IN MY EYES HE DID
——————-
I am sitting here watching the BBC tribute programme on Saturday night for the man that was Sir Bobby Robson and it nearly had me in tears so much I felt I had to write this blog.
In my youth which seems so long ago I grew to admire the man that was our Bobby this was before our great Latics was a Football League club in the mid 70s, I would see this unfashionable club called Ipswich town take teams like Liverpool to the cleaners and at the helm was Sir Bob.
I followed Bobby Robson and Ipswich for many a year and yes I suppose they were a second team in a way.
Bobby had an unreal life in football mainly successful, then the day came when he left Ipswich town and became England Manager I was elated as I knew back then how good this man was he was the Borg of English football if anyone could win us the World Cup it was Sir Bob.
Time went on and Italia 90 arrived, we had John Barnes putting the world in motion telling us that the only way to beat them was around the back, things were great I was in my 20’s it was a great time to be alive nobody was going to stop us we had a great team and a great manager the World was ours.
I remember the week building up to the Semi final a thought hit me “Oh no its the Germans” this thought went around and around in my head right up to kick off but hey we had Lineker and Gascoigne and of course Sir Bobby at the helm what were a few Germans when we had this lot.
So to the day of the Semi I lived in Ince in those days and played for the local Sunday League side Ince Utd and many of my fellow team mates would be waiting for me in my local the Squirrel Inn on Ince Bar.
As I walked into the Vault I could feel the tension in the air you could cut it with a knife I got a pint and sat down. I looked around the room and to this day have never felt as proud to be an English man as I did that day, the room was decked out in George cross flags the sort of display that is normally reserved for St Paddy’s day a proud Englishman indeed.
The atmosphere was electric better than any real football match the tables were full with beer and the noise was deafening, we went one down “Oh no Bobby do something” but this one was down to the players Bobby was on his own with time running out up popped Sir Gary of Lineker 1-1 the place went bonkers I have never seen so many happy people in one place at anyone time amazing a scene I will never forget.
It went to extra time and Gazza had been taken off as he was starting to lose it as he had been booked and if we won he would miss the Final, anyway the very exciting extra time was over and as I am sure you are all aware it was penalty’s. At this point I won’t run through the penalties just to say that I don’t want to feel that sort of pain ever again at the final penalty with the Germans celebrating the Squirrel Inn vault was a grave yard and I can’t remember a word being spoken for what seamed like an Eternity.
We sat around looking into our beer thinking how could this be we had Sir Bob and Gazza etc its not right its only now with the tribute programmes that when I think how bad us fans felt it does not touch the tip of the iceberg of what Sir Bob and the England team went through if ever a man deserved to win the World Cup it was Bobby and IN MY EYES HE DID.
RIP Bobby the football world is a sad place without you
David Vincent
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