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Former England, Newcastle United and
Ipswich Town manager Sir Bobby Robson has died at the age of
76.
Robson
was one
of the most respected and well-liked figures in the football world
and his managerial career took in further spells with PSV Eindhoven, Sporting
Lisbon, Porto and Barcelona.
He had been battling cancer for the past 15 years and set up the
Sir Bobby Robson Foundation to help with the earlier detection and
treatment of the disease.
Robson's final public appearance came at St James' Park on
Sunday when tens of thousands of fans turned out on Tyneside to
support a charity match to raise funds for his foundation.
Robson was capped 20 times by his country and was a
hugely-popular player during his time with Fulham and West Bromwich
Albion.
He took England to the brink of the World Cup final
during Italia 90 only to see their hopes dashed in a dramatic
penalty shoot-out defeat by West Germany in the semi-finals.
A statement issued on behalf of his family read: "It is with
great sadness that it has been announced today that Sir Bobby
Robson has lost his long and courageous battle with cancer.
"He died very peacefully this morning at his home in County
Durham with his wife and family beside him.
"Sir Bobby's funeral will be private and for family members
only.
"A thanksgiving service in celebration of Sir Bobby's life will
be held at a later date for his many friends and colleagues.
"Lady Robson and the family would very much appreciate it if
their privacy could be respected at this difficult time."
Robson enjoyed great success during his time as manager of
Ipswich, guiding the Portman Road club to the 1978 FA Cup and Uefa
Cup glory in 1981 and twice securing runners-up spot in the
league.
Following his departure from the England post after Italia 90,
he guided PSV to the Eredivisie title in the 1991/1992 season.
Further silverware was to follow in Portugal as Porto clinched
the league title, Portuguese Cup and Super Cup during his tenure at
the helm.
And Barcelona were crowned European Cup Winners' Cup, Spanish
Cup and Spanish Super Cup winners while Robson was in charge at
Camp Nou.
His five-year spell in the dugout at his beloved Newcastle saw
the most successful recent spell in the club's history as he guided
the Magpies to three top-five Premier League finishes and saw them
play in the UEFA Champions League.
