Sir Bobby Robson film: Terry Butcher remembers 'honest, loyal fighter' ahead of 'More Than A Manager' documentary release

Sir Bobby Robson is a national treasure. The former England manager, who died nine years ago at the age of 76, is remembered fondly across football. It was not always that way.

“He had tough times,” Terry Butcher said. “He was a fighter.”

Butcher, who came through the Ipswich Town youth system under Robson and went on to anchor the England defence during his mentor’s tenure in charge of the national team, is one of the many former players and managers who pay tribute to Sir Bobby in a new film to be released on June 1. Bobby Robson: More Than A Manager, charts a remarkable career and features contributions from Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and a host of football’s most famous names. A special screening at Wembley on Wednesday will feature a Q&A session involving Butcher.

Few knew Robson for as long as the former England captain. The 59-year-old first met the man who would have a huge impact on his career in 1976 when undergoing a trial at Portman Road. “He signed me for £50 per week,” Butcher said. “He had a great way with players. He said to me, ‘whenever I select you, you never let me down.’ I’ve never forgotten.”

Times were tough at Ipswich. “He was literally fighting people for his first four years there,” Butcher recalls. “There was only one training pitch adjacent to the stands.”

Success did not come easily but Robson’s team challenged for the title on a regular basis and won the FA Cup and Uefa Cup during his 13 years in charge.

“Players loved two things about him: his loyalty and honesty,” Butcher said. “You didn’t mess with him, though. If you got something wrong he’d let you know. He didn’t suffer fools.”

When Robson accepted the England job in 1982 he suffered an unprecedented assault by the tabloid press. The national side – and their manager – became the target of increasingly hysterical headlines. “There was a newspaper circulation war and they were trying to outdo each other,” Butcher said. “Bobby was an easy target.”

Glory came almost within touching distance in Robson’s two World Cups at the helm. In 1986, England reached the quarter-finals, only to be undone by Diego Maradona in the infamous ‘Hand of God’ game that Argentina won 2-1. Four years later the Three Lions went a step further, bowing out on penalties to West Germany in a heartbreaking semi-final in Turin. By the time he left to join PSV Eindhoven, Robson had been the subject of sticker-badge campaigns to have him sacked, been told “In the name of Allah, go” after a draw with Saudi Arabia and been labelled a traitor in the lead-up to Italia 90 for taking the PSV job. “He was hammered by the press but it helped him bond with the team,” Butcher said. “Whenever he was backed into a corner he came out swinging.”

The 1990s were the golden age of Robson’s career. He won two Dutch titles in Eindhoven, won the league twice in Portugal while in charge of Porto and brought three trophies – including the Cup-Winners’ Cup – to the Nou Camp in his first season at Barcelona.

“He was very adaptable,” Butcher said. “He couldn’t speak the language in any of these places but he tried. It didn’t quite come off but people appreciated it. He was the last English manager to win a European trophy.”

Robson was notorious for forgetting and confusing the names of his players. The comic effect of this was exacerbated by life abroad. “He didn’t need to be funny, he just was,” Butcher said. “I always think about him with a smile.”

It was not all laughs, though. Mourinho, Andre Villas-Boas and a number of other famous names had their careers kick-started by Robson’s time on the continent. “There’s a list of people at various clubs who can thank him,” Butcher said. “It’s like a royal line.”

On his return to England Robson found the game was changing. “He couldn’t comprehend the money sloshing around,” Butcher said. “He found it strange.” His final job at Newcastle United – a homecoming for the boy from County Durham – cemented Robson’s image as an avuncular ambassador for the game. Even after he parted company with Newcastle after five years, he remained in the public eye as he battled cancer.

“He was very big on family,” Butcher said. “Every time you saw him he’d ask about the family.” His approach changed, too. “He called me Butcher throughout my career. In those last years he started calling me Terry. It meant a lot.”

Illness had dogged Robson since the 1990s. “He battled cancer five times and lost just once,” Butcher said. “That’s a 4-1 win as far as I’m concerned.”

How good a manager was Robson? “Right at the top with Alex Ferguson.” Butcher said. “He gives you a warm glow thinking about him. It makes me proud. Go see the film. And take a box of tissues.”