Beattie: A Great Guy and a Great Coach Wednesday, 28th Mar 2018 16:21 Blues legend Kevin Beattie has paid tribute to former Blues manager and coach Bobby Ferguson, who has died aged 80. “He was tough, but he was a great coach,” Beattie told TWTD when asked for his memories of Ferguson, pictured above with Bobby Robson and Charlie Woods. “He was knowledgeable about the game, and he’d tell you if you’d done something wrong straight to your face, and that’s what I loved about Bob. “He’d give you stick. You’d got the 'good guys' and the 'bad guys' [on the coaching staff] and that worked brilliantly, it really did, and that’s why we had so much success in those days. “He was so straight and obviously he was a decent player himself, he played for Newcastle and Derby.
“He was a huge hit with all the players, I think it was Laurie Sivell who nicknamed him ‘The Duke’ because of the way he walked. But you daren’t call him that to his face obviously, otherwise you’d definitely get a clip round lugs! He was great guy and a great coach. He’ll be sadly missed.” Beattie recalled putting a smile on Ferguson’s face in his early years at the club after joining the Blues in 1970 having been player-manager at Newport County.
“He was my coach when I was in the youth team," Beattie said. “Obviously I was a defender and he decided to play me up front because we were short of forwards against Cambridge United and he said, ‘Just do your best, son’, so I did and we won 6-0 and I got all six goals, so that cheered him up! The former England defender, 64, said Ferguson, who it's understood suffered a heart attack, was the man who came up with the idea of playing Eric Gates in the hole behind main strikers Paul Mariner and Alan Brazil in the team which won the 1981 UEFA Cup, having played Johnny Miller in that position during his time as reserves coach. It was also Ferguson’s suggestion to play a three-man frontline - Clive Woods on the left, Mariner in the centre and David Geddis on the right - in the 1978 FA Cup final against Arsenal in order to limit the effectiveness of their full-backs.
“He was responsible for us playing David Geddis in the cup final,” Beattie confirmed. “And he found Gatesy the proper place for him. He was an important cog alongside the boss first and Charlie Woods. You couldn’t want for a better coaching staff.” Reflecting on Ferguson’s time in charge of the Blues after Robson’s departure for England, Beattie added: “When he got the manager’s job after the boss left, he had to sell all the good players. It was a big, big job for him but he did well, he kept us up for a few seasons.
“But we just didn’t have the players. Bobby had a tough time as you can imagine. What a hard act to follow.” Beattie’s team-mate Terry Butcher paid tribute on the club site: “It’s a devastating day. Bobby was a great and funny man and I loved being in his company. “He was a major influence on me and helped me become the player I did. He turned me from an awkward, gangly footballer and taught me how to use my physique to my advantage.
“Bobby was a tough but fair man, and that’s what I, and other players, needed. “He made me become a tougher player and in those days that was so important because football was a more physical game. “His standards were the best and he was the perfect man to work with Bobby Robson. “They formed a special partnership and I think it was Bobby who really set the foundations for what was to be the most successful period in the club’s history. “His coaching sessions will stay with me forever too. We used to practice passing for hours on end but somehow it was still fun — some of his training drills were legendary and the players loved them. Bobby was a good man and it’s a sad day for the club.”
John Wark added: “Bobby was a great coach and someone that I had a lot of respect for so this is a sad day. “He always had a lot to do with the systems we played in games and being a proper tactician he was very influential in our UEFA Cup success. “He was also an old school manager and he would tell us how it is, I think that’s something we needed, liked and respected. I know he loved his golf, and was very good at it, so it was always nice to see him at reunions or out on the course in more recent years.”
Russell Osman told BBC Radio Suffolk: "He'd go nose to nose with you in an argument and wouldn't back away at any time. "He was somebody you respected. When he spoke you listened to him, and he treated the players with a hell of a lot of respect.” Frans Thijssen added: "He had a special character and worked together as a combination with Bobby Robson. What stays with me are great memories in these years with him." Town have confirmed that the players will wear black armbands during Monday's match against Millwall, while there will be a minute’s applause prior to kick-off.
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