Farewell But Not Goodbye

Sir Bobby Robson lost his fight against his 5th bout of cancer, on 31st Jul 09, at the age of 76.

(Fitting tribute from another legend of his own right, Sir Alex Ferguson -->)

"In my 23 years working in England there is not a person I would put an inch above Bobby Robson," he said. "I mourn the passing of a great friend; a wonderful individual; a tremendous football man and somebody with passion and knowledge of the game that was unsurpassed.

"I was never too big or proud to ask him for advice which he gave freely and unconditionally. And I'm sure I am speaking for a lot of people when I say that.

"The strength and courage he showed over the past couple of years when battling against his fifth bout of cancer was indescribable. Always a smile; always a friendly word with never a mention of his own problems. The world, not just the football world, will miss him. Let's hope it won't be long before another like him turns up because we could never get enough of them."

My interest in soccer, and back then, English Premier League, in particular, started off pretty late. It backdated to my Secondary school days.

I was mainly following only Liverpool, who were managed by Gerard Houllier then. However, there were a few other managers whom I got to know about, mainly for their achievements and the type of football they preached - Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and Sir Bobby Robson.

I may be wrong, but I always had the impression that people tend to associate Newcastle with 'gung ho', all-out-attack style of football. The kind of team who think, if you scored 2, we're going to score 3 to win the match. Arsene Wenger, nicknamed 'The Professor', was renowned for having his team play attacking football, but I think its fair to say that the same can be said of Sir Bobby Robson. Perhaps, the only 'injustice' was that his Newcastle side did not have a defence that was strong enough to win games more resounding.

It's a pity that I've never seen his Ipswich, PSV, Sporting Lisbon, FC Barcelona and England side played. (I'm too young for that!) However, what I remember of his Newcastle team, was a joy to watch. They play positive football at high tempo, good pace and wing play. Before he joined Newcastle, they were languishing in midtable. Yet, he managed 3 top 5 finishes in his last 3 season with them (4th, 3rd and 5th). He was unfortunately, sacked in 2004 because of failure to qualify for Champions League (min 4th spot required). Look at where Newcastle are now. Relegated from the EPL and a team in turmoil at the moment.

I was looking at the videos on BBC Sport and Skysports and it was no coincidence that in the tributes paid to him by former colleagues, players and friends, the words associated with him most often were "passion", "enthusiasm", "gentleman" and "genuine".

He set up a foundation raising funds for cancer research, cos he wanted to repay those who saved him and give something back to the society. Even till 3-4 days before his death, he was still on working his course for the foundation, making an appearance at St. James Park in a match that was staged to raise money for his charity, The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.

Sir Bobby will not only be missed as a footballing legend, but also as the gentleman knight, around the world. R.I.P.



(Listen to the crowd's ovation and chanting, from 4min onwards. I was saddened to see Sir Bobby in this frail state. The typical warmth and humour seemed to be missing. But I'm sure deep inside, the enthusiasm and generosity was still fighting strong. If you truly love something, devote yourself to it. Never stop trying. Attitude is often much more important than end product. And remember, treat others with respect and dignity, and [more often than not] they will do the same.)