The grand old man who left an indelible impression

BOBBY ROBSON couldn’t always be there in body for the Republic of Ireland but he was always there in spirit.

There are any people in the world of football who can claim long and close associations with Robson but we, in the Irish press corps, are not among them. However, even in the tragically short time he moved among us, the grand old man made an indelible impression.

Perhaps the classic memory is from an afternoon late in November 2006 when, having only recently recovered sufficiently from surgery on a brain tumour to permit him to link up once again with Steve Staunton and the Irish squad in Portmarnock, he held a gaggle of us spellbound as he recreated the battle of Paul McShane and Jan Koller in the previous month’s 1-1 draw at Lansdowne Road.