Sir Bobby Robson: 1933-2009, “Thank you and rest in peace.”

By: Kevin | July 31st, 2009

So, here’s the thing about Sir Bobby Robson, the man who, when people call Alex Ferguson “Sir,” make me think “Here’s a big, fat dose of ‘Whatever, dude.’”

Robson is my real “Sir.” He only had a season at the reins, 1996-97, a season in which he brought in Ronaldo, a.k.a. “Fenomeno,” still the best striker that most cules will say has ever donned the colors. Robson was considered by many a manager who had a phenomenon, and didn’t win the league. Others argue that humanity and grace are more important than winning.

Almost everyone you ask will tell you that Sir was a throwback, that there will never, ever be another manager like him, because he managed with his heart and humanity. He rolled in after the Cruijff glory years of footballing beauty, adopting a system that was more English than the fluidity that Camp Nou dwellers had come to love. But make no mistake about it, his boys stomped on the terra, with a single-minded mission of putting the ball in the back of the net. He had Ronaldo, “Judas” Figo and some dude named Guardiola, and they played like their manager, like the game was fun. Like it was a game.

And he won. In a season, his team nabbed the Spanish Super Cup, Copa and UEFA Winners’ Cup. And he did it with style, grace and a good humor that endeared him to almost everyone who had the opportunity to work with him. Cules and others, however, were less convinced.

Typical of Robson is one of his statements, upon learning that the cancer he had was terminal: “I am going to die sooner rather than later. But everyone has to go sometime and I have enjoyed every minute.”

It is that attitude that makes it clear why, though he only managed Barca for a season, his death, though inevitable as a result of the cancer that ravaged his body, hit many people at the club hard, particularly Luis Enrique.

“It was a fantastic year for both football and personal experiences,” said Enrique. “Although he was only on the bench for a year, Robson was a manager who left his mark.”

Robson’s first contact with us came when Terry Venables was rumored to be in trouble. It was over dinner with club officials. When he rolled into town after the Cruijff circus, toting along one Jose Mourinho as his intepreter, it was a term destined to be short-lived. And yet, in that time, he became a bona-fide Barca legend, winning 3 titles and setting the club up for further opportunities at European success.

And when people talk about how the club treats its legends, for Robson to, after one season, have been tossed aside for Louis van Gaal is a decision that still rankles some socis with long memories.

But the biggest problem was, as it was with another beloved manager, Frank Rijkaard, an irrpressible Brazilian who helped put the nails in the coffin. It was probably inevitable, because Robson loved football and he loved football players. He came when it was a business, post-Bosman, when crazy millions were flying around like ninepins. But to him, it was still a game, the game he loved as a child and cherished as a player.

But I had to dig out Jimmy Burns’ spectacular “Barca: a people’s passion” to find a Robson quote that just knocked me out, and summed up his feelings about his too-brief time with the club. When asked how he felt about his time with us, Robson said:

“It is the opening of a European tournament….an electric atmosphere, a hair-tingling scenario. And you know that if you lose you are going to get whacked and people are going to be unhappy and the press is going to be out there waiting for you. And the tension brings the adrenaline and the excitement.

“The army can not be defeated.”

Rest well, Sir, and thank you for your heartfelt service to the cause.