Bobby Robson: More Than a Manager

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Bobby Robson: More Than a Manager
Directed by
Written by Gabriel Clarke
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyAndrew White
Edited bySteve Williams
Music byJim Copperthwaite
Production
company
Noah Media Group
Distributed byNoahX
Release date
  • 1 July 2018 (2018-07-01)
Running time
99 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Bobby Robson: More Than A Manager is a 2018 British feature-length film about the life of former England Manager Bobby Robson, directed by Gabriel Clarke and Torquil Jones. The film was produced by Noah Media Group and was distributed in the UK by NoahX (distribution arm of Noah Media Group).The documentary relies primarily on archive footage of Robson, such as home videos, interviews and archive footage from Robson's managerial career at FC Barcelona, Newcastle United F.C., Ipswich Town F.C., and during his tenure as England Manager. The film partnered with the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and features interviews from players and managers who worked with Robson.

Contents

Content

The film's narrative is focused on the life and death of Bobby Robson as a football manager. The timeline of the film jumps between key points of Robson's managerial career, beginning with 1995. Robson explains the prognosis of his cancer, and the surgery he undertook. His surgeon, Huw Davies, had advised him to retire from Football, but Robson decided to go against the advice and became the manager of FC Barcelona 9 months later. [1]

The documentary illustrates Robson's life beginning with first managerial appointment at Ipswich Town Football Club from 1969, [2] his path as England Manager in 1982, [3] his managing abroad in Holland, Portugal and FC Barcelona, before ending his career with Newcastle United. [4] The film showcases the many accolades Robson had managed to obtain throughout his time as a Football manager. In addition to this, the documentary also depicts Robson's personal life with his family, containing interviews with Elsie and Mark Robson, detailing how Robson's managerial career impacted his family life.

Release

Special preview screenings of the film were held at St James' Park [5] on 22 May, Wembley Stadium [6] on 23 May and Portman Road Stadium [7] on 25 May, featuring Q&A's with the directors alongside ex-football players.

The opening preview screenings of the Bobby Robson: More Than A Manager (2018) film were held at the Curzon Cinemas in Soho, London and the Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle on 31 May 2018.

Digital and home media

The film was released digitally on Amazon and iTunes 1 June 2018, [8] DVD and Blu-ray's were released on 4 June 2018. [9]

Reception

Critical reception

Bobby Robson: More Than A Manager received critical acclaim from critics. The film holds a 100% approval rating on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on six reviews. [10] The film was given 5 stars out of 5 by Sam Parker from Esquire magazine , expressing that More Than A Manager is "the best sports documentary since Senna ". [11] Andrew Pulver from The Guardian gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, writing that Bobby Robson: More Than A Manager is a "portrait of an England icon". [12] Michael Hogan from The Telegraph also gave the film 4 stars out of 5, stating that "As Mourinho says before the credits roll: 'A person only dies when the last person who loves him dies.' By this measure, Bobby Robson lives on and burns bright. More than a manager, he was my hero. Thanks for the memories, boss.'" [13]

Accolades

AwardCategoryOutcome
Sports Journalists' Association [14] Television Sport or FeatureWon
Grierson Awards [15] Best Historical DocumentShortlisted

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References

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  2. Sengupta, Somnath (24 August 2016). "Remembering Ipswich Town's odyssey in Europe under Bobby Robson". These Football Times. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  3. Wilson, Jeremy (31 July 2009). "Sir Bobby Robson: The England years 1982-1990". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  4. "Sir Bobby Robson". Newcastle United Football Club. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  5. Whetstone, David (27 March 2018). "Fancy tickets for Bobby Robson film at St James' Park?". nechronicle. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  6. "Bobby Robson: More Than A Manager screening - News - England Supporters Club". englandsupporters.thefa.com. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  7. "Details revealed for 'Bobby film' premiere". Newcastle United Football Club. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  8. "Bobby Robson: More Than A Manager Trailer". Film @ The Digital Fix. 20 April 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  9. Watson, Stuart. "Watch the trailer for 'Bobby Robson: More Than A Manager'". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  10. "Bobby Robson: More Than a Manager". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  11. Parker, Sam (21 May 2018). "'Bobby Robson: More Than A Manager', Review: The Best Sports Documentary Since Senna". Esquire. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  12. Pulver, Andrew (1 June 2018). "Bobby Robson: More Than a Manager review – portrait of an England icon". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  13. Hogan, Michael (5 June 2018). "Bobby Robson: More Than A Manager review: tough, fair, and inspirational – just like the man himself". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  14. "Media release: Winners at the British Sports Journalism awards – Sports Journalists' Association" . Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  15. "The Grierson Trust - Shortlist". griersontrust.org. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
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