Sir Bobby Robson was one of the greatest-ever English coaches, winning four league titles, the UEFA Cup, the FA Cup and much more during his stint working with teams such as Fulham, Ipswich Town, PSV Eindhoven, Sporting CP, Porto, Barcelona, and Newcastle United.
After winning the UEFA Cup with Ipswich, England decided they wanted to snap him up, and so made him manager in 1982. He would hold the job for the next eight years, taking the Three Lions to the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup, which was then the national team's best run in the competition since 1966.
Although he failed to deliver any silverware for his country, he is still fondly remembered as a fine coach. And seeing as Alf Ramsey remains the only man to win a major trophy with the Three Lions – with Sarina Wiegman being the only coach to do the same for the Lionesses – Robson is hardly alone in his failure.
Perhaps England could have achieved more on the international stage, however, had they put their faith in someone else.
Sir Bobby Robson Felt Clough Deserved England Shot
'He would have ruffled a few feathers...'
Sir Bobby certainly felt one man probably deserved a shot at least, and few would disagree. After all, he suggested the legendary manager Brian Clough could have been a 'good' option for the Three Lions, saying:
“He would have ruffled a few feathers and disturbed the corridors of power but I think he would have been a good England manager.
“Clough had good judgement, knew how to design a team and was a great motivator.”
Clough certainly was a fantastic coach and a true English legend of the sport. After all, he won the league and the European Cup (twice) with Nottingham Forest, having already lifted the old First Division during an earlier stint at Derby County. However, despite applying several times for the England job and being a popular choice for the role, he was never appointed.
Clough's strong personality May Have Cost Him
Famously fell out with Don Revie
As Robson alluded to, Clough was known for his strong personality, and this may well have explained why he didn't get the offer. He was typically cheeky when talking about the disappointment, famously saying:
"I'm sure the England selectors thought if they took me on and gave me the job, I'd want to run the show. They were shrewd because that's exactly what I would have done.”
It likely didn't help that the former Forest manager was so outspoken. He famously did not get on with ex-England boss Don Revie, too. Indeed, Clough openly admitted to hating his Leeds United team of the 60s and 70s, once explaining: "I despised what they stood for. Systematically putting referees under pressure, both physical and verbal, their overreactions, and the unsavoury spectacle of Bremner running alongside the referee constantly yelling in his ear."
Revie won the FA Cup, League Cup, and two First Division as Leeds United boss, and this sufficiently impressed the FA to hire him in 1974. Clough then went on to replace him at Elland Road. He lasted 44 days before he was sacked, having upset many of Leeds' star players after reportedly telling them: 'You can all throw your medals in the bin because they were not won fairly.'
Incidents like that most likely explain why he was never appointed as England manager.