Dennis Mortimer Villa Legend

[peter w]

He really wasn't.

[Hillbilly]

Two players that I never 'got' who were supposed to be the ultimate midfielders were Bryan Ribson and his replacement, Roy Keane. Probably my fault as I've always preferred a fancy Dan, but there it is.

Certainly not fancy but clinically effective.

[LeeB]

Two players that I never 'got' who were supposed to be the ultimate midfielders were Bryan Ribson and his replacement, Roy Keane. Probably my fault as I've always preferred a fancy Dan, but there it is.

Certainly not fancy but clinically effective.

Whilst he was effective, he spent his career playing for bang average teams, when he was fit.

[Damo70]

Must be the best ever uncapped Englishman.

When Robson took over he overlooked him for the likes of David Armstrong, Ricky Hill and a young then midfielder Gary Mabbutt.

Was he still pissed off that we won the league and they were supposed to by any chance?

I don't think so. He did select Cowans, Hodge and Platt for England.

Ten Englishmen in the fourteen who won the league and he handed out a few caps to Sid to and Peter Withe. Peter Withe seemingly being the only English player in the squad of the Champions of Europe who was good enough to play in the World Cup a few weeks later.

Agreed, but remember that was Greenwood and not Robson.

Robson was the one who only gave a few caps to Withe and Cowans. Greenwood was the one who took Withe to the World Cup and didn't play him at all. Don Howe was instrumental in Morley not being selected in the '82 squad as he wanted an Arsenal left side of the team in Samsom and Rix.

[Exeter 77]

I have never changed my opinion that Bryan Robson was the most overrated player in football history.

[Damo70]

I have never changed my opinion that Bryan Robson was the most overrated player in football history.

I rated him but in the 1986 and 1990 World Cups England performed better without him. Also, United finally won the title when he was reduced to being a bit part player.

[dave.woodhall]

I always think that 'overrated' is a real ego thing - what you're saying is that you're right and everyone else is wrong. In the case of Bryan Robson, though, it sums him up. I could never see the big attraction and it's notable that both Manchester United and England did better without him.

[Chico Hamilton III]

I was living in Manchester 20 odd years ago when Bryan Robson officially opened the new Yates' Wine Lodge, to much press fanfare. About 5 hours later the bouncers had to scrape him up off the floor of the women's bogs where he'd passed out and chucked him out. Captain, Leader, Pisshead.

[The Man With A Stick]

I used to use him get carried out of the Bell on the Birmingham Road and bundled into a taxi on a weekly basis when he managed that shower down the road.  Mind you, I'd want to get pissed out of my skull too if I had to watch that mob on a regular basis.

[Exeter 77]

I think what I'm saying is that I found the whole Captain Marvel thing distasteful just because of his profile and transfer fee. I thought there were more skillful players than Robson and his 'commitment' meant he wasn't averse to putting in some horrendous tackles and diving for penalties - both happened in the game at Villa Park early in 1991/92 when he put Tony Daley out for along spell and got a late penalty. There was the idea in the media that England couldn't do without him when it was demonstrated that they could at two World Cups. Over-promoted rather than overrated is what I'm getting at I think.

[Chico Hamilton III]

I remember watching his younger brother, Gary, break his leg against us in 1990 (?). A Kent Nielsen tackle if I recall

[Salsa Party Animal]

Think we could win world cup with players from Liverpool, Ipswich, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest combined. but we didn't.

[cdbearsfan]

Never really saw Robson at his peak, but Keane was a fantastic player. I'd still have Vieira ahead of him though, just about. I've never seen a player so calm under pressure as him.

[peter w]

I always think that 'overrated' is a real ego thing - what you're saying is that you're right and everyone else is wrong. In the case of Bryan Robson, though, it sums him up. I could never see the big attraction and it's notable that both Manchester United and England did better without him.

"Did better without him" may also mean that England and man United simply got better players throughout the team. Robson, as i remember him, could tackle like keane and score goals like Scholes. he just didn't have the type of players around him that they did. he was immense for both man Utd and England and the reason we (England) performed better without him at the 86 World Cup was because of his performances being hampered by teh shoudler disolcation that he had in the buil-up to the WC. he didn't shrug that off and it popped again. That isn't to confuse how brilliant he was as a player.

[Chico Hamilton III]

And he had an affair with one of the sky sports news presenters when he was at Boro.  Can't t remember the name but it wasn't Jim White