Bryan Robson
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Bryan Robson (born Chester-le-Street, County Durham, January 11, 1957) is a former England footballer who also captained and coached his country.
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Playing career
West Bromwich Albion
Regarded by many as the complete midfield player, Robson came to prominence with West Bromwich Albion, making his debut in 1975 against York City and scoring two goals in the three appearances in total he was given before that season ended. The following season Robson played more frequently as West Brom gained promotion to English football's top flight.
Robson was alternating between roles at left back and his preferred central midfield role as the next season got underway, but his rapid progress was to be halted as he received the first serious injury of his career. Playing at full back, he tackled Tottenham Hotspur striker Chris Jones and broke his left leg in the process. He walked off the pitch with his leg heavily strapped, with X-rays later revealing a fracture.
Two months later Robson returned to the side but the original break was refractured in another tackle and then he suffered a third break as the season neared its end. He was later called up to the England under-23 side but had to pull out after suffering a broken ankle in a game against Manchester City.
This appalling run of luck came to epitomise Robson's career - he was an outstanding player and a natural leader but for a good proportion of each season he was fighting off an injury. He was, however, fortunate in another way that his woeful injury record consisted almost exclusively of broken bones and dislocated joints, injuries which were straightforward in their healing process. He also sustained a broken hand and a broken nose during his time at West Brom.
Manchester United and England
Robson became West Brom's captain in 1979 but then the manager who appointed him to the role, Ron Atkinson, left to take over at Manchester United. In February 1980, Robson made his debut for England's full side in a 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland in a qualifier for that summer's European Championships. Robson's second cap came in the final preparation game for the finals - a 2-1 win over Australia in Sydney - but he didn't feature in the tournament itself, from which England were eliminated in the first round.
England coach Ron Greenwood started to feature Robson regularly in his midfield thereafter, selecting him for the first dozen internationals after the European Championships finished, including all eight of the qualifying games for the 1982 World Cup in Spain, through which England earned a place in the finals. During one of these qualifiers - a 2-1 defeat in Norway - Robson scored his first England goal.
One month before the final qualifier against Hungary at Wembley, Robson's old boss Atkinson offered West Brom an unprecedented one and a half million pounds to take Robson to Old Trafford. The bid was accepted and Robson signed for Manchester United on the Old Trafford pitch in October 1981, becoming Britain's costliest player.
Robson duly debuted for his new club in a goalless draw against Manchester City and ended his first season there with 32 games and five goals to his name. Meanwhile, his England career was flourishing as the World Cup neared; he scored in a 4-0 thrashing of Northern Ireland at Wembley and added a brace in the last warm-up game in Helsinki against Finland. This time he was definitely going to be not just in the squad of 22, but in Greenwood's starting XI at the World Cup.
This proved so, as Robson was given squad number 16 for the competition and lined up with his team-mates for the opening group game against France in Bilbao, which earned him his 20th cap. He would immediately put himself into World Cup folklore.
As soon as the game kicked off, England won a throw-in on the right flank and sent forward their tall central defender Terry Butcher to add aerial presence to the attack as Steve Coppell hurled in the throw. France were completely disorganised and left a huge gap as they went to deal with Butcher, but the big defender managed to flick the ball on and Robson was left entirely alone to hammer a left-foot shot under the French goalkeeper. The goal was timed at 27 seconds - the fastest in World Cup finals history, and won Robson a watch. He added a second with a bullet second half header and England ultimately won 3-1, before gliding past their other group opponents with some ease and finishing top of the group. The record for the fastest goal stood for 20 years before it was broken in the 2002 World Cup by Turkey's Hakan Sükür in a match against South Korea.
Robson was a huge success of England's tournament but felt the pain as much as anyone when two dull goalless draws in the second phase eliminated England from the competition. Bobby Robson took over as coach afterwards and within two matches he had installed Robson as captain.
The captaincy of England was a prestigious honour but Robson couldn't get used to the title at first as he succumbed to injuries and missed a number of games. At club level, he missed the 1983 League Cup final at Wembley, which Manchester United lost 2-1 to Liverpool, but was back for the FA Cup final later that season. A tense game against Brighton and Hove Albion ended in a 2-2 draw but many sensed that the chance for Brighton, who had been releagted that season, had evaporated, and so it proved.
The replay ended in a 4-0 win for Manchester United. Robson scored twice - the first with a stunning low drive from 25 yards; the second a simple tap-in from barely a yard out after Brighton failed to deal with a dangerous free kick. Robson could have scored a third and emulated Stan Mortensen's feat for Blackpool precisely 30 years earlier when Manchester United were awarded a penalty, but he insisted that Arnold Muhren took the kick. Mortensen's record still stands. Robson lifted the trophy, his first honour in the game of many to come.
