Sir Bobby get into Italia 90 mood.
North East News…
Sir Bobby Robson has seen countless football matches at St James’ Park – the ground he first visited with his father in the 1930s.
And he will see another on Sunday July 26, only this time the players and the crowd will be there to back him.
England v Germany, the Sir Bobby Robson Trophy charity match, will be a night to remember for Sir Bobby and his family. It will also create memories to treasure for the crowd, which already numbers more than 20,000, who join him inside the ground. Proceeds go to the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation which has raised over £1.3 million to fight cancer in the region and which focuses on clinical trials of new drugs and treatments.
Sir Bobby, aged 76, is now fighting cancer for a fifth and, he acknowledges, final time – but even this has not dimmed his enthusiasm for life and football.
The Sir Bobby Robson Trophy pits two great national rivals against each other but the real fight is being played out away from the pitch and inside the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. This centre was equipped through donations to The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and two specialist research posts, a doctor and a nurse, are now also being funded thanks to the charity.
So for anyone touched by cancer, the Sir Bobby Robson Trophy is more than just a football match. It is an opportunity to show support for the personal battle against the disease that Sir Bobby continues to wage and to do something practical to help the one in three people in this country who will also contract the devastating illness.
In the words of fellow cancer sufferer and former Newcastle United captain Bob Moncur: “Given everything he’s going through, what Sir Bobby has done in raising this money in such a short time is just incredible. I went through colon cancer two years ago and while I can’t say it was exactly a pleasant experience it was minute compared to what Bobby has been through. His experiences with cancer are in a different league and yet he keeps on going.
“I know myself the importance of having a great medical team around you. I never felt alone when I had my treatment at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. There was always someone there, a doctor, a nurse or whoever it might be to pick me up when it was hard going. I know there will be a big turn-out for Bobby for the England v Germany game because of the respect he’s held in. I hope has a fantastic night and raises a lot of money for his charity.
Breaking news
Ticket sales, already over 25,000 and counting, are likely to pick up even further with the announcement that Newcastle United’s greatest ever goal scorer – Alan Shearer will be lining up in the all star team.
The Newcastle United legend joins fellow black and white stars Paul Gascoigne, Peter Beardsley, Les Ferdinand, Robert Lee, John Beresford and Steve Howey on Sir Bobby’s team sheet and is in no doubt how important this game is.
Alan says: “Sunday will be a great day and I’m looking forward to being part of it. It will be very special to play in front of a crowd at St James’ Park again. Bobby really deserves this match after everything he’s done. I feel I owe him a personal debt. When he came in as Newcastle manager he got me enjoying football again and playing the way I can.
“He helped me when I needed it and I’m very happy to help him now,” said Alan.
Tickets for the Sir Bobby Robson Trophy are available via Newcastle United’s Box Office 0844 372 1892 website www.nufc.co.uk or through www.ticketmaster.co.uk and cost £10 for adults and £5 for children.
