Players couldn't turn down playing for Robbo

FOR players of a certain era, the pull of working with Bryan Robson was something they couldn't turn down.

- By STUART JAMIESON

The former Manchester United and England captain was a legend in the game before the Premier League era of astronomical wages and social media accounts.

His reputation was forged on the field, in the white-hot contest of a midfield battle. He usually came out on top.

Injuries may have reduced his playing time in key periods of his career, but there was no doubt of the size of the coup Middlesbrough pulled off when he was appointed as player-manager of the Teessiders in 1994.

It was the start of a special time on Teesside, with Wembley finals and international stars gracing the Riverside to play a brand of attacking football that had fans flocking to games in their droves.