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You know, The Sun gets an awful lot of stick, some of it warranted. But you can’t help that when they get it right (like they do here) there sports department is capable of some good stuff…

SIR BOBBY ROBSON was known throughout the world for being a gentleman of British sport.

He was loved for his enthusiasm for the beautiful game and his willingness to share the knowledge he gained over a lifelong love affair with football.

Five times he fought cancer, and after his last diagnosis he devoted his time to raising money for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, which kitted out a state-of-the art centre in his beloved Newcastle to fight the disease.

Such was the public’s regard for Sir Bobby that the £500,000 needed was raised in just seven weeks. Fans from around the world contributed to what Sir Bobby hoped would be his most lasting legacy. By his 76th birthday, the total was well over £1.2million.

His exploits as an England manager, whose 1990 side were the width of a post away from a place in the World Cup final, meant he was the country’s most successful national boss since Sir Alf Ramsey.

Before that, his passion and expertise nurtured Ipswich Town into a European force, and after England, the 1990s saw him win trophies in Holland, Portugal and Spain, capturing the hearts of millions more devotees along the way. His comic slips of the tongue and occasional inability to remember players’ names correctly, endeared him even more to fans.

Robert William Robson, the son of a County Durham miner, was born in Sacriston on February 18 1933 and grew up in nearby Langley Park, a pit village on the outskirts of Durham City. He came under football’s spell as a youngster, travelling with his father Philip and brother Ronnie 20 miles on the bus to watch the Newcastle United team of the 1940s, which included the great Jackie Milburn. His own skills with a ball meant he could give up a career underground. Robson, whose father was a miner, had taken an apprenticeship as a pit electrician, but signed forms with Fulham, aged 17.

Through the 1950s and early 1960s he was a top player with the London club and with West Bromwich Albion. Robson, a goal-scoring midfielder, was the first player to negotiate an “image rights deal” and was paid a fee of three guineas for his photo to appear on cigarette cards.

He won 20 England caps, and took part in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, but eventually lost his place in the team to the young Bobby Moore. It was as a manager that Robson truly excelled – after an early struggle. His first job, at Fulham, lasted just 10 months, and in 1969 he took over unfancied Ipswich Town.

TALENTED … Robson played for Fulham and West BromThere he moulded a side which by the late 1970s was in the top echelons of English and European football, with some of Britain’s – and Holland’s – best players appearing in the Suffolk side’s blue shirts. They lifted the FA Cup in 1978 beating mighty Arsenal and followed it in 1981 by winning the Uefa Cup. The following year Robson could not resist the FA’s call to become England boss. He caused controversy – and a long-running dispute – with captain Kevin Keegan by promptly dropping him, a decision the player first heard about in the media. At the Mexico World Cup in 1986, England were beaten by Argentina, and Maradona’s infamous “Hand of God” goal. An unimpressed Robson said: “It wasn’t the hand of God, it was the hand of a rascal.”

Four years on and there was yet more heartache for the side which included the greats Bryan Robson, Gary Lineker, Terry Butcher, Chris Waddle and the emerging talent of Paul Gascoigne – dubbed “daft as a brush” by Robson.

He had already announced he would be leaving the job after the tournament, and in the run-up to it there was little expectation of the side doing well. But a string of decent performances, largely orchestrated by Gascoigne, saw the side reach the semi-finals against arch-rivals West Germany, which England lost on penalties. With his reputation restored, Robson moved on to PSV Eindhoven in Holland, winning the Dutch league, then on to Sporting Lisbon and Porto in Portugal, where he won more championships.

A move to Barcelona in 1996 was perhaps the biggest job in his club career, and he led them to Cup Winners’ Cup success in Europe, before he became general manager in charge of scouring the world for talent.

In 1999 he made a romantic return to Newcastle at the age of 66, and brought the feel-good factor with him. It was hard to overestimate the warmth which the fans felt for the proud North Easterner, who they knew shared their passion and understood their obsession. They saw the clear distinction between him and the aloof figure of his predecessor Ruud Gullit, who appeared not to understand the fierce tribal rivalry with Sunderland.

By now he was a respected elder statesman who used his powerful voice within the game. But he was equally at home speaking to local supporters’ clubs as the powerbrokers who ran football, and seemed to love nothing more than talking about soccer. He never lost his enthusiasm, despite managing some of the Premier League’s more wayward millionaires, who were considered by many fans to be getting too big for their boots.

He resisted the temptation to believe things were better in his day, graciously saying: “I know there are problems with the football industry but the game itself is better than it has been. Players are fitter, stronger, quicker and more skilful.”

