The death of Sir Bobby Robson, England's most successful manager after Sir Alf Ramsey, had been expected given his long battle with cancer, but his passing still jolts.

The son of a miner, Robson's career was characterised by dignity, loyalty and hard graft and no little success.

As a player he won 20 England caps, but it was as an innovative manager that he will be best remembered, notably his success in guiding England to a World Cup semi-final in 1990, when his side came agonisingly close to reaching the final.

Before his stint with the national team, Robson managed Ipswich for 13 years, guiding the Suffolk club to FA and UEFA Cup success and twice led the Portman Road side to the runners-up spot in the old First Division.

At Ipswich, Robson brought in two Dutch players -- Arnold Muhren and Franz Thijssen -- who helped forge Ipswich's reputation as a passing side playing attractive and enterprising football.

After stepping down as England manager in 1990, Robson then went to Holland, where he managed PSV Eindhoven, before going on to coach Sporting Lisbon and Porto in Portugal and then Barcelona in Spain.

While he was at Barca he helped to preside over the development of the Brazilian striker Ronaldo, before he returned to England to manage Newcastle in his native north-east.

Robson was famed for his malapropisms. Once when former England captain Bryan Robson emerged from a lift, his manager greeted him by saying "Hello, Bobby," to be met with the response: "No boss, me Bryan, you Bobby."

The football knight will be much missed. What are your memories of Sir Bobby and what is his importance to English football?

Football nostalgia is not what it used to be but there were times on Saturday when the Champions League, 120,000 pounds-a-week contracts and “the business of the game” were forgotten in a return to the days when the FA Cup was the only thing that mattered.

As I walked down Wembley Way towards the stadium, the massed Everton fans out to squeeze every last drop from the day brought back memories of countless other sunny Saturdays in May, when everything stopped for the Cup final.

For generations of fans, players and managers, getting to the final was often the pinnacle of their season if not their lives.

For those not lucky enough or too young to attend there was the consolation of hours of build-up and the rarity of a live TV match, followed by hours of re-enacting it all outside with friends.

The stadium has changed since then but that walk from Wembley central underground station, now shadowed by the arch, rather than the twin towers, remains one that every fan should experience at least once.

It was a well-trodden one for Everton fans in the 1980s as they reached four FA Cup finals and also a League Cup decider but things have been lean since then, with their 1995 victory over Manchester United a rare taste of the big time.

The fans were back at the stadium for the semi-final against United last month, but it is not the same thing at all.

Effort and imagination had gone into the design of Everton’s special final T-shirts and banners and there was a terrific atmosphere in and around the ground.

Just as in the semi, Everton’s singing and supporting put to shame the followers of the “Big Four”, for whom a mere FA Cup final, or especially a semi-final, has become small beer.

Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink said he was brought up loving Cup final day - and he was talking about the FA, not Dutch, competition - and there was no disguising his delight at delivering the trophy to Chelsea after a barren spell since the departure of Jose Mourinho.

Chelsea’s fans eventually warmed to the occasion to play their part in an uplifting day and their players, particularly the extraordinary Frank Lampard, gave everything they had in scorching conditions.

At the end, Chelsea’s jubilation and Everton’s desolation merely reminded us of how important the FA Cup is and underlined the anger and frustration felt by so many when it is treated as something of an inconvenience by so many Premier League managers during the season.

PHOTO: Badges are seen on the shirt of an Everton fan prior to their English FA Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley Stadium in London, May 30, 2009. REUTERS/Darren Staples

There is not much romantic about Everton’s current lineup, especially now they are operating without injured Spaniard Mikel Arteta, but the unceasingly honest boys in blue certainly injected some desperately-needed colour to this season’s FA Cup with their penalty-shootout win over Manchester United on Sunday.

Yes it was an awful semi-final, with neither team really testing the opposing goalkeeper, but at least Everton, and their fans, took it seriously.

If United’s reserves had gone through to play Chelsea, again, it would have been another nail in the coffin of a competition that used to be the highlight of the season.

Alex Ferguson decided to rest his big names to keep them fresh for Premier and Champions League action. Everton boss David Moyes couldn’t have done the same even if his team had anything else to play for.

So bye bye to Darron Gibson, Danny Welbeck, Anderson, Federico Macheda and Fabio and Rafael Da Silva. Their day will come, but, thankfully for lovers of the FA Cup and neutrals alike, it will not be Saturday May 30. (more…)

So, it will be an all-Blue FA Cup final this year, after Everton set up a date with Chelsea thanks to the penalty shoot-out heroics of goalkeeper Tim Howard in the semi-final against Manchester United.

Howard, a former United keeper, you may remember, saved the first two penalties from Dimitar Berbatov and Rio Ferdinand and Everton didn’t look back.

I suppose people may criticise Alex Ferguson for his gamble in picking so many youngsters but it was perfectly understandable, given the (more important) games United have coming up.

In any case, let’s concentrate on the achievement of David Moyes in taking Everton through to a major final with a squad built for a fraction of the money spent by Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and the rest.

