‘BEING KNOCKED OFF COURSE WAS BREAKTHROUGH’

STEPHEN ROBINSON has revealed the reluctant route he took into management when wife Tracey ruined his retirement plans. The Motherwell boss earned his break into coaching thanks to his other half lodging his CV with the Irish Football Association. That landed the seven-times-capped former midfielder a job with the lower age groups of the national team. That initially blew Robinson off course because he had fancied golfing his way around the world immediately after retiring at the age of 33. However, Robinson stuck in at the new gig then advanced to the Under-21 job before assisting Michael O’Neill with the senior squad and savouring the last-16 glory of Euro 2016. ‘My wife applied for a job for me that I didn’t actually want,’ admitted Robinson. ‘She put the application in, I’d no intention of going for it. ‘I got paid up at Luton and wanted to go on golfing holidays for a year. My only idea of coaching was to go to America. I wanted to live over there. ‘So how I ended up working in Belfast, I do not know. But I was working there within two weeks with Northern Ireland’s Under 12Under-16s, something that didn’t float my boat. ‘I didn’t even want to go back to Belfast. But it was good for me, I started at the lower end again and some good people helped me. ‘Michael O’Neill then got the international job and, having been there two years, I was going to leave. But Michael watched a couple of sessions and offered me the Under-21 job. ‘I had reservations about it. But working with Michael and learning from him — especially with what he’s achieved — has been great. It’s been the best thing I’ve done.’