He returned to the England fold in October 1983, captaining the team to victories over Hungary in Budapest and then scoring twice in a 4-0 win over Luxembourg a month later, both of which ultimately didn't help England's cause to qualify for the 1984 European Championships, as an earlier defeat to Denmark, for which Robson was absent, proved crucial in the end.
Manchester United reached the semi finals of the European Cup Winners Cup in 1984 but lost to Juventus. Liverpool's dominance was continuing to prevent them getting close to a First Division title, so Robson's main source of plaudit was with the England side as the qualification campaign for the 1986 World Cup got underway. He scored in a 5-0 drubbing of Finland and then got a magnificent hat-trick as England destroyed Turkey 8-0 in Istanbul. In 1985, Manchester United beat Everton 1-0 to win the FA Cup again, with Robson once more lifting the trophy. Manchester United started the following season by winning their opening ten matches but ultimately couldn't maintain their form and missed out on the League title again, with Liverpool collecting it as one half of a "double" with the FA Cup.
Meanwhile, England's campaign for the 1986 World Cup was pretty much flawless with Robson only missing two of the matches. He celebrated his 50th cap against Israel in February 1986 with the knowledge that England were going to the World Cup; and by scoring both goals in a 2-1 win. England travelled to Mexico for the World Cup in good form and spirits and Robson, by now dubbed Captain Marvel by his namesake England coach, was now seen as one of the world's finest all-round players.
There was one concern, however - he had suffered a shoulder injury during the preparatory friendly matches a month before the competition was due to start, and there was a worry that it could recur. Sadly, after England lost the opening group game to Portugal, this is precisely what happened during the second match against Morocco, which ended goalless. Robson strived forward to keep a long ball in play, fell awkwardly and had to be helped with great care from the pitch with his arm held tightly in a sling. Meanwhile, his deputy as skipper, Ray Wilkins, was sent off for throwing the ball at the referee and suddenly England seemed to have no leaders. Goalkeeper Peter Shilton took on the captaincy and England recovered to defeat Poland 3-0 to go through to the second round. Robson's tournament was over.
England went out of the World Cup after a tense and controversial quarter final against Argentina, which featured the magnificent Goal of the Century, and the infamous Hand of God goal both from Diego Maradona. Argentina went on to lift the World Cup.
Robson spent the summer getting his shoulder right and returned for both club and country with new projects ahead. Alex Ferguson had arrived to take over Manchester United from the sacked Atkinson, while England were embarking on a campaign to qualify for the 1988 European Championship. Manchester United started slowly under Ferguson, who broke the infamous drinking triangle which existed between Robson and his team-mates Norman Whiteside and Paul McGrath. The other two were shipped out, whereas Robson survived Ferguson's cull because he was still able to train fully the day after a heavy session.
His 60th cap came in the penultimate qualifier against Turkey and he scored one goal in an 8-0 hammering, bringing his tally to 20 goals for his country - impressive for a midfield player. He duly scored again in the clinching qualifier against Yugoslavia in Belgrade as England sealed their place in the finals, to be held in West Germany the following summer.
The tournament was a disaster for England, though Robson was one player who escaped criticism. Injuries, illness and fatigue after a long season seemed to take their toll on the players and a humiliating 1-0 defeat to the Republic of Ireland was followed by a must-win game against Holland in Dusseldorf. Marco van Basten put the Dutch ahead at the break, only for Robson to equalise in the second half after a splendid one-two movement with Gary Lineker which left him through on goal. England couldn't capitalise on this, however, and van Basten scored twice more to put England out of the tournament with still one group game remaining. Robson played in this now meaningless match - against the USSR - but England lost 3-1 again. Holland won the competition.
The following season saw Robson pick up his 70th England cap in a 1-0 win over Denmark, which saw the debut of a skilful midfield prodigy called Paul Gascoigne; he then notched up his 23rd and 24th goals for his country as England started their qualification campaign for the 1990 World Cup in Italy with stylish wins over Greece and Albania. In the final qualifier which sealed England's place in the finals, a 0-0 draw with Poland, Robson got his 80th cap.
England went into a series of friendly games from the end of 1989 to prepare for the tournament and Robson scored both goals in a 2-1 win over Yugoslavia which also marked England's 100th victory at Wembley. He now had scored 26 times for his country.
Manchester United, meanwhile, were struggling to make inroads in the First Division once more and Ferguson's job seemed to be on the line. It was an FA Cup run which seemingly saved him, and Robson was an important figure as the team reached the semi finals, where they would play Oldham Athletic. Robson scored Manchester United's first goal as the lead swapped sides constantly before the game ended 3-3; the replay ended in a 2-1 win for Manchester United and Robson would, for the third time, be captaining an FA Cup final side at Wembley.
Once more he would be victorious, though it was another replay which ultimately earned Manchester United the win against Crystal Palace, managed by Robson's old club and country team-mate Steve Coppell. Palace took the lead; Robson equalised with a deflected header, then Ian Wright and Mark Hughes scored twice each to leave the game at 3-3. Manchester United won the replay 1-0 and Robson became the first player to captain three FA Cup winning teams.
