34 Facts About Bryan Robson

1. Bryan Robson began his career with West Bromwich Albion in 1972, where he amassed over 200 appearances and was club captain before moving to Manchester United in 1981, where he became the longest-serving captain in the club's history and won two Premier League winners' medals, three FA Cups, one Football League Cup, two FA Charity Shields and a European Cup Winners' Cup.

2. Bryan Robson represented England on 90 occasions between 1980 and 1991, making him at the time the fifth-most capped England player.

3. Bryan Robson captained his country 65 times; only Bobby Moore and Billy Wright have captained England on more occasions.

4. Bryan Robson is known by the nicknames Robbo and Captain Marvel.

5. On 23 September 2009, Bryan Robson was appointed manager of the Thailand national team.

6. On 1 July 2011, Bryan Robson was appointed "Global Ambassador" at Manchester United.

7. Bryan Robson was born in Northlands, Chester-le-Street, County Durham, to Brian, a long distance lorry-driver, and Maureen Bryan Robson.

8. Bryan Robson was brought up in Witton Gilbert until he was six, when the family moved to nearby Chester-le-Street, the town where he was born.

9. Bryan Robson was captain of both his school football team and the Washington and District team.

10. Bryan Robson was in the final academic year of pupils who still had the option of finishing education at the age of 15, and in the summer of 1972 he accepted Albion manager Don Howe's offer of a two-year apprenticeship, worth a wage of £5 per week in the first year and £8 per week in the second year.

11. Bryan Robson signed a professional contract in the summer of 1974, earning £28 per week plus a £250 signing on fee.

12. Bryan Robson faced stiff competition for midfield places, not least from player-manager Johnny Giles, and was utilised by Giles in various positions, including centre-half, left-back and midfield.

13. Bryan Robson played a major part in Albion finishing third in Division One, their highest league placing for more than 20 years, and reaching the UEFA Cup quarter-finals.

14. Bryan Robson tore his ankle ligaments during the 1983 League Cup semi-final victory over Arsenal, meaning that he missed the final, which United lost to Liverpool.

15. Bryan Robson missed both legs of the semi-final defeat by Juventus due to a hamstring injury, but while in Turin for the second leg was given permission by United to speak to Juve regarding a proposed transfer.

16. Bryan Robson scored on the final day of the season against Wimbledon – it was his only goal of that campaign.

17. Bryan Robson was not included in new manager Glenn Hoddle's coaching staff.

18. Bryan Robson was selected for the England Under-21s for the first time in March 1977, but was withdrawn from the squad by his club West Bromwich Albion, who needed him for a league match against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

19. Bryan Robson continued his international career until 1991, helping England to reach the 1990 World Cup.

20. Bryan Robson said in his autobiography that in one of his last matches for England under Graham Taylor, he was played bizarrely on the left wing, even though he had never played there for club and no longer had the pace to get up and down the line at the age of 34.

21. Paul Gascoigne stated in his 2004 book Gazza: My Story that Bryan Robson was the best footballer he had ever shared a pitch with and the best player of his generation.

22. Bryan Robson oversaw Boro's final season at Ayresome Park before relocation to the new 30,000-seat Riverside Stadium on the banks of the River Tees.

23. Bryan Robson was assisted by Viv Anderson, another former Manchester United and England player.

24. This, coupled with the excellent cup runs, saw Bryan Robson voted Premier League Manager of the Month for March 1997.

25. Boro would remain in the Premier League for the next 11 seasons, with Bryan Robson remaining as manager for three of those seasons.

26. Bryan Robson accepted the offer to manage Division One strugglers Bradford City.

27. Bryan Robson was the subject of derisory chants from Albion supporters during the game, a complete contrast to his status as a club hero when he had taken to the field as a player.

28. Bryan Robson was interested in becoming the England under-21 team's full-time manager, but the job went instead to Stuart Pearce on a part-time basis.

29. Bryan Robson worked alongside Sir Bobby Charlton to help United 'promote its commercial and charitable aims'.

30. Bryan Robson was contracted to manage the team through to the 2014 World Cup.

31. In December 2010, Bryan Robson failed to bring Thailand past the Group A of the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup after managing only 2 draws against Laos and Malaysia and losing to Indonesia.

32. On 18 July 2011, on an episode of the Channel 4 television programme Dispatches entitled "How to Buy a Football Club", Bryan Robson was secretly filmed by reporters during an undercover investigation.

33. Bryan Robson was awarded the OBE in the January 1990 New Year Honours.

34. Bryan Robson was named as one of West Bromwich Albion's 16 greatest players, in a 2004 poll organised as part of the club's 125th anniversary celebrations.