By Matthew Jones
August 28 2002

The former Newcastle chairman Sir John Hall has backed Sir Bobby Robson to build a dynasty of success at St James' Park. The former Newcastle chairman Sir John Hall has backed Sir Bobby Robson to build a dynasty of success at St James' Park.

Hall - back in the North-East for Wednesday's crucial Champions League qualifier against Bosnian minnows Zeljeznicar - declared that the club could not be in better hands.

"The buzz is back because of Bobby," said Hall, who now lives in Gibraltar. "He's reawakened the sleeping giant - that's what this club has always been. Kevin Keegan did it once and Bobby has done it again. But we are probably going to have a better base for Bobby to build upon with the new stadium, with new training facilities and the new academy.
"He is building a team like he did at Ipswich - a young team so we have to give him time."

And Hall insists that Robson's European experience puts him head and shoulders above every other current British manager.

"In football terms, Bobby has done it all," he said. "To me he is the first pan-European English manager there has ever been. He is up there with the greats.

"Alex Ferguson has done it on the English stage but he has never taken the risk of going abroad.

"But when you go into an alien culture with completely different ways - where you don't speak the language - and you still succeed, you have to be gifted."