Not bad for a ’small club’…

PHOTO: A Manchester United fan uses his scarf to shade his eyes from the sun during their FA Cup semi-final against Everton at Wembley, April 19, 2009. REUTERS/Darren Staples

Speaking as someone who once sat in a brick-built outhouse at the bottom of the garden for five years writing a book about the FA Cup, I have rather a soft spot for the old pot.

And so, it seems, after all these years, do Arsene Wenger, Alex Ferguson, David Moyes and many other managers, some of whom have not always treated the competition with the respect I still think it deserves.

It seems almost every year at about this time, the same stories are run about how the FA Cup has lost its magic and the competition is now a mere end-of pier show compared to the Champions League and Premier League.

The doomsayers point to dwindling attendances at grounds and dipping TV viewing figures to prove the FA Cup is not what it was.

Last season the jump-on-a-bandwagon team proclaimed the cup “was back” because of all the upsets along the way that meant that just one Premier League team — Portsmouth — reached the semi-finals. Portsmouth v Cardiff was an “old-fashioned” final, a throwback to the 1920s and 1930s.

This season the same voices are proclaiming the cup is dead again because Manchester United, Chelsea and Everton are all in the last four with Arsenal set to join them, although Hull City are still involved, and can still of course win it for the first time in their history.

But the critics can’t have it both ways. Some years there are upsets, some years there aren’t — and irrespective of the outcome, an FA Cup match does have a different atmosphere, a different tempo and a different level of excitement to a league match, even if both teams are in the same division and regularly play each other.

I was at Fulham v Manchester United on Saturday and saw a magical performance from Michael Carrick, Carlos Tevez and their team mates as United crushed the home side 4-0.

Despite modern improvements there is still a timeless feel about watching matches at Craven Cottage next to the River Thames, just as there is still a timeless feel about the FA Cup.

Sometimes it ebbs, sometimes it flows. I still believe that for most fans, nurtured on just a little history who still appreciate the romance of the game, you can’t miss it for a moment.

PHOTO: Everton’s Marouane Fellaini (R) challenges Middlesbrough’s Justin Hoyte during their FA Cup quarter-final at Goodison Park, March 8, 2009. REUTERS/Phil Noble

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson dismissed the suggestion in his usual style.

After beating Spurs on penalties to win the English League Cup final on Sunday he was asked if United could complete a “quintuple” of trophies.

“It’s a media thing,” he shot back. “I’m not getting carried away with it. We’re keeping our feet on the ground.”

But with FIFA’s Club World Cup and the League Cup already in the trophy room and with the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup all realistic targets, it is not just a media thing. It’s a real possibility. Throw in the Community Shield and it becomes a sextuple. Or a “double treble” — which sounds good if you are winning it or even drinking it.

Former United striker Frank Stapleton is among many who think Ferguson has assembled the best squad United have ever had – and although they failed to break Spurs down in 120 goalless minutes at Wembley, they still had the nerve, guile and experience to ease to a 4-1 victory in the shootout.

Spurs manager Harry Redknapp believes they can do it too.

“They’ve got a big chance of winning the lot,” he said after the game, “They are the team to beat, the best in Europe and have a fantastic squad.”

The fact that United’s hero was current third-choice keeper Ben Foster highlights the strength in depth of the squad. He was voted man of the match and Ferguson has tipped him to become England’s No.1 keeper in the not too distant future.

Other youngsters like Darron Gibson and Danny Welbeck looked assured next to the likes of Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand.

It wasn’t a classic performance by any stretch of the imagination, but the hallmark of great teams is that they win things even when they are not at their best.

They have ready replacements in every position and with confidence sky-high and the defence virtually impregnable, it will take something very special to get the better of United over the coming weeks.

Or as Ferguson also said, a deflected shot off someone’s backside that could see them knocked out of the FA Cup at Fulham on Saturday.

Barring that, the race for the High Five is on. I think they have the strength, the players and the desire to do it. Do you?

PHOTO: Manchester United players celebrate winning the League Cup final against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley, March 1, 2009. REUTERS/Kieran Doherty

Split seconds count in sports photography. Reuters Sports Pictures editor Greg Bos thinks London-based photographer Eddie Keogh captured the moment perfectly when former Arsenal captain William Gallas went head over heels to the ground during an FA Cup match.

CAPTION: Arsenal's William Gallas (top) challenges Cardiff City's Jay Bothroyd during their FA Cup fourth round replay soccer match at the Emirates Stadium in London February 16, 2009. REUTERS/ Eddie Keogh (BRITAIN)

The (almost complete) lack of Premier League action at the weekend saw thumbs being sucked all over the place, and the Reuters Soccer Blog is no exception. While some were predicting the end of the Big Four, and others picked over Rafa Benitez’s latest contract comments, we found ourselves enthralled by the silky football displayed by Championship side Swansea City in their FA Cup game against Fulham.

