OTB Football
BARRY ROBSON: 'Nothing in football comes easy...' | Cork City's new boss on taking them back to the top
14 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Football on Off the Ball.
Played football ultra under Mourinho during the classical wars when it was Mourinho versus Guardiola. There were few, if any, players who were more belligerent, more committed to the Mourinho cause than are below.
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Barry, welcome. I'd imagine it's been a fairly whirlwind few days for you, I'd imagine.
Yeah, but a good few days. It's good to get in, meet the players, meet staff.
Yeah.
see the surroundings, what we're involved in, so yeah, it's been good. What was your knowledge of the club before, I suppose, you heard about the interest? Yeah, listen, we're coming from Scotland, and in England, you've still heard of Cork City, it's a big football club, it's a big city, it's probably similar city size to Aberdeen, where I come from, so,
and it's just a one club setting so you always know that it's a big club and it's got a potential to go and be a big club and that was the attraction for me You obviously have played in Turner's Cross before I think it was 2008 what was your memories of that?
As I said I was coming back from injury I flew over to play in the game I just remember the atmosphere it was good it was competitive I liked that
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Chapter 2: What are Barry Robson's first impressions of Cork City?
I trained at Portmarnock as well. They've been over quite a bit. I love the play. Listen, as I said, one of my best friends is Willow Flood. I've got a lot of Irish good friends and they're very similar to us Scots.
Yes, very similar. All right, that's one way of putting it. Similar colour skins as well.
You probably bought the word with you anyway.
Yeah, I did, yeah.
tell us how did the move come about was it just Simon Grayson gave you a ring and said look there's this opportunity here at Cork City yeah Willow Flood does a lot of work so he he'd been speaking to some people so then yeah I ended up getting a call and I spoke to Dermot and then I spoke to Simon and then
yeah they offer me a position and I'm really really enjoying being here and I'm looking forward to the start of the season big decision to make to uproot yourself from Aberdeen and move back over to Cork yeah they say us football managers are mad don't they we are mad but no listen an opportunity for a brilliant club big club beautiful city Yeah, it was a no-brainer for me.
Obviously, the club are in the first division, it's not where they want to be. Obviously, getting promoted the first time of asking is the priority, I suppose.
Yeah, of course it is, and that brings pressure, but as I said, nothing... ever in 30 years in the game has anything ever come easy. It never comes easy. It's going to take a lot of hard work. It's going to take a lot of people being at their best every single day, and that's training, games, bringing the best version of yourself every single day.
And you do all these things if we want to try and get to where we want to get to.
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