Win was a fitting tribute to Sir Bobby
NO one can doubt Sir Bobby Robson did it his way in his long and illustrious career, not least the fans of Newcastle United and Ipswich Town.
Portman Road saw a fitting goodbye to the late, great Robson on Saturday, including an emotional half-time rendition of his favourite song, Frank Sinatra's My Way.
The sold-out crowd inside the stadium and the millions watching on TV, were moved to tears by the respects paid to Sir Bobby, who will be forever remembered both in Suffolk and in his native north east.
It was a tall order for either team to match the tributes during the 90 minutes on the pitch, but Newcastle still managed a stirring one of their own to the man who almost single-handedly restored pride on Tyneside during his five years at St James's Park.
And if Robson, the last man to guide the club to a 4-0 away success, was watching down kicking every ball, he would have been proud of those representing the club he supported as a boy, and late in his life guided into the Champions League.
United, by their own admission, haven't been at their best of late, though that hasn't stopped them maintaining their charge near the top of the Championship through some narrow, hard-fought victories.
Their 4-0 win at Portman Road, however, was as convincing as victory as will be seen in the division this season, such was Newcastle's dominance after they took the lead.
Up to the half-hour mark, Chris Hughton's side had threatened without really worrying Richard Wright, though Ipswich's goalkeeper had to be at his best to stop Nile Ranger opening his account.
Once Kevin Nolan headed United in front from a Ryan Taylor free kick, it was one-way traffic.
The midfielder, not known for his pace, got the better of Pim Balkenstein to latch on to a ball from Jose Enrique to beat Wright for a second time a couple of minutes later.
And Newcastle's fans were pinching themselves when Taylor struck a third direct from another setpiece.
United's support – whose impassioned chants against owner Mike Ashley, present at the game, seemingly had an extra resonance in the wake of the Sir Bobby tributes – chanted 'Keano, what's the score?' in the ensuing minutes.
Nolan completed his hat-trick five minutes into the second half in front of the Sir Bobby Robson Stand, named by his widower Lady Elsie during the break, to take his tally for the season to six.
Debutant Zurab Khizanishvili – who started at right-back – raced up the flank before laying the ball back to Taylor, whose delivery was met by Ranger, allowing Nolan to force the ball over the line for his first career hat-trick at the age of 27.
If Ipswich's defending is any yardstick, it might not be the last time he achieves the feat this season.
Put simply, they were awful, and Robson, if he was looking down, would have had his pride at Newcastle's performance tinged with sadness at the ineptness of the other club closest to his heart.
However, the win came at a cost, with Ryan Taylor and Fabricio Coloccini leaving the field injured.
As well as Khizanishvili, another of Hughton's loan signings, Marlon Harewood, made his debut, though the body language of the surly striker after the game wasn't that of a man who had just played his part in one of the most memorable occasions the club's recent history.
Nolan left Portman Road proudly clutching the match ball, signed by his team-mates, but for once, the game didn't belong to its hat-trick hero.
It belonged to Sir Bobby Robson, gone but never forgotten
IPSWICH TOWN: Wright, Delaney (Peters, 60), Bruce (Smith, 39), Leadbitter, Balkestein, Priskin (Counago, 61), Colback, Walters, Rosenior, Edwards, Trotter. Subs not used: Lee-Barrett, Martin, Stead, Quinn.
NEWCASTLE UNITED: Harper; Khizanishvili, S Taylor, Coloccini (Lovenkrands, 68), Enrique; R Taylor (Donaldson, 78), Smith, Nolan, Butt; Ranger (Harewood, 65), Carroll. Subs not used: Krul, Ngo Baheng, Tozer, Vuckic.
Goals: Nolan 30, 32, 50, R Taylor 34
Bookings: Nolan 23, Bruce 36, Walters 89
Sent off: None
Referee: Mike Jones (Chester)
Attendance: 27,059
Email to a friend
Print this page- Newcastle target Barnetta to quit Bayer Leverkusen
- Demba Ba insists Newcastle United contract talks ongoing
- Transfer Rumours update May 22: Sunderland, Newcastle United, Liverpool, West Ham United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham and QPR.
- Transfer Rumours May 25: Sunderland, Newcastle, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham, Arsenal
- Millionaire was close to buying Newcastle United
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for South Shields
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 7 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
