December 20 – Robbo’s Sick Note
OCCASIONALLY on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday old Jeff Stelling will ask for an update from one of his minions stationed at football grounds around the country.
When he isn’t screaming ‘It’s unbelievable Jeff!” down the microphone Chris Kamara sometimes bellows: “It’s all Spurs at the moment Jeff, Bolton haven’t even turned up.”
On this day in 1996 that was literally true when Bryan Robson announced that so many of his Middlesbrough team were ill or injured that the club couldn’t fulfill their Premier League fixture with Blackburn.
This was the mid-point in an extraodinary season for the Teeside club. Having been promoted in 1995 under Robson Boro had done well the following season finishing in 12th place in the Premier League.
In 1996 the club were struggling under Robbo’s management and the failure to play the match against Blackburn would prove to be their undoing. They were docked three points by the Premier League for their crime which saw them relegated on the final day of the season.
Even if they had fielded a team made up entirely of reserve and youth team players and got thumped 12-0 the Teesiders would still have avoided the dreaded drop. Perhaps this just didn’t occur to Robbo who is currently overseeing Sheffield United’s remarkable rise to 12th in the Championship.
Boro’s relegation was only half the story of their season as they also enjoyed storming cup runs which took them to the final of both the FA and League Cup.
It was indeed the season of heroic failure for Robbo and his charges however as not only were they relegated because of that unfortunate bout of flu, but they also lost both cup finals. Defeat snatched from the jaws of victory on all three fronts – a unique if unenviable record.
After the crushing disappointment of relegation and losing two cup finals it is fair to say many a chairman’s patience would have snapped there and then but Steve Gibson is a uniquely loyal man, and rather than sack the hapless Robson, he simply threw money at the problem and the club were promoted back up to the top table the following season.
This short film is entitled: ‘Middlesbrough F.C we shall overcome.’ We can only assume the words ‘Bryan Robson’s inept management’ were missed off the end of that.
More fun and games tomorrow pop pickers so tune in then. Not arf mate.
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