Ipswich Town: Tony Garnett on how Bobby Robson got Town job

Bobby Robson was lucky. Maybe he never knew what happened in the couple of days before he was appointed as manager of Ipswich Town.

Robson deserved a break after his management misfortunes in Vancouver and at Fulham.

Bill McGarry's departure created the opening for a new Town boss (Image: Archant)

His appointment at Portman Road was a surprise but one of his greatest strengths, being charming and confident in company, stood him in good stead at the interview.

Bill McGarry, who had guided Ipswich Town back in the First Division, had decided that the grass was greener in the Black Country with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Ipswich set their sights on Frank O’Farrell, then at Torquay United. He rejected the chance to come to Portman Road and took offence when I suggested that his decision lacked ambition.

On the Friday night before Robson’s appointment John Cobbold came into the sports room at the EADT (before the days of open plan). He asked to use the phone.

He rang Billy Bingham, the Irish manager of Plymouth Argyle, who were playing at Oldham the following day.

John Cobbold, left, with Kevin Beattie and Bobby Robson (Image: Archant)

Cobbold promised the job to Bingham and arranged a breakfast meeting at the Great Northern Hotel in London on the Sunday morning. It seemed cut and dried.

I asked Cobbold why he was going ahead with the planned interview with Robson. He said: "Out of courtesy to Dave Sexton who recommended him. Dave is a friend of ours.

"There is no way we will be appointing Bobby Robson."  

Sexton was manager of Chelsea at the time.

I was watching one of my greyhounds at Walthamstow Stadium on the Saturday night and planned to stay in London so I could be the first to interview the new manager.

Midway through the meeting at The Stow there was a call for me to visit the racing manager’s office.

I was given the following message from Alan Everett, my sports editor.

"John Cobbold has been in touch. Bingham has changed his mind. Cobbold emphasises that there is no way they will appoint Bobby Robson. Cancel your hotel booking and come home."

I heard later from one of the Town directors, Ken Brightwell,  that Cobbold was making calls from his home at Capel Hall into the early hours of the morning in a desperate effort to attract a manager. All his invitations came to nothing.

Bobby Robson arrives in Ipswich in January 1969. John Cobbold, right, greets him (Image: Archant)

I was amazed when I took the call from Cobbold late the following afternoon in the EADT office.

"We have appointed Bobby Robson. He impressed us at the interview." His managerial record at that time had little to commend it.

He retained first team coach, Cyril Lea, a disciple of Bill McGarry. He needed all the help he could get. Tactically Robson and Lea changed very little from the McGarry days.

In November 1969 Ipswich had travelled overnight for a match at Stoke City.

I took a call on the Friday afternoon from Robson. He asked: "Are you driving to Stoke in the morning?

"David Best is not feeling well. Can you find Alec Bugg and bring him up with you? You will need to go to the ground to pick up his boots."

Finding the correct boots was the first problem. Secretary Pat Godbold found the keys to the boot room but there was no indication who owned which boots. I took a few of the larger ones and hoped for the best.

It was early evening by the time I tried to track down Bugg at his home in Needham Market.

I knocked on the door. His mother answered. Alec had gone out for the evening with friends. Ipswich had no reserve match the following day so there was no telling when he might return home. Mrs Bugg had no idea where I might find him.

All I could do was to ask her to put a message on his pillow to say that I would be collecting him at 7am and driving him to Stoke because David Best was ill.

I did not want to alarm Robson by letting him know that I had been unable to make direct contact with Bugg or that the boy might well have had a late night. All was well.

Bobby Robson signs autographs for fans before playing in Mick Lambert's testimonial game (Image: Newsquest)

He was waiting, bleary-eyed, when I arrived at his house the next morning. He slept for much of the trip to the Potteries. He played in a 3-3 draw. It was his final first team appearance for the club even though he gave a sound performance.

When Ipswich Town were playing Bristol City at Ashton Gate I was sitting beside Roger Malone, West Country football correspondent for the Daily Telegraph.

I asked him how Paul Mariner was playing at Home Park. His reply took me by surprise. "He will be signing for West Ham in the next 48 hours."

Robson had told me, off the record, of his interest in Mariner.

I alerted him that he would need to act quickly. Next day he asked me to find the home number of Plymouth manager Tony Waiters.

I had contacts in the West Country so Robson was able stall the West Ham move.

Tony helped Town sign Paul Mariner (Image: Archant)

West Bromwich were also interested but Robson was able to pull off one of the smartest deals of his career.

He let defender John Peddelty and striker Terry Austin move to Devon in part exchange.

It was an inspired piece of business although Peddelty’s head injury, a fractured skull, meant that he was soon forced into retirement and life in the police force.

Robson always felt that, as manager, he should be the highest paid member of staff.

One day Mariner asked for a pay rise. Robson was aghast. He said to coach Bobby Ferguson: "PM wants a pay rise. If I allow that he’ll be paid more than me!"

The level-headed Ferguson said: "He’s helping to keep us in a job, isn’t he?"

My close relationship with Robson became more distant from the time of the FA Cup final in 1978.

He was now a well-established manager of a club side with success in Europe. He had no need of support from a regional journalist.