A LITTLE KNOWN FACT...

Like everyone else with any knowledge of or interest in the world of football, I was saddened by the loss of Sir Bobby Robson yesterday, following his long battle with cancer.

It might seem churlish of me not to embark on a heartfelt tribute to a good man, but so much has already been written and said about his qualities as a player, a manager and, most importantly, as a man, that there is nothing more I can add.

Except, perhaps, to mention a little known fact about the great man. From 1946 to 1949, my club Southampton FC was managed by Bill Dodgin, like Robson a native of the north-east. In 1949, Bobby Robson signed for Southampton as a 16-year old amateur and when Dodgin left to manage Fulham, Robson went with him to embark on a hugely successful career in the professional game.

I`m truly sorry that football has lost one of the few remaining real gentlemen left in the game but proud to know that, even for a fleeting while, he was associated with at least the earthly Saints.