Robson was knighted in 2002 – a career highlight for such a proud patriot. In 2004, Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd said he did not want to be the man who “shot Bambi”, but sacked his manager all the same.

The club finished fifth in the Premier League the previous season, and it was a crushing blow for Robson, who said it came second only to the World Cup semi-final defeat as a career low. His last job in football came in 2006 when he was a consultant to the rookie Republic of Ireland boss Steve Staunton.

In 2007, during a night of high emotion, British stars gave Sir Bobby a rousing ovation after he was handed BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award.

It was a fitting tribute to an international footballer who also loved cricket and golf and was a regular visitor to the Wimbledon championship. By then cancer had put an end to his career in the game – but not to his life in the spotlight.

In his autobiography Farewell But Not Goodbye, he thanked his wife Elsie for saving his life by insisting he had a check-up and described her as “an angel watching over me”.

He was first diagnosed in 1992, aged 59, while working in Holland, when a doctor urged him to have persistent bleeding checked out. Typically, he was aghast at having to be out of the game for three months when colon cancer was found. Then in Portugal, a more serious brush with the disease came when he was 62, when a malignant tumour inside his head was detected, despite him feeling in great shape. A complex operation through the top of his mouth ensued, and he survived to battle on further.

A skiing accident in April 2006 led doctors to spot a shadow on his lung, and a tumour was removed.

Then in August that year, he collapsed during a match at Portman Road, shortly after he was made life president of Ipswich Town, and a brain tumour was found. The subsequent operation removed the growth but a bleed left him p0aralysed down the left side. A routine check-up in February 2007 revealed more tumours on his lungs. This time they were inoperable.

He devoted his precious time to raising cash for the fight against cancer.

KNIGHTHOOD … Bobby Robson became a Sir in 2002He launched the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, with the aim of fitting out a specialist cancer detection centre at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital.

The £500,000 target was quickly met, and two days after his 76th birthday, he officially opened the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Centre.

He used his contacts in football to raise large sums for the foundation, but it was the £5 notes that strangers thrust into his hands that moved him most.

He threw himself into public appearances, despite losing his independence due to his paralysis, and he surely came to realise just how much he was loved. The feeling was mutual, as he remained ever grateful to the public for their support.

He finally admitted cancer was going to kill him, saying: “I have accepted what they have told me and I am determined to make the most of what time I have left.

“I am going to die sooner rather than later. But then everyone has to go some time, and I have enjoyed every minute.”

Sir Bobby is survived by his wife Lady Elsie and their three children, Andrew, Paul and Mark.

Plans afoot for Sir Bobby Robson Trophy II. We’re currently working with a club to stage the second Sir Bobby Robson Trophy. Wonder what Bobby would have made of England’s performance against Germany?

We’ve just recovered from England going out of the World Cup. Ho hum. We staged the first game at Nottingham’s Trent FM Arena in front of around 1500 painted supporters. It’s a shame England didn’t progress, we were planning on staging England v Argentina. However, given how dangerous Argentina look, it’s probably no bad thing. Talent included Karl Froch, Garry Birtles, Steve Hodge and Neil Webb.

Last update in Sir Bobby’s Charity Website Quote:

WOW !!!! What a fantastic reception I received at St James’ Park on Sunday 26th July. It was one of the best night’s of my life and I can’t believe how many people turned up to support me and my charity. The atmosphere was amazing and the England win, thank goodness, was well deserved !!! I would personally like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who bought a ticket for the football match or indeed anyone who has made a donation to my charity. As I keep saying, “every penny counts”.

I thought the fans were really respectful when the German national anthem was played and they gave the German team a well deserved ovation at the end of the game, so I thank them for that. I thought it was a very competitive match and I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did. After all, it was all about having fun and raising money for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.

I would like to personally thank Lester Holcombe and Ciaran Kennedy of Toast Events for producing and staging this magnificent event in my honour. I would also like to thank ITV for the wonderful coverage and programme and obviously I could not have done this without the help of Newcastle United and their wonderful staff. Every player and celebrity who was involved in yesterday’s match has my absolute gratitude because without them agreeing to take part it would never have happened.

I have to say that the people of the North East “did me proud”, so thank you all again from the bottom of my heart.

I will let you know in due course how much the match has raised for the charity and I will keep you posted of any future charity events taking place.

Thank you for your support.

Sir Bobby Robson CBE

Sir Bobby Robson calls up Gazza to take play for his England team against Germany.

