Robson eager to return after op
Bobby Robson will return to duty with the Republic of Ireland tomorrow after recently recuperating from surgery.
Ireland’s International Football Consultant was given the all-clear following an operation to remove a suspected cancerous growth on his lung.
The egg-sized tumour was discovered when he attended hospital for a routine X-ray and minor operation to repair lung damage caused by a rib injury sustained in a skiing accident in February.
Robson at least heeded Staunton’s advice not to travel to Portugal for a four-day training camp in the Algarve, but he will be in the Lansdowne Road stands watching tomorrow’s friendly against Chile.
“He will be in Dublin,” confirmed Staunton
“I’ve spoken to him and he seems great, although this would probably have been a bit too much for him.
“But he’s been very keen and eager to get in for the game, and I will be happy to see him.”
Despite the training camp coming at the end of another long season, Staunton has been happy with the response from the players as he continues to implement his own ideas.
“It’s been a good few days for us, in particular because the weather has been great,” added Staunton.
“The lads have been really good, very lively, and they have worked very hard, with their fitness levels as high as two months ago.
“So it’s been enjoyable, and with the new lads coming in, everyone has mixed really well. Now we look forward to tomorrow night.”
It is an experience he has confirmed he will repeat given the right circumstances, and providing it produces the desired performance.
Crucial for Staunton, who is planning ahead towards the opening game of their European Championship qualifying campaign against Germany on September 2, is whether the players continue to respond to his methods.
They did so in a 3-0 victory over Sweden on March 1 in his first game in charge, with Staunton insisting: “We never play only friendlies. We go out to win the games.
“The most important thing is we see a positive performance because we face a tough game. Chile are a good side who work really hard.
“From our point of view, if our attitude is good and we go out with the same hunger we showed against Sweden, then we’ll be okay.
“But as I said, it’s more about the performance than the result. We just want to see if the lads have taken on bard what we’ve tried to do in training.”
