One of the most
injury prone players in modern day
soccer/
football, Robson was nevertheless the driving force behind both
Manchester United and
England throughout the
Eighties. His
strong tackling,
goalscoring capability and never-say-die
spirit earned
admiration from many experts who saw him as the most complete English
midfielder of his
generation.
A native of
Chester Le-Street, County
Durham, Robson signed
schoolboy terms with
West Bromwich Albion in 1971 where he had to undertake a
body building course in order to cope with the rigours of the
professional game. He eventually took over as
captain of the club after a string of commanding
performances, and in 1980 was taken to
Manchester United by old
Hawthorns' boss
Ron Atkinson. Over the next fourteen seasons he made over 600 appearances for the
Old Trafford club guiding them to three
FA Cups (1983,'85,'90), the
European Cup Winners Cup in 1991, and the
inaugural Premier League title of 1993.
Nicknamed '
Captain Marvel', Robson's value to the
England team was no less significant. Under the
management of Bobby Robson he proved an
inspirational leader, covering every inch of ground in his role as
midfield general. He
captained the side during both the 1986 and 1990
World Cup campaigns, although arguably his greatest moment came during the 1982
tournament when he scored against
France after only
27 seconds - a
World Cup record.
Robson finally left
Manchester United in 1994 to take over as manager at
Middlesbrough. In his first season in charge he led them to the
First Division title, but in 1997 suffered
setbacks on three fronts. Defeats in both the
FA Cup Final and
League Cup Final and an agonizing slump in league form resulted in
relegation from the
Premier League.