Sir Bobby Robson: a yr at Barcelona

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In Could 1996, Barcelona have been a membership in turmoil. Having skilled the delirious heights of success, with Johan Cruyff’s Dream Workforce delivering a minimum of 11 trophies in eight seasons, together with the Holy Grail of the European Cup, the connection between membership and revered Dutchman had been torn asunder.

Any divorce between an employer and the emotional, impulsive and infrequently combustive Cruyff would at all times be messy, however this break up would make Kramer vs. Kramer look tame as compared. The Blaugrana had already determined they wished Ajax’s Louis van Gaal within the supervisor’s chair. There was an issue, nonetheless.

His contract with the Amsterdam membership nonetheless had a yr to run. Barcelona wanted somebody to step in for a season, maintain issues ticking alongside, ideally decide up a trophy within the course of if doable, and hand over the membership in good order, earlier than using off into the sundown. The person they selected for the function would go nicely above and past such parameters.

Solely essentially the most sudden of outcomes would deny a LaLiga title and forestall him touchdown each trophy the membership was competing for. It might, so practically, be the Camp Nou’s second-best season ever. The truth is, the membership could be so impressed that they’d maintain the supposed one-year appointment of their make use of and be able to drop him again into the supervisor’s chair ought to Van Gaal come up brief.

Plain previous Bobby Robson as he was on the time – his providers to the sport wouldn’t be honoured for an additional half-dozen years – was having fun with a massively profitable spell managing Porto within the Primeira Liga. He’d signed a brand new take care of the membership in 1995 however, after being recognized with a malignant melanoma, as most cancers struck the primary blow in a battle with the hardiest of fighters, he would miss the early a part of the season.

In typical Robson method, although, he would relax towards the mendacious sickness and return to information the membership to a different league title. It was, subsequently, a supervisor on the peak of his powers that took a name from the Barcelona president to debate the provision of Luís Figo.

Whether or not the strategy for the participant was merely a gap gambit, with hidden intent, is open to debate. It’s extensively reported, nonetheless, that the dialog ended with the Barcelona president providing Robson the prospect to take the supervisor’s chair on the Camp Nou for a season. There have been in all probability lower than a handful of job gives that would tempt Robson away from his place in Oporto the place he had attained legendary standing. This, nonetheless, was certainly one of them.

Learn | How Sir Bobby Robson modified the make-up of contemporary soccer

Having twice beforehand declined gives to turn into the supervisor of Barcelona, as soon as by usually honourable loyalty to Ipswich and as soon as exhibiting the identical dedication to England – one thing the Soccer Affiliation have been shamefully unwilling to reciprocate in later occasions – at 63, Robson knew the prospect could be unlikely to seem for a fourth time. Understandably, he accepted, taking his protégé, a little-known José Mourinho, together with him.

The duty was simple to elucidate, however delivering on it would have confounded all however essentially the most succesful and skilled of managers. Glue Cruyff’s fractious squad again collectively, add any expertise out there each from throughout the membership and elsewhere, win matches, and hand on the baton.

If it appeared a poisoned chalice, at his first press convention, the media have been pulling no punches. Who was this man entrusted with following Cruyff? With the boldness of sustained success and the expertise of greater than 45 years within the recreation behind him, Robson was not the form of man to apologise for being within the supervisor’s chair, even at Barcelona.

In typical unabashed tones, he made clear that the legacy of Cruyff wouldn’t forged a shadow over his tenure: “I’m not afraid to comply with him,” he declared with an assured tone, additionally bereft of hubris. “When the President of the USA leaves, they must get one other President of the USA.” The king was lifeless. Lengthy dwell the king.

Though replete with star names, the squad of gamers that Robson inherited from Cruyff have been hardly cruising on the summit of the Spanish recreation. That they had tamely capitulated within the title race for the earlier two seasons with out providing a sustained problem; firstly, ending in fourth place behind champions Actual Madrid by 9 factors, after which a marginal enchancment to 3rd place however nonetheless seven factors behind champions Atlético Madrid.

