But his latest fight, sadly, will be his last. English
football’s favourite knight has admitted that a fifth bout of
cancer affecting his lungs will be the one which sends him to his
grave.
He knows his time is coming to an end in a matter of
months. Yet his legacy will never die. No one would ever let that
happen. Sir Bobby has taken on and outwitted many a top-notch coach
and team in his glorious life.
From memorably leading Ipswich to domestic and European
triumph to taking England unforgettably to the brink of World Cup
glory, Robson knows what combat means. Images of his jigs of
touchline delight at Italia 90 will never fail to bring a smile to
anyone’s face.
But taking on the illness that has hit him so cruelly
once again is beyond him. Specialists have told the 75-year-old to
prepare for the worst. Typically, he will fight until the bitter
end. Emotionally, he revealed to SunSport: “I have accepted what
they have told me and I am determined to make the most of what time
I have left. I have been fortunate to survive this long. It is
thanks to my doctors and their dedication.
“My condition is described as static and has not
altered since my last bout of chemotherapy. “They have arrested the
growth of the tumours on my lungs and I have my next scan shortly.
“I am going to die sooner rather than later. But then everyone has
to go sometime and I have enjoyed every minute.
“I don’t even think about it and my biggest problem
today was unrelated, just old-fashioned laryngitis.” Caring,
charismatic and with time for anyone, Robson is loved by all. He
may have been struggling with cancer for 17 years but continues to
spread his warmth over everyone.
Donating a £500,000 cheque on behalf of the Sir Bobby
Robson Foundation for a new dedicated cancer research centre in his
beloved Newcastle yesterday simply said everything about the
man.
Troubled times? The worst. You will not find him,
though, shutting himself away in despair. He added: “I am not going
to sit around at home thinking about what might or might not
happen. “I have always found it difficult to turn down good causes
and invitations from people I know.
“My family and close friends have always said I should
say ‘No’ more often and now is no different. “It has been a hectic
summer. "I had my own celebrity golf tournament in Portugal and
managed to enjoy a few days holiday afterwards before returning to
London, where I was honoured by the Football League Managers
Association.
“They not only inducted me into their Hall of Fame with
a host of celebrities but it was at a special dinner, the first of
its kind.” The word legend may be used too freely in the modern
world of egotistical football stars. Yet it was made for blokes
like Bobby Robson.
Will anyone ever repeat what he did with Ipswich, after
a playing career which saw spells at Fulham, West Brom and
Vancouver Royals plus caps earned for England? A difficult start to
managerial life with Fulham was put to bed when he strolled into
Portman Road in 1969. At the end of a 13-year spell, the Tractor
Boys had landed the UEFA Cup, the FA Cup and twice finished
runners-up in the title race.
England came calling after a nightmare World Cup
campaign in 1982. It took Diego Maradona’s shameful Hand of God
‘goal’ to help send England home from the 1986 World Cup and,
though failure followed in the 1988 European Championships, Italia
90 saw Robson at his best.
He headed to PSV Eindhoven and discovered a striker
called Ronaldo. Robson signed the Brazilian while bossing
Barcelona, arriving in La Liga via Porto and Sporting Lisbon. His
spell at the Nou Camp saw the Spanish Cup, Spanish Super Cup and
European Cup-Winners’ Cup all bagged in his first year.
The madmen at the Nou Camp promptly decided to push him
‘upstairs’ and after just a year he went back to PSV before, in
1999, returning ‘home’ to Newcastle. He took the Toon on a
rollercoaster of Champions League emotions before Freddy Shepherd
shamefully dumped him in 2004.
A spell helping Steve Staunton with the Republic of
Ireland followed but his ill-health continued. An operation for a
brain tumour in 2006 was negotiated. Then in May last year, cancer
returned yet again — this time in his lungs.
Despite that, he is still bursting with an enthusiasm
and love for football that should be studied by many of the
money-grabbing mercenaries polluting the beautiful game today.
And the man is so special that Alex Ferguson even put
to one side his bitter feud with the BBC last December to present
him personally with a lifetime achievement award. There will be
only one Bobby Robson. We must enjoy him while we can, as we will
certainly miss him when he is gone.
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