With a third FA Cup winners' medal to his name, Robson captained a confident England team as it jetted off to the World Cup. His third finals would once again prove eventful for him - and again for the wrong reasons.
Robson played in the opening 1-1 draw with the Republic of Ireland; but a pre-tournament injury to his toe was exacerbated in the second game against Holland by an Achilles tendon problem. So frustrated was Robson by the slow rate that his injuries were healing that he called upon a faith healer to help, to much Press derision. It didn't work - he was out of the World Cup again. His loss was the gain for Aston Villa's David Platt, who replaced him and emerged as a new world star after the tournament. Shilton and then Butcher took the captaincy, and England exited on penalties in the semi finals against West Germany, the eventual winners.
Graham Taylor became England coach after the World Cup, but Robson was unavailable for selection straightaway due to more injuries. He was eventually recalled for a friendly in 1991 against Cameroon and then a 1992 European Championships qualifier against the Republic of Ireland, both at Wembley. He now had 89 caps but Taylor seemed ready to look to the future, deploying players such as Geoff Thomas and David Batty in the battling midfield role.
Robson returned to the Manchester United fold and captained his side in a shock 1-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday, then of the Second Division, in the League Cup final. At the end of the season though, he inspired his side to win the final of the European Cup Winners Cup, beating Barcelona 2-1 in Rotterdam, with Robson setting up both goals. He lifted the trophy afterwards, becoming only the second of three Manchester United captains to date to lift European honours, following Bobby Charlton (1968 European Cup) and preceding Peter Schmeichel (1999 Champions League).
As 1991 came to an end, Robson found himself being touted for what seemed an unlikely England return by sections of the Press, who were disillusioned with Taylor's decision to scrap some of the older players even though they were still performing well at club level. Succumbing to the pressure, Taylor brought Robson back into the squad for a European Championship qualifier against Turkey at Wembley. He didn't score, nor was he captain, but he did play, earning his 90th cap as England scraped a 1-0 win. This time there was to be no return, and Robson's international career ended after almost 12 years, 90 caps, 26 goals, three World Cups and a host of injuries.
Only England's four centurions - Shilton, Bobby Moore, Charlton and Billy Wright - have won more caps than him, though David Beckham and Gary Neville - two Manchester United youth prodigies when Robson was captain there - look set to overhaul his total, injury permitting, by the time the 2006 World Cup comes round. Meanwhile, Robson also lies eleventh in the goals table, with only Platt and Tom Finney scoring more goals than him for England while never playing as a centre forward.
Manchester United reached the League Cup final again in 1992 and this time won it, defeating Nottingham Forest 1-0, but almost inevitably, Robson missed the game through injury. Leeds United would later capitalise on a poor run at the end of the season for Manchester United to take the First Division title.
Finally, at the age of 36, Robson achieved his aim of a League title with Manchester United, as they won the newly-formed Premiership crown, their first title for 26 years. Robson was, by now, a bit-part player, but his 14 appearances were enough to earn him a medal and, as club captain, he lifted the trophy alongside regular team skipper Steve Bruce. A year later he got a second Premiership medal, making 15 appearances, though missed out on a place in the squad for the FA Cup final as Manchester United defeated Chelsea 4-0 and completed their first "double". Robson was given a free transfer that summer to become player-manager of Middlesbrough, thereby ending almost 13 years' association with Manchester United.
Football manager
In 1995, Middlesbrough won promotion to the Premiership in Robson's first season in charge. However, they were relegated again in 1997 and also lost both domestic cup finals - the FA Cup to Chelsea and the League Cup to Leicester City. Controversy surrounded the relegation - Middlesbrough had been deducted vital points after they failed to send a team out for one game while, according to the club, a proportion of the squad had been laid low by illness. The Football Association rejected this explanation and the punishment proved crucial to Middlesbrough's fate. They did, however, bounce back to the big time the following season.
During this period, Robson also acted as a coach to the England team under Terry Venables, who later would join him at Middlesbrough for a short coaching spell when the club was in danger of relegation. They survived, but Robson left at the end of that season. Robson made his last appearance as a player as Middlesbrough in a 2-0 loss at Arsenal in 1997. In his 22 years of playing, Robson made 731 appearances in all competitions for West Brom, Manchester United and Middlesbrough.
Robson was named as Bradford City manager in November 2003 but was unable to prevent their relegation and left the club in the summer of 2004. Six months later, he became manager of his first club West Brom following the dismissal of Gary Megson. After a poor start, West Brom began to win games under Robson as 2005 began and they held on to their Premiership status in the last game of the campaign. Robson remains in this job.
Personal life
Robson is married to Denise, has three children and, away from football, is known for his love of horse racing.pl:Bryan Robson