Football great who never forgot roots

By Fiona Trott BBC News, Durham

Gary Lineker told of being called up for his England debut by Robson

As the rain was pouring outside Durham Cathedral, the rehearsals for Sir Bobby Robson's memorial service were starting inside.

This was a huge event and they only wanted the best for the former England manager, one of the city's most treasured sons.

While three tenors were belting out verses from Nessun Dorma, cathedral staff were busy putting place names on seats - and they were not members of their regular congregation.

Fabio Capello, Sir Alex Ferguson and Alan Shearer were among the football greats who took their place on the pews.

All of them paid tribute to the man who made his mark in football history, but never forgot his roots.

'Chasing Gazza'

It took over an hour for them to arrive. The streets leading up to the cathedral were blocked off by the police, so that the VIP coaches and cars could make their way to the main door.

But they still had to be shielded by umbrellas. The weather made it a sombre arrival, but many of the guests said Sir Bobby would have wanted it to be a happy occasion and a chance to share good memories.

And there were plenty of them. During his reading, Gary Lineker talked about a time when the squad played golf and Sir Bobby spent the whole day "chasing Gazza round the course, telling him to put his shirt on".

He added: "He was everything that was good about the game. He loved the game and the game loved him."

Sir Alex Ferguson told the congregation: "He was someone special because he influenced people who didn't know him. He had courage, dignity and enthusiasm.

They were many familiar footballing faces among the congregation

"I'll always remember that little jig he did when England scored in Italy. It's been a privilege of my life to have met him. He influenced the team and has always influenced me."

It was fitting that the service was held at Durham Cathedral, just a few miles away from the mining village of Langley Park where Bobby Robson grew up.

The Bishop of Newcastle the Rt Rev Martin Wharton said: "Before the bright lights of football stadiums across the world, his life started in darkness… following his father in the local colliery.

"He was born into a black and white world… and he talked about he and his father washing themselves from black to white every single night".

A fitting tribute to the man who achieved his lifelong ambition of managing Newcastle United, a team he used to watch from the terraces.

But it was his battles off the pitch that ultimately ended his life.

'Like a dad'

His oncologist, Professor Ruth Plummer, spoke about "a true gentlemen" who never walked away from the challenges that cancer presented him with.

She also recalled how he used to "tease his nurse about her ignorance of sport… and whenever he wanted to get away with something, he'd say 'I I used to play football you know, I played for my country once'."

At the end of the service, the tenors finally performed their recital for real and Paul Gascoigne became visibly upset.

Sir Bobby Robson was the man he once described as "being like a dad".

Many fans across the North East of England say exactly the same.

He was like a member of their family because he loved the region and was committed to the people who live here.

Why else was St James' Park filled with flowers in the days after he died, and with photographs of complete strangers he took the time to talk to.

His close companion Tom Wilson said: "Friends have told me you should never finish a eulogy with a cliché, such as 'we will never see his like again'. But we won't."

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