Paul Gascoigne is the latest player to sign up to take on the Germans in the ‘Sir Bobby Robson Trophy’ – the fundraising football match for The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation. It will be a chance for Gascoigne, to once again play under his former manager and to get revenge for that famous 1990 World Cup defeat.

On 26th July at St. James’ Park, Newcastle, the former England manager is reuniting players who formed his 1990 World Cup squad – the side which famously came so close to reaching the final of the competition, only to be cruelly knocked out by West Germany on penalties.

The match will see the nucleus of the famous 1990 team take on their bitter rivals from that monumental semi final loss, along with other players that have inspired in an England shirt over the years. In addition names from music, sport, TV and film are being called up to form a star packed England team.

Gazza says: “I’ve always idolised Sir Bobby, he looked after me like a father. He’s supported me through tough times and it’ll be a privilege to play for him again. There is no way I would miss this game for Sir Bobby and the chance to reunite the lads from that great 1990 team. It will be an amazing and emotional experience.”

Sir Bobby says: “I picked Paul in 1990 because he had an amazing amount of talent. For me, he was easily the finest young player in the country at that time. He was a brilliant attacking player and the stand out young talent to emerge from the World Cup that year. I’m thrilled that Paul is in shape and ready for my match he is the most naturally gifted player of his generation and it will be special to see him play once again, so that we can all watch him one more time. To see Gazza in an England shirt, alongside his team mates from 1990 is a great prospect and against that German team too.”

Paul Gascoigne became a national treasure during that World Cup, setting up David Platt’s wonder goal against the Belgians and showing the world his awesome potential.

Sir Bobby adds: “The thought of re-uniting Paul and many of my 1990 England squad for this match in support of my charity is a great pleasure to me and hopefully this time we’ll get the result we want against Germany!”

Arguably Sir Bobby’s finest moment came as he led England to the semi-finals in Italy and this game will give him and his team an opportunity to redress the balance. Former defenders Des Walker and Paul Parker were the first two players to sign up as Sir Bobby builds from the back. Walker and Parker, both given their England debut’s by Robson will be reunited with their 1990 team mates for the first time. Now Robson has added flair and passion and the icon of the tournament in Paul Gascoigne.

Gazza says: “Sir Bobby’s Italia ’90 team was fantastic, it was a team full of leaders and captains. We had Terry Butcher, Mark Wright, Stuart Pearce, David Platt, Des Walker and Shilts.

“Waddler was my roommate and closest pal, he and Beardsley had amazing skills and of course we had the finishing skills of Gary Lineker up front. I’ve never felt so comfortable in a dressing room, the whole side was full of experience and confidence. The chance to reunite that 1990 team featuring all these England legends will be an amazing and emotional experience.”

In addition to reuniting the 1990 England players, Sir Bobby is also planning on calling on some other very special guests to add to his team.

Gazza will line up alongside legendary England players and a select hand-picked group of celebrities that Sir Bobby has invited to come and play, in this special one off England team. These will include world champions and stars from rock & pop music, TV and film. The German team will also feature some big surprise household names.

Gazza says: “Gordon Ramsey can’t play in this game because he’s a Scot although I know he would love to take on the Germans. He’s a hard man and I have good banter with him through our Rangers connection.

“I don’t know who’s confirmed yet but I think they’re calling on the likes of Ben Shepherd, Robbie Williams, Ant and Dec and Alec Stewart who both can all play a bit. And if Peter Shilton needs any help in goal I could ask Jimmy ‘Five Bellies’ to be the keeper. He can block up the whole goal.”

Sir Bobby has always been close to Paul and is pleased to have him in his side, although he said: “If his antics at the World Cup in Italy are anything to go by we can probably expect to see a few of his old tricks.

“Everybody liked him at that tournament – even though he was daft and always playing practical jokes. I remember him following me around during press conferences and standing right behind me. He was a loveable guy and, despite his daftness, everyone appreciated his great talent on the pitch.

“There’s a commonly held belief that he was difficult to manage but he really wasn’t very high maintenance at that time. He was very important to my squad.”

Lester Holcombe from the event producers says: “The ‘Sir Bobby Robson Trophy’ will see some of the biggest names from the world of football and stars from sport, music and film come out in support and in honour of one of sports true greats. Sir Bobby has worked with some of the biggest stars in the game and is revered the world over. All will be invited to attend or to play in a good old fashioned tear up between England and Germany – that greatest of rivalries. This match gives us all an opportunity to stand up and applaud a true gentleman, a fighter and a genuine Legend. He has given us all so many thrills and we will never forget that semi final in 1990. Sir Bobby has now got another cause and he is pursuing that with the same passion and vigour with which he has faced all of his challenges.”

