Bryan Robson

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Bryan Robson Bicara Soal Kans Man United ke Indonesia

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Mantan pemain Manchester United, Bryan Robson (59), berbicara banyak tentang Manchester United saat hadir di peluncuran kartu prabayar Danamon Flazz Manchester United di Jakarta, Kamis (3/11/2016). Salah satu yang dibahasnya adalah kans Man United datang menemui para penggemar di Indonesia.

Robson, pemain yang memperkuat Man United dari 1981-1994, mengatakan bahwa kans Setan Merah untuk juara Premier League musim 2016-2017 memang tipis.

Namun, Wayne Rooney dkk tetap bisa lolos ke Liga Champions pada akhir musim depan.

Manchester United saat ini berada di posisi kedelapan klasemen sementara Premier League. Mereka baru mengumpulkan 15 poin dari 10 pekan, hasil empat kali menang, tiga kali seri, dan tiga kali kalah.

Skuat asuhan Jose Mourinho tersebut tertinggal delapan pekan dari rival sekota mereka, Manchester City, yang menguasai klasemen.

Robson, eks kapten Manchester United, mengatakan bahwa kans mantan klubnya untuk juara memang tidak banyak.

Namun, Man United masih punya waktu cukup banyak untuk memperkuat peringkat mereka.

"Saya tidak yakin kami bisa jadi juara, tetapi masih ada kesempatan untuk setidaknya finis di 4 Besar dan lolos ke Liga Champions. Jose Mourinho adalah pelatih yang bagus dan saya rasa kami bisa mengecap sukses bersamanya, tetapi dia perlu waktu," kata Robson kepada JUARA.

Robson mengatakan bahwa Mourinho masih membiasakan diri dengan kekuatan dan kelemahan Man United pada musim perdananya.

Para pemain pun diminta mendengarkan instruksi Mourinho selama sisa kompetisi.

"Musim ini akan jadi musim yang panjang. Yang harus para pemain lakukan adalah tetap berkonsentrasi dan bekerja keras, serta mendengarkan kata-kata Mourinho. Jangan sampai kegagalan meraih poin di dua pertandingan terakhir terulang," kata Robson.

Lalu, menurut Robson, kapan kira-kira Man United bisa berkunjung ke Indonesia?

"Man United selalu berusaha memperlakukan para penggemar dan mitra di setiap negara dengan adil. Kami ingin pergi ke Amerika Serikat untuk bertemu penggemar di sana, dan berharap setelah itu bisa mengunjungi para penggemar di Asia agar mereka juga bisa bertemu tim," kata Robson.

Ucapan Robson tersebut senada dengan kata-kata Soni Darusman, Chief Marketing Officer Danamon.

Dia berharap kemitraan antara Danamon dan Man United sejak 2006 bisa memberi kans mereka membawa Setan Merah ke Tanah Air.

"Kami selalu menunggu waktu yang tepat untuk membawa Manchester United. Tentunya dengan melihat juga waktu yang tepat dan jadwal Manchester United di jeda musim panas," kata Soni.

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ROBSON VISITS IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM

Manchester United legend Bryan Robson visited Imperial War Museum North on Armistice Day to pay his respects and learn more about a family member who fought in World War One.

Following some extensive research that was conducted by staff at Old Trafford's museum, it was discovered that Robson had several relatives involved in the First World War, including his great grandfather George Jackson who died at the Battle of the Somme on 16 September 1916. The 100th anniversary of the battle ending falls next Friday, 18 November.

"It's amazing to look back at this sort of thing," said Bryan, when told about George's story by United's museum curator Mark Wylie.

"I didn't realise that at all. Nobody in the family has ever really spoken about the family tree."

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ROBSON: MOURINHO WON'T NEED A TEAM TALK

Manchester United legend Bryan Robson believes Jose Mourinho will not need to give a rousing team talk to his troops ahead of Sunday's pivotal Premier League clash with Liverpool.

Victory for the Reds would close the gap on the Merseysiders, reckoned by many to be Chelsea's chief rivals for the title, to a mere two points and a 10th successive win in all competitions would raise morale even further at Old Trafford.

The boss has already stressed he wants the supporters to play a key role at the weekend and ex-skipper Robson, who turned 60 on Wednesday, feels a special atmosphere can only benefit the home side.

"The fans can have a massive part to play in raising the players’ tempo in a game and getting right behind them by encouraging the team," said Robson. "I don’t think we have had many decisions go well for us at Old Trafford this season, quite a few have gone against us, we’ve had penalties turned down and Zlatan [Ibrahimovic]’s goal disallowed in the last Premier League game here. So it’s not been going great for us.

"Sometimes, I think home fans can influence referees to give you a few decisions you might not get in away games but it’s the same for every club. That’s why it’s really important the fans get right behind the team but, as I say that, there’s no danger of that not happening. We’re playing Liverpool, it’s going to be an unbelievable atmosphere and I’m sure the players will really raise the tempo of the game at home. They know how important it is. I don’t think Jose will have to have too much of a team talk to raise the performance of the players. I am sure they will go out and give it everything."

In terms of the title race, although leaders Chelsea remain strong favourites to lift the trophy, Robson says Antonio Conte's Blues should not take anything for granted yet.

"People said Chelsea will run away with it but they said very similar about Manchester City last season, when they got off to a terrific start," he added. "The manager was playing the same players week in and week out but then, all of a sudden, they hit a bit of a run and got a few injuries and lost a couple of points in certain games. They got into a bit of a bad run and the manager changed it maybe too late.

"I think Chelsea are in that situation at the moment. They’re playing the same players every week, okay they’re not in Europe, but it still has a toll on certain players, appearing in every single game, and it might just happen to Chelsea too. They might have a little run where they don’t win for two or three games and the confidence goes a little bit. All of a sudden, other people come with a surge and get really close to them. There is a long way to go in a season and that’s why, from United upwards, nobody can be written off."

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BRYAN ROBSON LEADS TRIBUTES AS UNITED SHOCKED AND SADDENED BY UGO EHIOGU DEATH

Manchester United is saddened to hear of the shock death of Ugo Ehiogu.

In light of the terrible news, the Premier League 2 fixture against the Tottenham Under-23 side he managed, due to be played on Monday at Old Trafford, has been postponed.

Not only have United faced Ehiogu in a coaching capacity but he also played against the Reds in the top flight for Aston Villa and Middlesbrough.

After suffering a cardiac arrest at Spurs' training ground, he tragically passed away at the age of 44.

"It is terribly sad," said United ambassador Bryan Robson. "First of all, I'd like to offer my condolences to all his family. I thought so highly of Ugo as a player and a lad.

"I paid £6million for him up at Middlesbrough and tried to sign him at West Brom but the deal did not go ahead in the end. However, I also signed him at Sheffield United towards the end of his playing career.

"He was such a good, strong defender and a fitness fanatic, which is why it becomes a real shock if it was a heart attack as has been reported. He was always in the gym and always last to leave the training ground. He would often have a massage after training and was really professional.

"I've just spoken to his agent and he was telling me Ugo still went in the gym regularly and really kept on top of his fitness. Although I didn't see him closely on the coaching side, when you get a job within a club like Tottenham, it shows you've got to be highly regarded in that field.

"I know he was a good lad and a team man who would chat to everybody, so I always thought he could be be a coach because he was good at dealing with young lads and was so proud in his fitness and everything else. I knew that he would work really well with youngsters because of that.

"It really is a sad loss."

The club would also like to pass on sincere condolences to Ugo's family, friends and colleagues at this extremely difficult time.

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BRYAN ROBSON PREVIEWS EUROPA LEAGUE FINAL

Manchester United legend Bryan Robson has been speaking to MUTV ahead of Wednesday's UEFA Europa League final against Ajax.

The former Reds midfielder, who is in Stockholm ahead of the game, began by expressing his condolences following Monday's terror attack in Manchester.

Our minds today are on a big European final but our thoughts are also with all those in Manchester...
"Yes, definitely. It's hitting people all around the world but, when it's on your own doorstep, it's a really sad moment. People are tough, and unfortunately we have to deal with terrorism these days, but it's not acceptable and it's a pity that it goes on all over the world. My condolences go to all of the families that have lost their loved ones."

You know all about the character and strength of Manchester, having been a part of the city for so long...
"That's right, we went through it when the Arndale Centre was bombed [in 1996]. Fortunately, no-one was killed that time, but around Manchester everyone knows what it's all about. That still doesn't help the situation and what happened on Monday night, but it’s a city that is always united, no matter what."

We need strength of character in this final against Ajax as well, don't we? What's it like on a day like this?
"It's more or less about the mentality. You've got to go into this game with a strong mentality, a real confidence that you can win. If all the lads focus on that as individuals, then the manager brings them together as a team and you're halfway there in terms of giving yourself a chance to win the game. If your mentality is wrong, you fall flat on your face, so I'm sure the lads will be strong mentally. They know how important this game is for us; the Champions League is there, as well as winning a European trophy. They'll be up for it; we're just not quite sure how good this Ajax team is. They've got a lot of young players, so it's a bit of a question mark in terms of how good they'll be [on the night]. We had it with the Class of '92; we weren't quite sure how good they were going to be, and all of a sudden eight of them turned out to be world-class internationals. I just hope this Ajax side isn't like that, otherwise they'll give us a really good game tonight. With the experience we've got, if the mental approach and confidence is really good within the squad, I expect us to win."

Is it a particular challenge as a captain to help players in games like these?
"Yeah, I think sometimes some of the lads get nervous. I remember when we played Barcelona in 1991, Paul Ince was really nervous before the game, but as soon as it kicked off he had a great game. He was a part of the team and did really well. You will look around and see a few nervous players, but that's just natural - once the whistle goes, you get on with the game. Hopefully all of our lads can do that; we've got experienced lads who have been to finals before. Looking at the Celta Vigo game, I thought the lads handled the atmosphere and occasion really well; they put in a great performance to get through that semi-final. A performance like that tonight would help them lift the cup."

How important is that first touch in the game?
"That's the case in any game, not just the final. If your first few passes are good, it gives you confidence - you want to get on the ball, you want to play and enjoy the occasion. That's what the lads have got to do. Sometimes people get to a final and become a little bit afraid of it, but really you should be enjoying the occasion. If you do that you play a lot better than if you're nervous about it."

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ROBSON: FLAIR SIGNINGS CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE

Former Manchester United captain Bryan Robson believes the addition of some extra flair could fuel a Premier League title bid for the club next season.

Robson, who will manage a United Legends team against Barcelona at Old Trafford on 2 September, has been impressed by the work of Jose Mourinho on the pitch and off it.

Mourinho's transfer business last year was exceptional, landing Eric Bailly, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Paul Pogba, and Robbo is backing the boss to transform his team into title challengers with some more incoming moves this summer.

"It certainly was a great ending in Stockholm," the ex-skipper told ManUtd.com, when assessing the Europa League win against Ajax. "It finished off an okay season and made it into a very good season. To win the Community Shield, EFL Cup and then the Europa League, to go into the Champions League, has set everyone up great for next season.

"When you look at the way Jose has turned club around, I know we won the FA Cup the year before, but he came in and brought in four new players who I think improved the team and improved the squad. So that went very well and then we got into a way of playing. Okay, we drew a lot of games at home but we weren't getting beaten.

"We are a difficult team to beat now and what you can do, if you set your stall out that way to be difficult to beat, is to then add a few flair players to that squad. All of a sudden, you're winning a lot more games than you're drawing. So I can see us up there challenging for the title next season."

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Bryan Robson backs Middlesbrough for promotion - if they can find a way to score more goals

Bryan Robson thinks Boro have a very good chance of making an instant return to the top flight



Bryan Robson believes Boro have a great chance of winning promotion - if they add firepower up front.

Middlesbrough were the lowest scoring team in all four divisions last seasons, netting just 27 goals in 38 Premier League games.

It was that lack of penetration in the final third that Robson blames for the club’s relegation.

“They were just not good enough in the forward areas of the park,” said the former Boro boss. “The strikers just couldn’t score the goals.

“Middlesbrough played quite defensively and to be fair you are always going to struggle in the Premiership because you more or less have to score two goals to win a Premier League game.

“It’s not very often you win the game 1-0, so you need to score two to win, so they struggled on that side, the attacking side, and the record shows that.”

Robson keeps an close eye on the club he twice guided into the Premier League and took to three cup finals. In March he attended the clash with Manchester United at the Riverside, a match that ended 3-1 to the visitors.

On that occasion he was a special guest of Steve Gibson, sitting next to the chairman in the directors’ box. Given that the game came just three days after Aitor Karanka’s departure, that led to speculation that he was on the shortlist to replace the Spaniard.

In fact he was simply fulfilling a long-standing invitation to watch the game as Gibson’s guest.

Robson thinks Boro have a very good chance of making an instant return to the top flight providing they find a solution to their lack of goals.

“If they keep the basis of the squad and then add a little bit more striking power to the forwards then I think they’ve got a great chance of bouncing back,” he said.

Meanwhile, Robson admits he’s still finding it hard to comprehend that one of his former players, Ugo Ehiogu, died recently at the age of 44.

Robson signed Ehiogu from Aston Villa for a club record £8m in October 2000.

“Ugo was a fitness fanatic, a great lad, it just shows you never know in this life what’s around the corner,” he said.

“For somebody like him to pass away with a heart attack when you are a fitness fanatic and you look after yourself and you’re in the gym everyday, it was a real shock.”

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ROBSON RECALLS DERBY MEMORIES

Former Manchester United captain Bryan Robson believes the club's rivalry with Manchester City is much more competitive in the modern era than it was back in his playing days.

The Reds boast an impressive record historically against our cross-city rivals although City have enjoyed more success in the Manchester derby in recent years since being taken over in 2008.

Ahead of the sides' meeting in Houston this summer as part of Tour 2017 presented by Aon, ManUtd.com sat down with club legend Robson, who made 345 appearances for United between 1981 and 1994, to get his views on one of world football's most intense rivalries, past and present...

How fierce would you say the Manchester derby was when you were playing?
"When I played in the derbies, the rivalry wasn't particularly that fierce – apart from when I first came to the club in 1981 because City weren't doing badly at that time and I can remember my league debut which was against City at Maine Road. We drew 0-0 in that game but, after that, I think I more or less won in every derby I played in and didn't get beat, so that was a great little record for me to have personally. I missed out on that real rivalry of a derby but now, because of the investment that's gone into Manchester City they are up there challenging for cups and titles and are a real force now which makes it more competitive."

What was your favourite derby to play in?
"We beat City 2-0 at Old Trafford [in March 1987] and it was quite a comfortable win. It was like a 2-0 going on 6-0 - we played really that day and that would be my favourite one. As far as games at Maine Road are concerned, I played in the one where we came back from 1-0 down to win 2-1 [in March 1983], so that was a great memory. During the 90s when we had [Roy] Keane and [Paul] Ince and [Andrei] Kanchelskis and all of those sorts of players, we were very dominant in the derby games at that time."

How was it walking around Manchester as players the day after a derby game?
"I really enjoyed it! If you won a derby, the one thing you would do is probably go out for a bit of lunch after training the next day because everyone who is a Manchester United fan is happy. They do go quiet if you get beat in a derby but, in my time, we had a decent record so my experiences of walking around town after derbies were always pretty good ones."

How has City’s recent success changed the significance of the derby?
"I think they have made it more fierce because they are a threat, whereas in the 80s and in the 90s they weren't really a threat to United. But since the 2000s and the investment City have made, they are a big rival to us now; it’s not particularly Liverpool anymore. That's a fierce game of course but it's more Chelsea and Manchester City who we would look at straight away and say 'right they're going to be real competitors against us this year to try to win things'."

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C'mon Captain Marvel, let's beat Barca !!!



ROBSON: UNITED LEGENDS READY FOR BARCA

Bryan Robson has declared his Manchester United Legends side ready for the test that awaits them on Saturday 2 September when the Reds face a team made up of Barcelona stars of yesteryear at Old Trafford.

The upcoming match marks the second-leg of this Legends tie, after the Reds came away from the Nou Camp with a 3-1 win back in June, as goals from Jesper Blomqvist, Karel Poborsky and Dwight Yorke gave Robson’s team an unassailable lead, before Frederic Dehu pulled one back for the hosts late on.

United’s team will also feature the likes of Edwin van der Saar and Ruud van Nistelrooy, and ahead of the game Legends manager Robson spoke exclusively to ManUtd.com stating that his side are looking forward to the next clash with Barca.

“It’s great to have them here,” he told us. “These games have been fantastic for the Manchester United Foundation, I think the fans have really enjoyed coming to the matches and the atmosphere that’s generated at Old Trafford.

“It’s nice to have a club with charisma like Barcelona coming and playing at Old Trafford, and the boys will be well up for it because the tradition between Man United and Barcelona in Europe is there for all to see.”

Barcelona’s Legends side will include players such as Gaizka Mendiaeta, Éric Abidal and Ronaldinho, and Robson has no doubt that they will play the exciting brand of football that the Catalan giants are renowned for.

“That is ingrained in them to keep possession of the ball and pass and move,” Robson added. “But the one thing about Barcelona is that they’re always entertaining, and so it’ll be an entertaining game.

“They’ve got some real good forwards and midfield players, and we’ve got some real good forwards in our squad, so it’ll be a competitive game.”

United’s Legends will have a few new faces turning out for them, Dimitar Berbatov being one of them, and of course, players such as Louis Saha and Phil Neville are also in line to feature. Despite the fact Berbatov is yet to feature for the Legends, Robson was confident that he will be able to make an impact against Barcelona.

“Berba has been playing up until recently and it’ll be good to get someone like him in,” Robson continued. “It’ll be good if we can get some more legs of that age too.

“Louis Saha is another one who’s played in a few of the Legends games who really enjoys the occasion. That’s what it’s about, it’s about the lads enjoying it, entertaining the fans, and the fans having a great day out.

“The Real Madrid game and the Bayern Munich game went really well here," added the former skipper. "But like I say it’s great we’re raising this money for great causes that the Foundation is part of.”

Robson was honoured at Sunday's game when a mural dedicated to him was unveiled before Jose Mourinho's side took on West Ham in United's Premier League opener.

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Get well soon, Captain Marvel



ROBSON FORCED TO STEP DOWN AS MANAGER

It is with great regret that Manchester United ambassador Bryan Robson has had to step down as manager of the Manchester United Legends team for the match against Barcelona Legends this weekend.

Bryan suffered a minor sporting injury earlier this year which has unfortunately returned, rendering him unable to attend Saturday’s charitable game in aid of Manchester United Foundation.

Andrew Cole will take on the managerial responsibilities in Bryan’s absence.

Bryan wishes his team the very best of luck and will be keeping an eye on their progress while he recuperates at home.

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