As a journalist, I had the opportunity to interview Justin Lockwood, who shared some intriguing tales from the Sir Bobby Robson era on the Newcastle United Total Sport podcast. It was during this time that Sir Bobby took over as manager in September 1999, leading the team from the bottom of the Premier League to the pinnacle of Champions League and Uefa Cup football.
One of the most fascinating stories that Lockwood shared was how both Sir Bobby and Alan Shearer were treated like rockstars during Champions League trips. Whenever they arrived at airports, they were greeted by hundreds of fans eagerly waiting for them. It often took an hour just to get through customs and onto the bus due to the overwhelming number of admirers.
What was particularly interesting was that this fan frenzy wasn’t limited to just major footballing cities. In fact, Lockwood recalled a time when they landed at Sarajevo Airport and had to spend two hours navigating through hordes of people who had come out to see the Newcastle players. The popularity of the team under Sir Bobby truly knew no bounds.
If you’re looking for more captivating stories from this era, make sure to tune into the full podcast on BBC Sounds.