Few Culés would’ve tolerated one other season of vapid performances, whatever the obvious stop-gap nature of Robson’s appointment. Neither would the brand new man on the helm. Having missed out on this job previously, Robson was in no temper for an easy-going, freewheeling season. He set about his plans.

Talking later, Robson would relate how the president approached him concerning the upcoming time period, insisting that the staff wanted not solely to succeed, but additionally entertain and persuade on the similar time. “The president mentioned to me, ‘we’d like bums on seats, we’d like a top-class striker, have you learnt the place there may be one?’ I mentioned sure, I do know there’s a younger child at PSV that I like very a lot. I feel he’s terrific, however he’s a threat.”

Robson’s astute eye for expertise had recognized a younger Brazilian ahead at PSV Eindhoven, certainly one of Robson’s former golf equipment. A world-record charge of £12.5m exchanged fingers, and a 19-year-old Ronaldo made historical past. Twelve months later, when he left the membership, as Robson vacated the supervisor’s chair for Van Gaal, it could appear to be a discount. Not solely would the membership make a £5m revenue together with his sale to Internazionale, in his single season on the Camp Nou, the striker would internet 47 targets in 49 video games and have as the important thing consider Robson’s success.

Learn | Ronaldo: the PSV diaries

Inevitably, Ronaldo’s haul would make him the highest marksman in LaLiga with 37 league targets to his title. A type of 37 strikes is especially lauded. Days after his twentieth birthday, Ronaldo was main the road in an away recreation towards SD Compostela. Gaining possession in his personal half, he took off on a someday weaving, typically scything cost upfield, operating virtually the complete size of the pitch, driving previous opponents with obvious ease earlier than scoring.

Later, Nike used a movie of the aim for an advert, with the tagline, “Think about you requested God to be the most effective participant on this planet, and he listened to you.” What it failed so as to add was an invite to Barcelona to think about that they’d requested God for a supervisor able to figuring out such a nascent expertise, and he had listened to them.

Robson had recognized such a expertise, introduced him to the membership, and given him the rein to play. It was a managerial masterstroke and of little shock that, on the finish of the season, with Robson promoted upstairs and the brand new Dutch supervisor arriving, Ronaldo additionally moved on. Some would – and have – argued that, such was Ronaldo’s expertise, Robson merely lit the blue contact paper and stood again to look at the firework show; a worthy sufficient achievement having recognized the actual firework in query.

The participant himself, nonetheless, lauds Robson’s contribution to his, and Barcelona’s, success: “He was an superior coach and an superior individual. He was like a father to me. I’ve had quite a lot of managers in soccer however the distinction between all of them and Sir Bobby was his humanity and the relationships he had with the gamers. He was at all times like a father to everybody.”

It’s a convincing endorsement of the supervisor, particularly in order the duo labored collectively for simply eight months.

It might, after all, be the idlest of follies to ascribe the success merely to Ronaldo’s targets. The squad was additionally blessed with a lot of excellent skills. Pep Guardiola was a expertise destined for even better glory and the imperious José Mari Bakero wore the armband. Accompanying Ronaldo within the ahead line was the Bulgarian pistolero Hristo Stoichkov, who’d later determine the distinction between Cruyff’s staff and that of Robson’s: “[The latter] had coronary heart.”

These have been only a few of the celebrities that had fallen wanting the anticipated requirements as Cruyff’s tenure and his Dream Workforce bled to loss of life. In Robson’s paternalistic fingers, they’d rise once more.

The primary stirrings of a reinvigorated Barça have been evidenced in August 1996 when the membership confronted Atlético Madrid within the first leg to determine the Supercopa de España. Heralding the goalscoring fiesta that might comply with later within the yr, Robson’s staff hammered out a warning by profitable 5-2. A brace from Ronaldo was added to by Giovanni and Pizzi, plus a strike from Pequeño Buddha, Iván de la Peña, who scored only a few minutes after Robson had despatched him on to switch Guillermo Amor.