Reflecting on the yellow card he received during that famous semi-final match against West Germany at Italia 90 Gazza adds: “Paul Parker had already told me to keep my head, not to do anything stupid. He’d been booked already and feared it could happen to me. It was a real rollercoaster of a night, my mind had started to think of winning the game and being in the final, it was a series of highs and lows. I still watch the clips of the match on Youtube with the family. Whenever I hear Nessun Dorma it takes me back to that time and that song is full of memories. At the end of the match, after losing in that way on penalties, I was crying but Bobby told me he was proud of me and what I’d achieved and that this was just the start for me….we had a great bond.”

About The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation

The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation launched in March 2008 and has raised more than £1.2 million to fight cancer – including a donation of £75,000 from the Football Association.

Incredibly, its initial target of £500,000 to equip a cancer trials research centre at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care in Newcastle was reached in just seven weeks. This new centre, the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre, was constructed by the Newcastle upon Tyne NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with the Northern Institute for Cancer Research and Newcastle University. It is at the forefront of research into cancer and offers patients from across north east England, North Yorkshire and Cumbria access to early trials and potential new treatments.

Working closely with the Imaging Research Centre to improve diagnosis and study the effects of new drugs, often ‘first in human’ trials, the clinical staff also coordinate trials of new drugs at later stages of development. In addition to equipping the new centre, The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation has funded two specialist cancer research posts.

SIR Bobby Robson today applauded the players who are to replay the 1990 World Cup semi-final between England and Germany in Newcastle this summer.

It is being staged at St James’ Park on July 26 to raise money for Sir Bobby’s cancer charity.

”It’s very special for me now, all these years later, to know we’re all pulling together with the same aim, as the same team, fighting cancer.

Sir Bobby, now fighting a battle against cancer for the fifth time, said: “I’m thrilled at the prospect of re-uniting my 1990 England squad in support of my charity. It will be a pleasure to see them together again and hopefully this time we’ll get the result we want against Germany. ‘I am very grateful to my former players who are coming up to Newcastle to help us raise money for my charity. ‘I’m also very appreciative of the efforts of the German players who have so much further to travel.

”During the World Cup we all had the same aim and that was to win the tournament – but we were on opposing sides. ‘It’s very special for me now, all these years later, to know we’re all pulling together with the same aim, as the same team, fighting cancer. ‘The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation is extremely important to me and I’ll keep going just as long as I can to help raise the money for the experts trying to find a cure for this terrible disease. I understand one in three of us will be diagnosed with cancer and the effects can be devastating. ‘It happened to me in an instant. One minute I was sitting watching the football at Ipswich Town and the next minute I was being told I had a cancerous tumour on my brain. ‘It happened to me like that, in an instant, and it can happen to anyone.”

Lester Holcombe, from event organisers Toast, said: “This match gives us all an opportunity to stand up and applaud a true gentleman, a fighter and a genuine legend. He has given us all so many thrills and we will never forget that semi final in 1990. Sir Bobby has now got another cause and he is pursuing that with the same passion and vigour with which he has faced all of his challenges.”

The charity match will be a chance for Sir Bobby to settle an old score dating back to that night in Turin, when England cruelly lost on penalties and Paul Gascoigne was reduced to tears by a booking which would have ruled him out of the final, Stars from the original game will be joined by other footballing guests, along with a host of celebrities, competing for The Sir Bobby Robson Trophy.

Sir Bobby remembered: “We had a good group of players that year, very talented, very tough and ambitious. We got better as the tournament progressed, more accomplished, and the fact we lost on penalties and not in open play tells its own story.” He added: “We had great staying power in the team and our ambition was to stay to the bitter end. We were so near, but so far.”

The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation was launched in March 2008 and has since raised £1.2m to equip a cancer trials research centre at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care, in Newcastle. To make a donation or for more information on the Foundation, visit www.sirbobbyrobsonfoundation.co.uk or send a cheque to Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, PO Box 307, Heaton NE7 7QG.

The infamous festival weather failed to show at the Last Days Of Summer, as music fans descended on the county border to see Richard Ashcroft and Supergrass.

The Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft delighted fans at Monday’s event with his only solo performance of the year, which he played as a favour to former Northampton Saints player Ben Cohen, who was involved with the festival at Stowe House as part of his testimonial year.

