Editing Bobby Robson (section)

== Early life ==
Bobby Robson was born on 18 February 1933 in [[Sacriston]], County Durham, the fourth of five sons of Philip and Lilian Robson (née Watt).<ref>{{cite book
 | last = Robson
 | first = Bobby
 | title = Farewell but Not Goodbye
 | publisher = Hodder & Stoughton
 | year = 2005
 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/farewellbutnotgo0000robs/page/6 6]
 | chapter = Going underground
 | isbn = 0-340-82346-1
 | chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/farewellbutnotgo0000robs/page/6
 }}</ref> When he was a few months old, Robson's family moved to the nearby village of [[Langley Park, County Durham|Langley Park]] where his father was a coal miner. Their two-bedroom house had no bath and an [[outside toilet]].<ref name="ODNB">{{Cite ODNB |title=Robson, Sir Robert William [Bobby] (1933–2009), footballer and football manager |url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/display/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-102190 |access-date=2023-01-05 |year=2013 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/102190 |language=en|last1=Vamplew |first1=Wray }}</ref> As a boy, he was often taken by his father to watch [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]] play at [[St James' Park]] on Saturday afternoons, requiring a 34-mile round trip.<ref name="ODNB"/><ref name="Dream to manage Newcastle">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/football/news/432906.stm
|title=Robson: Dream to manage Newcastle
|work=BBC Sport
|access-date=13 June 2007
|date=30 September 1999}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 | last = Robson
 | title = Farewell but Not Goodbye
 | year = 2005
 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/farewellbutnotgo0000robs/page/15 15]
 | publisher = Hodder & Stoughton
 | isbn = 0-340-84064-1
 | url = https://archive.org/details/farewellbutnotgo0000robs/page/15
 }}</ref> Robson described [[Jackie Milburn]] and [[Len Shackleton]] as his childhood heroes.<ref name="Dream to manage Newcastle"/> Both played for Newcastle in the inside-forward position, the position Robson would later assume during his playing career.

Robson attended Langley Park Primary School and then [[Waterhouses, County Durham|Waterhouses]] [[secondary modern school]], after failing his [[eleven-plus]] but the headmaster did not allow the school football team to join a league.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/columnists/backtrack/3695160.Three_Tuns_reunite_with_tons_of_happy_memories/ |title=Three Tuns reunite with tons of happy memories |newspaper=The Northern Echo |location=Darlington |date=23 September 2008 |access-date=2 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120930231650/http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/columnists/backtrack/3695160.Three_Tuns_reunite_with_tons_of_happy_memories/ |archive-date=30 September 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Instead, he began to play for Langley Park Juniors on Saturday mornings at age 11, and by the time he was 15, he was representing the club at under-18 level.<ref>{{cite book
 | last = Robson
 | title = Farewell but Not Goodbye
 | year = 2005
 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/farewellbutnotgo0000robs/page/8 8]
 | publisher = Hodder & Stoughton
 | isbn = 0-340-84064-1
 | url = https://archive.org/details/farewellbutnotgo0000robs/page/8
 }}</ref> Robson played football whenever he possibly could but left school aged 15 to start work as an electrician's apprentice for the [[National Coal Board]] in the Langley Park [[colliery]].<ref name="ODNB"/><ref>{{cite book
 | last = Robson
 | title = Farewell but Not Goodbye
 | year = 2005
 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/farewellbutnotgo0000robs/page/1 1]
 | publisher = Hodder & Stoughton
 | isbn = 0-340-84064-1
 | url = https://archive.org/details/farewellbutnotgo0000robs/page/1
 }}</ref> In May 1950, [[Bill Dodgin, Sr.|Bill Dodgin]], the manager of [[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]], made a personal visit to the Robson household to offer Bobby a professional contract. Despite being offered a contract by nearby [[Middlesbrough F.C.|Middlesbrough]], the offer made by Dodgin was too attractive to turn down, so he signed for Fulham and moved to London,<ref name=espn/><ref name=p1819>{{cite book
 | last = Robson
 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/farewellbutnotgo0000robs/page/18 18–19]
 | title = Farewell but Not Goodbye
 | year = 2005
 | publisher = Hodder & Stoughton
 | isbn = 0-340-84064-1
 | url = https://archive.org/details/farewellbutnotgo0000robs/page/18
 }}</ref><ref name=nufc>{{Cite web
 |url=http://www.nufc.co.uk/page/Club/History/ClubHistory/0,,10278~2109011,00.html
 |title=Newcastle United F.C. History&nbsp;– Bobby Robson
 |access-date=4 February 2013
 |publisher=Newcastle United F.C.
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130219052615/http://www.nufc.co.uk/page/Club/History/ClubHistory/0%2C%2C10278~2109011%2C00.html
 |archive-date=19 February 2013}}</ref> playing as a wing half and inside forward.<ref name=tenfacts/> Robson had also interested his beloved Newcastle, but he opted to join Fulham as, in his opinion, "Newcastle made no appreciable effort to secure [my] signature." He also thought he stood a better chance of breaking into the first team at Fulham.<ref name="ODNB"/> Robson had [[Hearing loss|partial deafness]] in one ear, which rendered him ineligible to be called up for [[national service]].<ref>{{cite news | url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/5946721/Sir-Bobby-Robson.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/5946721/Sir-Bobby-Robson.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | title= Sir Bobby Robson | work=The Daily Telegraph | date=31 July 2009 | access-date=8 September 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref>