One of the most influential figures the game has ever seen could have been a Manchester United manager during his time with Ipswich Town in the 70s. The late and legendary Sir Bobby Robson was a popular figure for his fine work with the Tractor Boys that saw him win the FA Cup and UEFA Cup, while placing his focus on youth development and homegrown talent and he was a hot property for a long time. He took a low-first division side to the top-half of the league on a regular basis, and had Ipswich finishing in the top-four of the table seven times during his 13-year stay with Town. His focus on homegrown players and the transformational of Ipswich led to Manchester United taking real notice of him, as the Red Devils were forced to finish below Ipswich while Sir Bobby Robson was in charge, much to their consternation. His loyalty to continue doing his job with the Suffolk outfit meant he prolonged his stay for longer than anybody would have predicted, and Manchester United were left to rue the one that got away.
Crippy Cooke, 23, is a freelance Football Writer contributing to What Culture. He's had work featured on Zoo, MSN, London 24, The Telegraph, The Huffington Post, and was recently named Writer of the Year on FTBpro - while also a nominee for Best Male Blog in the Football Blogging Awards.
