Will there ever be another Sir Bobby?
Sir Bobby Robson one of England's greatest managers
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By Alistair Potter. |  |
Thursday, 24, Sep 2009 01:57
Under the vaulted roof of Durham Cathedral on Monday, a who's who of football's elite joined the friends and family of former England manager Sir Bobby Robson to pay their final respects.
Former England striker Gary Lineker led the tributes, calling Sir Bobby "the single most enthusiastic and passionate man in football" who was "gentlemanly, dignified and diplomatic".
Lineker went on to say: "Bobby was not just a brilliant leader of men that brought the absolute best out of his players.
"He made you feel good about yourself and good about the game.
"He loved the game and the game loved him. He was a lion of a man, no, make that three lions."
Echoing Lineker's sentiments, I fully agree that Sir Bobby was one of a kind. He was of the same ilk as greats that include Brian Clough and Sir Matt Busby, but stands out on his own. No other manager has achieved universal acclaim.
Of the managers which currently ply their trade within the English leagues, can any of them come remotely close to Sir Bobby?
The honest and short answer is no.
Despite the fact that fans of clubs he manages, admiring him, I don't believe that Harry Redknapp will reach the level and admiration of Sir Bobby. For all the charm and charisma Redknapp displays, he continues to fall short at the final hurdle, occasionally shooting himself in the foot along the way.
Redknapp began his managerial career in 1976 with a spell as player-manager stateside with North American Soccer League team Seattle Sounders, before taking over the reins at Bournemouth following Don Megson's sacking in 1983.
During his spell as the Cherries manager, Redknapp led the team to a shock FA Cup win over Manchester United in the third round before taking them to the old second division in style - winning a club record 97 points in the 1986/87 season.
From Bournemouth, Redknapp went to West Ham, where he helped bring through a number of young players from club's academy, including Frank Lampard and Michael Carrick.
Thirteen years after joining the coaching staff at Upton Park, having failed to achieve any real success, Redknapp left with a cloud over his head when a four-year contract was withdrawn after comments Redknapp made to a fanzine.
From his Upton Park departure, Redknapp's managerial path took him back to the south coast, and to Portsmouth, who he left for neighboring rivals Southampton. The acrimony created by this controversial switch was compounded when he promptly left after just over a year to join none other than Portsmouth for a second spell.
This proved more successful as he guided the club to the FA Cup final where they beat Cardiff City to lift the trophy.
The cloud hovering above Redknapp's head following his departure from West Ham expanded in 2006, when he was shown on BBC's Panorama taking what appeared to be an interest in approaching a player illegally.
Despite Redknapp denying any involvement in 'tapping up' or illegally approaching players, the damage had been done - especially in terms of his chances of landing the England job for which he had been overlooked on numerous occasions.
Even though Redknapp has achieved some level of success in the game - after all he is still managing after 33 years when some managers would have been forced out long ago - his failings in the trophy stakes and the corruption allegations will prevent the once promising manager from ever becoming a true great.
Nor do I believe that the young pretenders, Martin O'Neill and David Moyes - who have looked promising in their early managerial careers and will surely go on to great things before they call it a day - will be able to reach the bar that Robson set so high.
O'Neill started his managerial career in the 1990/91 season as he took over the reins at then Conference side Wycombe. Four years later, after two successive promotions with the club which saw them playing Division Two football, O'Neill left for a short spell at Norwich, before taking over at Leicester City.
After a difficult start at the club, he guided the Foxes to the Premier League in his first season, via the play-offs.
During his five-year spell in the Midlands, O'Neill achieved consecutive top-half finishes in the league along with two League Cup triumphs - showing that even with limited resources success could be achieved. The result was that O'Neill was tipped to be a future international manager.
It hasn't just been with small English clubs that O'Neill has shown what he can achieve, though. In June 2000, O'Neill left Leicester broken hearted as he departed to join boyhood idols Celtic.
In his first season, the man Celtic had nicknamed St Martin won a domestic treble, which included a dramatic 6-2 victory over Old Firm rivals Rangers; and success continued to follow.
In his five seasons at Celtic Park, O'Neill lead the Bhoys to the 2003 Uefa Cup final, whilst winning three SPL titles, three Scottish Cups, and a League Cup. He also oversaw a record seven consecutive victories in Old Firm derbies, and in season 2003/04 Celtic created a British record of 25 straight wins.
Following a break from the game to look after his ill wife, O'Neill returned in 2006 taking the helm at Aston Villa. Coinciding with the Ulsterman's arrival, Villa's form improved substantially, with the club on the brink of breaking into the top five for the past few seasons.
The second young pretender, Moyes - despite appearances that he's been in the management game forever - started at struggling Preston North End in January 1998.
During his four-year spell in Lancashire he guided the club to the Division Two title and the following season, with largely the same squad, he took them to the old Division One play-offs, where the club were 90 minutes away from reaching the Premier League.
In March 2002, Moyes took the step up in management - replacing Walter Smith as manager of Everton.
It's been here that Moyes has made a name for himself. As with O'Neill, he has turned a middle-table team into one that can break into the top four through astute signings. Under Moyes' stewardship the club also narrowly missed out on silverware, as they were defeated by big-spending Chelsea in the FA Cup final last season.
O'Neill and Moyes certainly tick the boxes in terms of being gentlemanly, dignified and diplomatic throughout their careers, but their lack of major silverware or pushing for top spot in the league - along with their inability to land the England and Scotland jobs, respectively, will prevent them from reaching their true potential.
The final manager, who some may argue is nipping at the greatness bestowed to Sir Bobby, is Sir Alex Ferguson.
No one can deny what Ferguson has (so far) won, including an unprecedented 11 league titles.
Undeniably Ferguson is a good manager and has achieved some great things within the game. But he doesn't have the full package which held Sir Bobby close to our hearts; he lacks the important finer points which made Robson who he was.
Ferguson himself hit the nail on the head during his tribute to Robson, saying: "People admired Sir Bobby's courage, dignity and enthusiasm."
It is here that Ferguson's failure to reach true greatness is highlighted. In recent seasons, Ferguson has become embroiled in numerous verbal disputes with managers of rival teams, including Jose Mourinho, Rafael Benitez, Arsene Wenger and, most recently, his former player Mark Hughes.
But it isn't just managers who feel the wrath of Ferguson.
The Scot no longer speaks to be BBC after the 2004 documentary Father and Son, which portrayed his agent son Jason as somebody who exploited his father's influence and position to his own ends in the transfer market. Ferguson has gone so far as to say that the broadcaster is "arrogant beyond belief" - a rich comment coming from the man who five years later, after being the centre of a few too many controversies, still continues to hold a grudge.
Sir Bobby Robson will continue to stand above Ferguson because, despite being the victim of constant bile by the tabloid press during his time as England manager which saw some redtops handing out badges demanding Robson be sacked as early as 1984, the great man still continued to give interviews and press conferences. This was still the period following a disappointing European Championship, remember. A true gentleman indeed.
While we continue to see great players grace the grounds around the country, we will never see another Sir Bobby Robson.
Sir Bobby, we will miss you but we'll never forget you.