Sir Alex Ferguson made it known why England fell short during the Golden Generation, after predicting they would falter at the World Cup in 2002. The iconic former Manchester United boss highlighted the lack of a young starlet breaking into the team and problems on the left flank.
The English Football Association dreamed of appointing Ferguson during his legendary reign at Old Trafford, but he confirmed that he twice turned down the "terrible" role (via The Guardian):
"It's a poisoned chalice anyway – I think it's a terrible job – plus the fact that I would have had a tremendous handicap being Scottish; no matter which way you look it, that's important."
Ferguson opted not to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Kevin Keegan and Terry Venables, but the FA's pursuit of a Scot emphasised the lack of top English representation in major jobs in club and international football.
A fair number of English managers clashed with Sir Alex during their managerial careers in the Premier League. He held one in the highest regard, having forged a strong friendship despite their battles on the touchline.
Ferguson: "Tremendous" England Manager Was "Unsurpassed"
The Man Utd icon paid tribute
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The England job, as Ferguson suggested, can consume you. Ask his former United assistant Steve McClaren, whose reputation took a significant knock when the Three Lions failed to qualify for Euro 2008.
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England's performance at Italia '90 is one that most fans at the time both cherished and reflect on with regret. Sir Bobby Robson's men made it to the semi-finals before suffering a heartbreaking defeat to West Germany.
Robson earned the respect of fans despite the Three Lions' failure to win a major trophy during his reign. He remains one of the most popular managers in history and a role model for aspiring tacticians.
Ferguson knew how intelligent the Sacriston-born coach was when going head-to-head with 'Bobby Five-O' each time Manchester United and Newcastle United met in the Premier League. He penned a heartwarming tribute following his passing on July 31, 2009, after a long battle with cancer (via The Guardian):
"In my 23 years working in England there is not a person I would put an inch above Bobby Robson. I mourn the passing of a great friend, a wonderful individual, a tremendous football man and somebody with passion and knowledge of the game that was unsurpassed. His character was hewn out of the coal face, developed by the Durham County mining background that he came from."
Robson's warmth and enthusiasm blended with a love for the game, but also a hardworking mentality, which Ferguson explained:
"His parents instilled in him the discipline and standards which forged the character of a genuinely colossal human being."
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Robson began his managerial career at Fulham in January 1968, following his retirement from the game as a 20-cap England international. He entered the dugout at a difficult time, but couldn't guide the Cottagers out of a relegation scrap and parted ways after 10 months.
A second bite at the coaching cherry was much sweeter for the Englishman as he transformed Ipswich Town into a UEFA Cup-winning team, including significant wins over St-Etienne and AZ Alkmaar in the final. He also steered the Tractor Boys to the FA Cup final victory over Arsenal in 1978.
Robson's success with Ipswich didn't go unnoticed, and he earned the England job in 1982 before returning to club football after eight years. This time, he went European, first taking over Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven, where he oversaw two title wins before moving to Portugal for a brief stint at Sporting CP. He then took over FC Porto, claiming two Liga Portugal titles and four domestic cups.
His time at Barcelona saw him mentor Jose Mourinho, while also taking the Spanish heavyweights to European Cup Winners' Cup and Copa del Rey glory in 1997. His former assistant, Mourinho, insisted in 2019, "Mr Robson doesn't come to my memory just for tactics or training or method, he comes to me as this person."
Robson moved into a director role at Camp Nou before returning to the PSV hotseat in 1998. He concluded his managerial career at Newcastle United, where he oversaw a remarkable turnaround in the Magpies' fortunes, which included qualifying for the Champions League.
|Sir Bobby Robson's Managerial Career|
|Teams Managed:|Ipswich|Newcastle|PSV|England|Barcelona|Porto|Sporting|
|Games Managed:|687|255|128|94|60|33|13|
|Games Won:|299|119|77|47|39|17|8|
|Games Drawn:|170|63|29|29|12|10|1|
|Games Lost:|218|73|22|18|9|6|4|
|Achievements:|FA Cup, UEFA Cup|Champions League qualification|Eredivisie title 2x|World Cup 1990 semifinals|Copa del Rey, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, Supercopa de Espana|Primeira Liga, Portuguese Cup, Portuguese Super Cup|Third-Place (UEFA Cup qualification)|
|---|
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Robson Convinced Ferguson To Stay At Man Utd
"Why would he want to hand it over to someone else?"
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Ferguson is quite simply the best British manager in history, dominating English football during an unrivalled 26-season reign at Manchester United. The Scot won 13 Premier League titles, two Champions League trophies, and was the first coach to ever win a continental treble on English shores.
There were periods of uncertainty over Ferguson's future, including 2005, just a few months after the Glazers completed a debt-riddling takeover of the club. His Red Devils side had made a disappointing start to the campaign, falling behind Chelsea in the title race and the boo boys were out.
Ferguson turned to Robson for support during that period and the iconic English tactician wasn't having any of it (via The Guardian):
"He confided in me he was thinking of packing it in. I was almost angry with him. I first demanded to know what the heck he was going to do instead."
Ferguson could quite easily have called it a day and gone down the punditry route, or rode off into the sunset while enjoying more time with his other love of watching horse racing.
Robson added:
"Secondly, I asked him, having worked so hard to build a great club and a great young team, why would he want to hand it over to someone else and risk it being spoiled?"
The Manchester United side of 2005 was one of many teams Ferguson assembled during his lengthy tenure at Old Trafford. Wayne Rooney arrived a year earlier, while Roy Keane was sent packing by the fiery Scot in November 2005.
Ferguson stayed and continued to tussle with the greats of European management. He claimed his second Champions League trophy in 2008 and five more Premier League titles before retiring in 2013.
The legendary pair would likely have cracked open a bottle of red wine had Robson been around to celebrate his close friend's phenomenal career. Maybe a laugh or two about their managerial tussles, which saw Sir Alex go unbeaten in their last five meetings.
All statistics courtesy ofTransfermarkt - correct as of 17.06.2025
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