Here, Padraic Halpin waxes ornithological about The Swans, while in the post below Neil Maidment bemoans the lack of on-field drama this season. Are they right? Is it just an overreaction? I’ll turn the comments off on Neil’s piece, just to keep things tidy, but they’re on here as usual. For now, over to Padraic:

Watching Swansea City play Fulham off the park on Saturday — even if their reward was only a fifth round replay trip to London — you almost hope they don’t gain promotion to the English top flight.

Swansea, sitting three points outside the championship playoff places with a game in hand, were magnificent in the 1-1 draw, demonstrating the passing game of a second-tier equivalent to the great Liverpool team of the 80’s.

Yet should the team coached by Spaniard Roberto Martinez join the survive-at-all-costs world of Premier League riches, would the one-touch philosophy instilled so finely into players like Jordi Gomez - on loan from Espanyol - and Welshman Joe Allen be preserved?

The widespread praise for Swansea’s “culture club” is actually more galling than encouraging. Would we have been so amazed at an English team endeavouring to win through attractive, attacking football 30 years ago?

“Martínez has done a wonderful job and he has a wonderful team. They play football the right way,” Fulham’s manager Roy Hodgson, whose team haven’t exactly been the worst culprits of a lack of premier adventure, said on Saturday.

Wouldn’t the great Brian Clough have insisted that was the only way to play football? Yet with TV revenue continuing to rise, relegation from the top flight remains too expensive a reality for any club to attempt to cut loose. Points far outweigh performance and one kicking too many at Everton or Bolton might force a change in promoted Swansea’s style.

What is certain is that a tie-of-the-sixth-round awaits Swansea against the European Champions if they can play Fulham off the scoreboard as well as the pitch next week.

For all its great crowd noise, emotion and late drama, Wednesday night’s FA Cup replay between Everton and Liverpool was an shocking indictment of modern football, where stopping the other side scoring has become so important that teams have almost forgotten that there is another, more decisive and infinitely more entertaining way to achieve success.

Throughout the TV commentary there were references to the 4-4 draw when the teams met in the the competition in 1991, and Liverpool’s 3-2 aet final win 20 years ago, but we were never going to get a repeat after an excruciating first hour where both penalty areas might as well have been sealed off with barbed wire.

Everton, at least, have a bit of an excuse in that just about all their strikers are out injured, and the one that wasn’t, Victor Anichebe, seemingly talked himself out of the squad by rowing with manager David Moyes.

In their absence, midfielders Tim Cahill and Marouane Fellaini have toiled manfully and productively upfront in recent weeks but it was tough on Wednesday for Everton to break out of the midfield mire.

Liverpool and coach Rafa Benitez again lacked ideas. They did not manage a single worthwhile effort on goal in two hours. After all Benitez’s talk of rotation and squad resources since he arrived, he has played Steven Gerrard and an unfit Fernando Torres into the ground this season, while allowing others to sit in the stands.

With Gerrard off early with a hamstring strain and the exhausted Torres eventually substituted, Liverpool brought on winger Ryan Babel to lead the line, with predictable results. What Robbie Keane must have made of it all is anyone’s guess.

Everton boss Moyes hasn’t been fooled. “The way you (the media) build that side up, I bet you’re completely stunned tonight,” he said after the game.

And the final insult to the millions watching on TV, or at least those still awake for the closing moments? ITV cut to an unscheduled ad break, returning to show a bundle of celebrating Evertonians, having missed the only goal of the game.

PHOTO: In case you missed it, here’s a photo of Everton’s Dan Gosling shooting past Liverpool’s Jose Reina during their FA Cup fourth round replay, Feb. 4, 2009. REUTERS/Phil Noble

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp’s frank admission that he will send a “mish-mash” side to face Manchester United in Saturday’s FA Cup tie adds to concerns that the competition has lost its elite status.

Speaking after sneaking through their League Cup semi-final second leg 6-4 on aggregate against Championship (second division) Burnley on Wednesday, Redknapp moaned:

“We’ve got some tough games, we’ve a game at Man United that really is so secondary to me now. We’re in a relegation battle and I can’t risk Jamie O’Hara, Jonathan Woodgate and Michael Dawson at Old Trafford.

“If Alex (Ferguson) is listening, I’m really going to send a real mish-mash team up there. I hope it doesn’t upset the fans, but we played extra-time and we’re out on our feet a little bit.

“The lads who didn’t play tonight will play and I’m going to rest the key players who played tonight because I can’t afford to lose any more to injuries.”

However, a delve into the FA Cup rules shows that maybe Redknapp was a bit hasty in confessing his master plan as Rule 15a of the FA Cup states:

“Each team participating in a match shall represent the full available strength of each competing club.”

There is no explanation of what punishment breaking this rule a team can expect to receive and it is unlikely that Tottenham will suffer with so many other ‘big’ teams ignoring it previously.

But perhaps offering the winners of the FA Cup a much coveted Champions League place would prevent the wonderful old trophy losing any more prestige?

PHOTO: Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp gestures during their English League Cup match at Burnley, Jan. 21, 2009. REUTERS/Phil Noble