby Robson 1933-2009: The tributes for a true legendSir Alex Ferguson on Sir Bobby Robson: There is no person I would put an inch above himSir Bobby Robson dies at the age of 76A tribute to Sir Bobby Robson: England hero, football visionary and eccentric comic geniusObituary: Farewell to a true legend and gentleman of British footballVIDEO: Sir Alex Ferguson, Italia 90 heroes... and legend in his own words A life in pictures - tribute to one of football's finest managersSir Bobby Robson: Sportsmail writers' personal memories of a Geordie legend [LNB]
