With just under a week to go until the World Cup starts, thoughts inevitably turn nostalgic for previous editions of the tournament. This time around fans have been able to feed their longing for footage from yesteryear with some excellent programmes on the History Channel. Italia ‘90 is a time which England supporters in particular look back on with plenty of regrets, the Three Lions extremely unlucky not to make it through a semi-final encounter with West Germany to reach the final for the first time since 1966.
The man that took them there was Bobby Robson, the late England manager fondly remembered for having taken led that side to a penalty shoot-out defeat in the aforementioned semi-final, while also being out of luck versus Argentina four years earlier as England fell foul to Diego Maradona and his “Hand of God” incident.
A newly released film entitled Bobby Robson: More Than A Manager looked to capture this man’s career as a coach, however this was no rose-tinted spectacled trip down memory lane. Keeping the viewer engrossed throughout, the account – directed by Gabriel Clarke and Torquil Jones – starts with a turbulent off-field year at Barcelona in 1996/97, followed by Robson’s very first role at Ipswich Town, the nonlinear structure avoiding a Wikipedia-esque story of how his career unfolded.
Robson would forget player’s names, he would struggle to pronounce foreign words correctly, but this man was no figure of fun. The film depicts what may have been forgotten and consigned to the past, the fact that he was truly vilified and deemed a “traitor by the English press before Italia ‘90 simply because it had been revealed the boss would step down following the tournament’s conclusion shown as having caused genuine and very personal hurt.
A wealth of archive footage and interviews are the ultimate indulgence for all those who remember him, while for younger viewers, the film identifies exactly why Robson’s reputation still endures. To be so highly spoken of by Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho proves what a legacy this man has, his knowledge of football, attention to detail and forward-thinking ideas a source of inspiration for all these modern greats.
Among the moments of struggle and managerial genius, this film certainly lives up to its title.
Bobby Robson was more than a manager.
Testament from former Brazil striker Ronaldo and Paul Gascoigne intimately reveal what a deeply special person he was, both of them having hugely benefited from his perfect man-management skills. Bobby recognised which players needed a bit more, and a deeply troubled Gazza spoke of how his former boss not only took care of him during his England stint, but how he would check on his wellbeing at least twice a week ever since. “Under Sir Bobby, I knew I was safe,” admitted Gascoigne, fighting back the tears.
Fair play and fairness were a must for the Sacriston-born manager, and various testimonies showed that he was not afraid of issuing discipline when needed be. Above all, this was an insight into a national treasure, a man who spent his final time on this earth raising money for research into cancer with the Bobby Robson Foundation, his wish to helped others fight a disease that had plagued him for years.
Whether you like football or not, whether you remember the times depicted or not, this film is a must-watch, simply to see a kind and honest man following a career path doing what he loved the most.
