Review of Just Call Me Bobby

Introduction

Don`t quote me on it, but whilst Sir Bobby Robson has not managed a football club since parting with Newcastle United a little over twelve months ago, he is one of only two men that I can recall, that have been active football managers into their 70s. The other is Mario Zagallo, the fiercely-patriotic Brazilian who now resides as the assistant manager for the Seleção. It will surprise many to know that the latter has even been around eighteen months longer than Sir Bobby, but there is no surprise that Robson is much more loved.

"Just Call Me Bobby" is a BBC documentary hosted by Gary Lineker, arguably England`s best player during Robson`s 1982-1990 stint as national team manager. Rather than being a chronological biography, however, Lineker spends a day with the ever-energetic Robson as he approaches his 70th birthday, learning what it is like to spend a day in his shoes as manager of Newcastle United. Interspersed are interviews from the likes of Ronaldo (whom Robson signed for Barcelona 1996), Ruud van Nistelrooy (a Robson protégé at PSV Eindhoven) and Luis Figo (who played under Robson at Barcelona), which give great insight into why Robson has been so successful as a manager, and as to why he is so universally respected.

Video

Video is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic PAL but is, unfortunately, nowhere near as good as it could have been. This is, however, a source issue and not a transfer issue, as the original BBC digital telecast looked identical. Video is mostly sharp - aside from the archive footage, of course - but has been post-produced in such a way that any quickly movement (even Lineker walking through the Newcastle training facilities) leads to the presence of compression artefacts. I have no idea why this documentary has been produced so shabbily, but for the BBC to put the effort into a widescreen production, only for it to be littered with compression artefacts, defies logic to this reviewer. Frankly, I would have preferred a less problematic fullscreen production.

Audio

Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 and is as good as could be expected from a DVD of this genre.

Features

There are some interesting extras on this disc, none moreso than the pre-match teamtalk that Robson leads, prior to a Newcastle game with Manchester City. Although it is edited for time constraints, this shows the passion that Robson still maintains for the game, and gives the viewer an idea of how things work behind the scenes at a Premiership club.

There is also extra interview time with Paul Gascoigne, Terry Butcher, Alan Shearer, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Franz Beckenbauer. I was slightly disappointed not to hear more from Ronaldo or Luis Figo, but the available quintet offer interesting anecdotes that are worth listening to.

Conclusion

Although football is at the height of its popularity, it does seem like an odd choice for the BBC to release this particular documentary on DVD. Perhaps it was to test the water, with a view to releasing more in the coming months. That said, Robson has had a fantastic career and this day-in-the-life documentary is an interesting one, especially for anyone with an interest in European football, since Sir Bobby has achieved success not just in England, but in Spain, Portugal, and Holland as well.

Certainly, a worthy gift for a football fan, and at a fair price of £12.99 RRP.