Perhaps Sacriston’s greatest claim to fame
is its status in the realm of professional football – namely, as the birthplace
of Sir Bobby Robson, one of the most famous figures in the history of the
sport. His links with the town, though, are somewhat tenuous. He will certainly
have had no memories of his first home, as he and his family moved to nearby
Langley Park within months of his birth.
Born on 18th February 1933 , Robert William Robson was the fourth of five sons of Philip and
Lilian. Chasing work as a miner, Philip soon took his family to their new home
a few miles to the south-west – and there Bobby grew up and attended the local
primary school. Fired by watching Newcastle United with his father, he took to
the game himself at an early age, playing for Langley Park Juniors – before
moving on quickly to the professional ranks with Fulham, for whom he made his
debut in 1950.
He spent six years at the London club, before
moving to West Brom (1956-62) – and then returned to Fulham for a second spell during
1962-67. He played primarily as an inside-forward, and though he never won a
major honour at club level, he did earn 20 caps for England .
In his personal life, he married Elsie in 1955 and they had three sons
together.
Robson moved into management in 1968, where
he stayed in continuous employment for 36 years. First Fulham and (notably) Ipswich
Town, then a spell as England manager during 1982-1990, before many years
abroad with PSV Eindhoven (twice), Sporting Lisbon, Porto, Barcelona and then,
of course, back home with Newcastle United, completed a glittering career. He
won many, many major club honours across Europe (though, ironically – and typically – none with Newcastle !), and
famously took England to the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup. He was deservedly
knighted in 2002.
He died on 31st July 2009 amidst great outpouring of grief and mourning by folk across the
North-East. His name lives on in the activities of the high-profile Sir Bobby
Robson Foundation, which funds cancer projects across the region.
No comments:
Post a Comment