Former England manager Robson's death sparks off outpour of emotion
Former England manager Robson's death sparks off outpour of emotionSir Bobby Robson's death at the age of 76 yesterdayu00a0 sparked an outpouring of emotion from the world of football at the loss of one of the game's most popular figures.
Prime Ministers past and present plus the FIFA and UEFA presidents paid tribute to Robson after he died at his home in County Durham this morning following a long battle against cancer - it was the fifth bout he had fought in 17 years. His wife Elsie was by his bedside.
Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister, described him as "a real Geordie gentleman", while Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager, set the tone for the tributes by saying the world will be a lesser place without his fellow footballing knight.
Ferguson said: "In my 23 years working in England there is not a person I would put an inch above Bobby Robson. I mourn the passing of a great friend, a wonderful individual, a tremendous football man and somebody with passion and knowledge of the game that was unsurpassed.
"The world, not just the football world, will miss him. Let's hope it won't be long before another like him turns up because we could never get enough of him."
The son of a Durham coal miner, Robson trained as an apprentice electrician at the colliery before signing for Fulham as a 17-year-old.
He went on to play for West Brom - and England too, 20 times - but it was as a manager that he really left his mark on the game, with Ipswich, Barcelona and Newcastle among others, and of course England.
He was England's most successful manager after Sir Alf Ramsey. In the 1986 World Cup England were defeated by Argentina in the quarter-finals, thanks in large part to Diego Maradona's infamous 'hand of God' goal.
Four years later, Robson took England to the semi-finals of the World Cup in Italy before losing on penalties to West Germany.
