Had Sir Bobby Robson’s sacking been expected?
You would have to say the writing was on the wall for Sir Bobby Robson. Last season was extremely difficult for Newcastle - they didn’t qualify for the group phase of the Champions League and that meant the whole year was spent playing catch up. The whole season was a big drain on everybody and this season started the same way. That tended to make his position there seem untenable.
His authority at the club has been dramatically undermined by rows in the dressing room, such as Kieron Dyer’s refusal to play on the right wing against Middlesbrough. That loss of authority in the dressing room made his sacking almost inevitable.
His time at Newcastle started well, so what went wrong?
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When he’d taken over the job five years ago Newcastle were bottom of the league and facing relegation. He got them back to being title contenders again. The club has the talent to compete and Robson says the current squad is the best the club has ever had. It’s the Champions League failure that has cost him his position.
Did he still have the support of the fans?
His support among the Newcastle fans had become a little mixed. He certainly had tremendous support among the fans, who recognise he is a Geordie and a wonderful man.
But they also recognise the results have not been there. There was no easy scapegoat at the club in this situation but the tide of opinion had been starting to turn against him.
Who’s his likely successor?
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While most people are still coming to terms with him leaving, some of the names mentioned as a possible successor for Robson include Alan Shearer, Terry Venables and Gerard Houllier. I think those people are more likely that some of the other usual suspects being named, like Martin O’Neill and Steve Bruce.
Shearer is still getting his manager’s accreditation so he can’t take over fully yet, but by next season he will have stopped playing and has always been seen as a potential manager.
Would Shearer be a good choice?
Shearer would certainly have the necessary dressing room authority. He’s also much younger and would command respect from the players; remember Robson is 71 and is 50 years older than some of the players he managed.
Shearer would have that dressing room presence - whether it would translate into success is another question but he certainly has the qualities to do it.
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Shearer was on the bench in the last game and was also benched in what turned out to be former coach Ruud Gullit’s last match in charge. What role did he play in this?
Saturday in fact was five years to the day since Ruud Gullit left the club. But I think that is far more a coincidence than anything else. It’s the loss of the Champions League and the money that goes with that that has cost Bobby Robson. There’s no suggestion that Shearer has been working against him.
Is this now the end of Sir Bobby’s career?
Not according to him. He’s talked about working on for a few years and so he will definitely want to get back on the field. It’s certainly a sad end to his career at Newcastle - he’d desperately wanted to bring silverware to the club - but I think there’s life in Bobby Robson yet.