Old favourites Supergrass and the Fun Lovin’ Criminals were also on the bill, alongside new bands The Rascals and Black Kids. The line-up was completed by the Young Knives, Athlete and Royworld.

Mr Cohen said: “It’s been really good. The turnout is good and I think everybody’s having a really good time and I think we’ve achieved what we wanted at the outset. It’s been difficult to organise but we’ve got some great acts and I think that’s what we wanted to achieve, it’s fantastic.”

Richard Ashcroft’s solo set drew the biggest crowd of the day and The Verve singer played classics including Bittersweet Symphony and Sonnet and a number of his own solo compositions. Headliners Supergrass, now midway through their second decade in the spotlight, played a selection from their back catalogue and a handful of songs from their most recent album Bad Blood.

Appearing on stage before Supergrass were Athlete whose set, which included hits such as Wires, pleased fans. The band said they thought it was the first time they had played outside in the dark. Bassist Carey Willetts said: “You get a different atmosphere at smaller festivals. It’s a good line-up – Supergrass are a good festival band.”

The England v Germany Pro-Celebrity Charity Football match "The Legends" recently hit the headlines, not least due to a certain infamous Boris Johnson tackle.

Behind the scenes, Toast Events and TAO Productions were responsible for the staging of one of the year’s most logistically complicated events. The idea for a "40 years on" charity England/Germany football game was the brainchild of Toast Events director Lester Holcombe, who has been organising similar events for the past 10 years.

Toast brought together footballers and celebrities from both countries to stage a spectacular re-match at the Madejski Stadium, home of Reading FC, with all ticket proceeds going to The British Red Cross and The Bobby Moore Cancer Research Fund. Former England international stars Lee Sharpe, John Barnes and Matt Le Tissier joined forces with a host of "A list" talent including boxer Nigel Benn, The Verve’s Richard Ashcroft, actor Max Beasley and Boris Johnson MP, to play a host of German stars including Lothar Matthaeus and Stefan Freund in front of a sell-out seated audience of 24,200.

The rest of the country also tuned in to watch the high-spirited game, which was broadcast live on Five to over five million people, on German television and recorded via Eurosport and SA TV, with the training session going out on Radio 1’s Colin Murray Show.

The Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft will make his only UK solo appearance at a new festival later this month. He will be joined by other top names including Supergrass, Athlete, The Rascals, Young Knives, Fun Lovin Criminals and Black Kids, at the Last Days of Summer Festival at Stowe House, near Silverstone.

Paul Reaney, organiser of the festival, said: “News that Richard Ashcroft will play his only solo UK gig at The Last Days of Summer Festival makes the event one of the season’s must attend music events. The Last Days of Summer Festival unites Supergrass, Ashcroft and The Rascals, some of the most exciting new music coming out of both sides of the Atlantic. The Last Days of Summer is going to be an unforgettable day.”

Music lovers can expect to hear A Song for the Lovers by Richard Ashcroft and Wires by Athlete at the festival on
Bank Holiday Monday (August 25). Oxford rockers Supergrass will be performing material from their latest album Diamond Hoo Ha alongside classics such as Mary, Richard III and Sun Hits the Sky.

Newcomers The Rascals will play tracks from their new album Rascalize, while emerging band Black Kids will be performing I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You.

Ciaran Kennedy, event spokesman, said: “The Last Days of Summer Festival is one of the music calendar’s coolest new dates which brings together, on one stage, for one day, a brilliant international line up to one of the most beautiful parts of the country.

“The Last Days of Summer Festival is the first time Stowe House has agreed to stage this type of event and we’ve worked hard to deliver a line-up you’d normally only see at the really big festivals.

“The Last Days of Summer will allow friends to sit and chill out, grab a beer and sandwich at the bar and food village and enjoy, for the last time in 2008, a superb British festival.”

Reading FC’s Madjeski Stadium played host to a star studded international football match on 12th November in support of Help for Heroes.

An England squad of football legends, alongside stars from music, sport and film, took on a Rest of the World team brimming with top names in a full international match that was broadcast around the world to all troops currently serving, as well as being broadcast on ITV4. England legends Andrew Cole, Paul Gascoigne, Mark Wright and Des Walker were among the footballers who battled it out. Alongside them were celebrities such as pop star Simon Webbe, boxer Nigel Benn and rugby stars Kyran Bracken, Justin Marshall and Kenny Logan.

Lined up alongside the stars were current servicemen representing the Army, Navy and RAF who were selected to play for their country and as representatives of the armed forces.