Learn | Remembering the luxurious skills of Iván de la Peña

Within the return leg, Atleti would rally to attain thrice, however a strike from Stoichkov across the hour mark was sufficient to present Barcelona and Robson their first trophy of the season. The second would arrive by way of the membership’s participation within the Cup Winners’ Cup. That they had certified as runners-up to Atlético’s Copa del Rey victory the earlier time period. As Atleti had additionally received the league, they’d opted for Europe’s premier competitors, permitting Barça a run on the Cup Winners’ Cup.

In September, a lower than spectacular two-goal combination victory over AEK Larnaca – because of a brace from Ronaldo – acquired the marketing campaign underway. It might decide up momentum because it progressed. Within the second spherical, they accounted for Pink Star Belgrade 4-2 on combination, profitable within the Camp Nou earlier than enjoying out a attract Belgrade.

The quarter-final draw seemed to have been sort, pairing Barcelona with the little-known Swedish membership AIK. When Pascal Simpson put the Swedes forward inside two minutes on the Camp Nou, nonetheless, issues weren’t operating to script. Gheorghe Popescu steadied any fraying nerves by squaring issues within the fourth minute, and after targets from Ronaldo and Pizzi created respiration room, a attract Stockholm locked out a spot within the final 4.

The opposite semi-finalists have been Liverpool, Fiorentina and Paris Saint-Germain, with Robson’s staff dealing with the Italians. A Miguel Ángel Nadal aim simply forward of the break had the Catalans forward, however when Gabriel Batistuta equalised within the second interval, the benefit lay with the guests, with the second leg again on the Stadio Artemio Franchi to return. On 24 April, nonetheless, Barcelona confounded expectations as an astute masterclass of ways by Robson noticed them rating two first-half targets by Fernando Couto and Guardiola.

Barcelona have been by to the ultimate of the Cup Winners’ Cup, the place they’d face PSG, who had eradicated Liverpool 3-2 on combination. In a lower than spectacular last at De Kuip, as is so typically the case at such occasions, a Ronaldo penalty on 38 minutes settled issues. Robson had his second trophy – two out of two.

A Copa del Rey success stuffed the hearts of the Camp Nou, not just for the trophy it introduced, but additionally for the truth that Robson’s staff defeated each of the earlier season’s league champions en route. Within the last-16, they overcome arch-rivals Actual Madrid. Greater than 95,000 followers watched a pulsating first leg within the Catalan capital.

Ronaldo, after all, gave the house staff an early lead, solely to be dragged again as Davor Šuker squared issues lower than 200 seconds later. Then, coming into the final quarter of the sport, Fernando Hierro silenced the Culés, placing Los Blancos into the lead.

Learn | The battle of Barcelona’s trinities: Stoichkov-Laudrup-Romário or Messi-Neymar-Suárez?

Pushed on by the boiling depth of the Catalan cauldron, first Nadal after which Giovanni scored to present the house staff a result in take again to the Santigo Bernabéu. This time it was a extra studied defensive efficiency that noticed Barça dwelling. An personal aim by Roberto Carlos gave the Catalans respiration area, and regardless of a Šuker penalty, Robson and Barcelona celebrated as Los Blancos have been vanquished.

It despatched the membership right into a contest towards Atlético Madrid, with the primary leg 2-2 draw a mere appetiser for the goal-fest that adopted on the Camp Nou within the return. A hat-trick inside the primary half-hour by Milinko Pantić had Atleti within the driving seat, however Robson’s staff would present loads of the “coronary heart” that Stiockov had alluded to.

Simply after the break, Ronaldo scored twice to convey Barcelona again into the sport, however a minute after his second strike, Pantić added a fourth aim. With lower than 20 minutes remaining, Barcelona nonetheless wanted one other three targets. Ronaldo, Figo and Pizzi accomplished the exceptional comeback. Within the semi-final, Barcelona would crush Las Palmas by seven clear targets on combination.

It meant a last towards Actual Betis to be performed in Madrid on the Bernabéu. Any Madridistas amongst the 83,000 crowd would’ve been elated because the Blaugrana twice fell behind, the second equaliser from Pizzi coming a mere 5 minutes from time. Within the added interval, it was Figo demonstrating “coronary heart” once more as he notched the profitable aim and despatched the trophy to the Camp Nou.

