Tribute to ‘lion of a man’ (From The Northern Echo)

Tribute to ‘lion of a man’

8:36am Tuesday 22nd September 2009 in News By Mark Tallentire

WHO’S Who of football came together to give thanks for the life of Sir Bobby Robson, one of the game’s bestloved figures.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, England coach Fabio Capello and football legend Sir Bobby Charlton were among the 1,000 guests who filled Durham Cathedral to pay tribute to the former miner’s son from County Durham.

Former England players including Gary Lineker, Paul Gascoigne, Alan Shearer and Stuart Pearce also attended the memorial service, held seven weeks after Sir Bobby died, aged 76, at his home in nearby Langley Park.

Lineker, who played in Sir Bobby’s Italia 90 England World Cup side, praised his “hugely supportive and fiercely loyal” former coach, telling the congregation: “Sir Bobby Robson, we will miss you but we will never, ever forget you.”

He finished his eulogy saying: “He was everything that was 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.”

Sir Alex Ferguson appeared angry that Sir Bobby was not given longer before he was sacked by Newcastle.

‘‘A man like that could have gone on and on,’’ he said.

Speaking about Sir Bobby’s fight against cancer, Sir Alex said: “He fought his disease with incredible courage and resilience and showed you what his background was.”

Paul Gascoigne appeared to be in tears during the emotional tribute service to the man he once described as his second father. He sat next to former England and Tottenham team-mate Lineker and did not talk to reporters as he left.

Sir Bobby’s cancer specialist paid tribute to a “true gentleman”, who used his final years to leave a legacy of hope for other patients fighting the disease.

Dr Ruth Plummer said Sir Bobby never used his name to get special treatment and always admired the NHS care he received.

He was asked to help raise funds for a clinical trials centre in Newcastle which would work on early detection of cancer.

Within seven weeks of starting the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, it had reached its £500,000 target.

The total stands at £1.8m.

The service, broadcast live on TV, was beamed to the grounds of Ipswich Town, where Sir Bobby brought European and FA Cup success, and Newcastle United, where he restored belief when he returned in 1999.

Afterwards, Sir Bobby’s son, Paul, said: “We were quite taken aback and surprised by the reaction of the public.

His other son, Andrew, added: “I think it was a fitting tribute to him. Singing Nessun Dorma, which always will be associated with him, at the end of the service was very poignant.”

Former Newcastle United manager Sam Allardyce added: “There’s about a thousand people here but we probably could have got four or five thousand if the seats had been available.”

Another ex-England manager Graham Taylor said: “This memorial service was a great tribute. The whole area needs congratulating on how they’ve remembered one of their own.”

England under-21 manager Stuart Pearce said: “He was like a father figure to a lot of us. You wouldn’t have a turnout and emotion like this for any other man in football.”