Bobby Robson Saved my life as a new play by Tom Kelly which celebrates the legacy of one of the most loved managers in football history. A true legend and amazing personality.
I am heading to The Customs House on my birthday, 16th July to see this play which I am sure is going to be a very amazing and emotional filled journey. Last year we had the fantastic documentary Bobby Robson: More Than a Manager which was a brilliant tribute to the great man, showing all his best qualities. I seriously cannot wait to see this play and I just know it is really going to be a lovely birthday treat seeing something inspired by a true legend and hero of mine.
The play will feature three different stories and each performance will be in aid of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation which is an incredible charity founded in his memory to help find more effective ways to detect and treat cancer.
I have therefore decided in build up to really talk about how much Sir Bobby means to me and the effect he has had on my life as that is something the play is going to focus on. The legacy of the great man and the effect he has had on so many people not only in Newcastle or the North East but across the country and around the world.
Sir Bobby Robson really was a saviour to Newcastle United and helped me find my passion for Newcastle United. In September 1999, Sir Bobby was to return home where he belonged and to his dream job. The one he had always wanted, managing his home town club. The day he was unveiled as manager almost 10 years ago now, fans flocked to St James' Park and yes I was one of them.
I am in the top left with the black and white shirt on, and arms in the air. As I can remember nearly falling off the white hand rail as I was trying to see. I was 12 years old and had been supporting Newcastle for years by then. But it wasn't until Sir Bobby that I really became a fan, I managed to get tickets during his era and I really was hooked. Back then if we went a goal down, it did not matter everyone knew we could still win the game. I lost count of how many games we went down 1 nil and I left the stadium happy with a 2-1 win. (This changed after Bobby left).
Being there the day Bobby was unveiled was the first big event I went to in relation to Newcastle United and has therefore always been something that I have remembered and talked about to this day. Going then on from that I have worked as a football coach for over 12 years now and I am sure Bobby has something to do with that!
