RIP Sir Bobby Robson

After a long battle with cancer Sir Bobby Robson passed away. He was a great man and true friend of football. Our thoughts and wishes are with his wife and family at this sad time.

31st July, 2009

The following statement was released:

"It is with great sadness that it has been announced today that Sir Bobby Robson has lost his long and courageous battle with cancer. He died very peacefully this morning at his home in County Durham with his wife and family beside him. Sir Bobby's funeral will be private and for family members only. A thanksgiving service in celebration of Sir Bobby's life will be held at a later date for his many friends and colleagues. Lady Robson and the family would very much appreciate it if their privacy could be respected at this difficult time."

Club Invite Fans To Pay Sir Bobby Tributes

NEWCASTLE United are offering supporters the opportunity to pay tribute to Sir Bobby Robson who passed away on Friday aged 76. Anyone wishing to lay tributes to Sir Bobby may gain access to St James Park on Friday until 5pm and on Saturday/Sunday between 9am - 5pm via the Tunnel access at the North West Corner of the Stadium.

The Club would also like to invite fans to email their tributes to website@nufc.co.uk and we will post as many as possible on nufc.co.uk throughout the day

Thanks to Marie Charlton for the picture.

Shearer Leads Sir Bobby Tributes

"He was a great man. Sunday was a fitting tribute to him and he will be sadly missed by everyone, not just by people in the football world but from all walks of life. It's a very sad day for everyone, especially his family, his close friends and anyone who's ever worked with him. Bobby was a people's man. He could get on with anybody no matter what age they were and that says a lot about the kind of man he was and why he was so highly thought of. He was held in high regard across the world not only for what he did in football but for what he did in life. He was a winner, a battler and a fighter and he fought until the very last. I've got a lot to thank him for. He saved my Newcastle career - there's no doubt about that - and I'm just pleased I had the chance to tell him that and thank him for it."

Peter Beardsley said Sir Bobby 'Best Manager'

"Sir Bobby was the best manager I have ever worked with. He was a players' manager. He never criticised his players and always did the best he could for us. Every football person in the world will be sad today. It was nice for me to have been part of Sunday's charity game and I think it was fitting that his last public appearance should be at St.James' Park. I won 59 England caps and 49 of them were with Sir Bobby, he did many, many good things for me with England and I will miss him dearly."

Leeds Siege Mentality in Dressing Room

Steven Taylor talking to The Journal

There’s a massive siege mentality within the dressing room,” said the defender, a former season ticket holder at St James’s Park. “We know we’re there to be shot at at the moment, but we’re pulling together as a squad. We’ve brought some of the younger lads into the senior changing room, and formed a really close group. The younger lads are going to be with us throughout the season so we want them to get a feel of what it’s going to be like.

It’s a close squad now and we have to be like that. Maybe we weren’t like that last season, but this season we certainly need to be.

Things can turn around very quickly at this football club. You feel as though it’s us against the world at times, and that can be a massive

thing. When we win, I don’t think we get the credit we deserve, but that’s something you get with playing for this football club. If you don’t like it, quit if you want. We need players who want to play for this club.

It’s going to be a very difficult season. We’re going to be playing three games in a week fairly regularly, but we’re just going to have to get our heads down and get on with it. We’re going to have to look out for each other and stick together.

Everybody is going to have to graft in every game. If people didn’t want to be at the club, they would be pulling out of challenges and hiding. Every player who played against Leeds wants to play for Newcastle United.

We haven’t got a clue what’s happening, but as players we just get on with it. It’s like us against the world at the minute but that could work in our favour. As long as we stick together as a group of players, whatever else happens will happen.

If players leave, players leave. What they’ll leave is a group of lads 100% committed to this club. We’ve shown that in training and most of the pre-season games. There are no slackers on the training field.”

£10million offer from Tottenham Hotspur for Bassong

Newcastle have reportly turned down an offer from Spurs fr Sebastien Bassong. He recently said "It's no secret that I want to leave because I want to play in the Premier League".

International Call Ups

Damien Duff has been named in the Republic of Ireland squad for their friendly with Australia next month, along with ex Mag Shay Given now of Man City.