Ex-Footballer John Robson is Waterlooville’s Geordie hero

Not many people have had the career John Robson has had, from the army to professional football, he has experienced a lot. 

John Robson or ‘Robbo’ is an ex-professional footballer and manager who spent most of his playing and managerial career in non-league.

Since he retired from the game, he has written a book about his fascinating career which included a brief spell at Scottish top division side St Johnstone. 

At St Johnstone he was earning £1000 a week, a significant pay rise from his previous club Waterlooville, where he needed a second job to be financially stable. 

In his early playing days, Robson played games and tournaments for the British Army XI, but it was to be this duty to the army that would hold back his playing career considerably. 

“I was in the army in Salisbury and obviously I had to go and see my Commanding officer and I said, ‘excuse me sir I’ve had an offer to go up to Swindon Town Football Club, it’s not too far away.’ 

He said, ‘have you checked with all your disciplines and guard duties?’

I replied, ‘no I haven’t sir but I’m sure if I asked, they’d say get up there.’” 

With the permission of his Commanding officer, Robson went to have trials with Swindon, but he had no choice but to turn them down.

“They asked me [to join Swindon] and I said, ‘I’m in the army, I just can’t do it.’

There will always be times where you decide yeah, I’ll do that, and it might not work but you’ve still gained the experience.”

He went on to say;

“I was worrying about if I go there [to Swindon] I could do this or that, but football has always been football for me, and I owe it millions.” 

This was to become the story of Robson’s career, his duty to the army prevented him from joining well-established professional clubs like Brighton & Hove Albion, Coventry City, and Bristol City. 

Robson explained why he didn’t want to leave the army for the benefit of his footballing career. 

“I got picked straight away for the British Army football team, I went all over Europe playing football, so I wasn’t going to complain about anything.”

“It was fantastic, we played in Portugal, in Germany, I went all over and I met some lads that I now still keep in touch with.”

He also described why he felt he couldn’t leave the army even if he had wanted to. 

“I signed to do nine years and it has to be a really important reason for you to not do the nine years.”

He retired from the army in 1975 as he finished out his contract with Basingstoke and he was finally a free man. 

The moment his career had a big breakthrough was after leaving the army that year and building up a reputation at Waterlooville, his hometown for the last 40 years. 

He was an integral part of their team, scoring 20 goals by November in his first season with the club. 

His breakthrough came when his old manager at Waterlooville asked him to join St Johnstone in the Scottish top division, it would be a big move for him and his family. 

He accepted a trial period at the club.

He stayed in a luxurious hotel alone whilst his family remained down south. 

“I went up there and, on the Monday, we played Glasgow Rangers at the Ibrox.

The Chairman at St Johnstone carried me into the office, he said: ‘after training I want you in my office.’

I thought here we go; he thinks I’m not good enough. 

So, I sat down with him knowing what he was going to say, but he says, ‘I just want to know how your feeling and how do you think your fitting into us?’

I said, ‘well in all due respect I don’t go anywhere for the money.’

He responded, ‘I noticed that, you don’t know what you’re on a week do you?’

This is 1975 and he says, ‘you’re on £1000 a week plus bonuses and your staying in a five-star hotel.

I’ve asked everybody, and they say, ‘oh yeah you can’t get rid of him, we need him.’ 

We’d like to fly your wife up and if you sign a three-year contract, we’ll give you a lovely house and it’s yours to keep even after the three years.’”

In what was the most difficult decision of his career, Robson explained why despite the temptation, he decided to turn down the offer. 

“When Ann came up, I’d been up there about 10 weeks and I realised that she was unhappy, we had two children. 

She said, ‘John, I’m up every day, I’m going to work, getting the kids to school, then I’m taking them back home again.’

Long story short, I didn’t stay there, and it was in hindsight when you look back on it all, a bad decision by me.” 

In the end, Robson realised that his family was settled where they were, he couldn’t go on being away from them and moving to Scotland wasn’t the right decision for his personal life. 

Having finished off his career playing back at Waterlooville and then Farnborough, the next step for Robson was management. 

One of the benefits of his time in the army was that he was able to get his coaching badges before even his playing career had taken off. 

When asked whether getting his coaching badges before retirement was worth it, Robson said; 

“Definitely. I was quite well known in football so when I left the army, it opened up the door for me at different places.”

His management career lasted almost as long as the great Sir Alex Ferguson and like Ferguson, Robson won at most places he went. 

However, whilst Ferguson spent much of his managerial career at Manchester United, Robson liked to move from club to club, he was a man who liked a new challenge.

Robson also described his experiences of fame and people coming up to him at games or on the street. 

When asked whether he ever gets approached, he said; 

“Every time we go out, people say ‘how are you son?’

When I go to football matches people come up to me and shake my hand and I’ve forgotten their names, I just feel embarrassed.”

There is so much that is different about modern football in comparison to the game during Robson’s playing days and he described his thoughts on the game today. 

“Football’s changed, it’s become more you have to win than you just compete and look forward to getting a result. 

I can’t stand the state of football at this moment in time, why do I see horrible fouls, pulling shirts in the Premier League but I never see that in non-league football even at the highest level?”

His outlook on football today is a stark contrast to his indisputable love for the game during his playing career.

He admitted that for someone who was never academic, football was his life. 

“If you had taken football away from me at that time, I would definitely not know what to do.”

John Robson’s career may not have reached the heights it could have for someone so prolific in his day and in such high demand. 

However, the stories he has to tell and the enjoyment he has experienced from playing and coaching the game he loves, really is a fairy-tale story in its own right.