Football set to remember Sir Bobby
Fans are joining the elite of European football to give thanks for the life of Sir Bobby Robson, one of the gentlemen of British sport.
One thousand invited guests will rub shoulders with the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, England boss Fabio Capello and Pep Guardiola, manager of European champions Barcelona, at the service at Durham Cathedral.
Premiership managers and others lower down the ladder who have been helped by Sir Bobby's advice, will attend the thanksgiving, alongside players past and present.
It will be broadcast live on TV and fans have been invited to watch on big screens at the grounds of Newcastle United and Ipswich Town, where he served as manager with great distinction.
Gary Lineker, who credited Sir Bobby with much of his success in becoming England's second highest goalscorer, will lead the personal tributes, talking fondly about his mentor's time managing the national side. Only the width of a post denied his England team a place in the 1990 World Cup finals, in a tournament which made Paul Gascoigne a star.
Lineker said: "I will be nervous because I won't want to let him or his family down. I could probably do with one of his famous pep talks beforehand."
Sir Alex will speak about his friend's return to English football managing Newcastle after spending much of the 1990s in successful exile with club sides in Holland, Portugal and finally at Barcelona, picking up trophies along the way.
His best man and fellow ex-Fulham player Tom Wilson will speak about Sir Bobby's time as a goal-scoring midfielder, good enough to play 20 times for England before he lost his place to Bobby Moore.
Finally, cancer specialist Dr Ruth Plummer will talk about his inspiring decision to set up the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation which has raised about £1.8 million for research into early detection of the disease.
Sir Bobby died at his home in County Durham aged 76 in July having fought cancer five times.