For Robson and Barcelona, nonetheless, the triumph would’ve been chilly consolation. Solely weeks earlier, they’d seen the dream of profitable all out there trophies that season dashed in a recreation that may at all times be lamented by the followers. With simply three video games left of the league programme, Robson’s Barcelona have been in pole place to take the title. Their subsequent recreation would take them to the Costa Blanca to face the Alicante-based membership, Hércules. By now, the Ronaldo to Inter difficulty was in full cry, with the participant unavailable to Robson. So too have been Pizzi and Giovanni, though for fully totally different causes.

Maybe there have been warning indicators forward of the sport. Already relegated by this level, Hércules had been the one staff to go to the Camp Nou and are available away with a league victory that season, and the sands in Robson’s hourglass appeared to be operating out. As he talked about on the time, “I’ve given Núñez a listing of gamers [for next season] however he’s not saying something to me. They should have made their minds up about subsequent yr however they haven’t informed me something.”

For all that, issues seemed like they’d go to kind when Luis Enrique put Robson’s staff forward after simply three minutes. The staff that might end final however one within the league would absolutely have little coronary heart to battle again. In such circumstances, nonetheless, the whims of destiny can carry a merciless caprice. In opposition to the run of play, Paquito Escudero equalised for the house staff shortly earlier than the break, and when Serbian defender Dubravko Pavličić slid the second past the grasp of Vítor Baía six minutes after the restart, Barcelona’s league place was crumbling earlier than their eyes.

Learn | The genius of Ronald Koeman, the person who scored 239 targets from defence

Regardless of a second-half siege, with Robson throwing warning to the wind searching for two targets, exhibiting a resilience seldom repeated all through the season, the house staff held out. What Robson would’ve given to have Ronaldo on the market. With Actual Madrid beating Extremadura 5-0 to go 5 factors clear with two video games to play, it was absolutely all up.

After the sport, Robson tried, and failed, to be upbeat in entrance of the press: “Mathematically, we’ve nonetheless acquired an opportunity, however realistically it’s very troublesome now.” It was.

Actual Madrid would wish only a single level from their final two fixtures. The Blaugrana would beat Betis 3-0 at dwelling after which shut the season with a 2-1 victory away at Rayo Vallecano, however Actual acquired over the road and the league was misplaced by two factors. So near the right season, and but to this point.

On the finish of the time period, as Robson had suspected, Van Gaal took over the supervisor’s function. Robson was given what amounted to virtually an emeritus place as technical director. Ought to Barça have continued with the Englishman? The brand new man undoubtedly did nicely, and received the league in his first two seasons with the membership, however would Robson have additionally achieved that success? Statistics can be utilized to assist any variety of arguments however, as a comparability, in his time on the Camp Nou, Robson achieved a win proportion of greater than 65 p.c. Van Gaal’s was 55 p.c.

In a lot of accounts since then, some have sought to color Robson as virtually a bystander to the success his staff achieved. Highly effective cliques of gamers and even the advancing persona of Mourinho have been cited as the true powers on the membership.

There could also be components of reality in such calculations, however with delegation typically outlined because the artwork of administration, maybe such issues must be seen as complementary to good administration, fairly than a criticism of it. And, whether or not legitimate or not, if the defining criterion is success, it labored.

Of the gamers that shaped Robson’s Barcelona squad of 1996/97, greater than a dozen of them have gone on to educate or handle at excessive ranges of the sport, so maybe it’s applicable to let certainly one of them have the final phrase. Speaking of Robson, Pep Guardiola mentioned: “I discovered quite a bit from him in that interval. I assumed I wished to turn into a supervisor, how he dealt with that scenario, it was unbelievable, I like him quite a bit. It doesn’t matter what the media say.”

Barcelona appear to agree. On the membership’s official web site, they are saying Bobby Robson “managed to get the most effective out of the younger and efficient Ronaldo [and] received himself a spot within the hearts of Barcelona’s supporters.” Of that there isn’t any doubt.

By Gary Thacker @All_Blue_Daze

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Sir Bobby Robson: a yr at Barcelona

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