mdingwall
Administrator
I don't want to be morbid but I think it's important on this new system of a messageboard to bring together some info about Robert.
G_S
Little Boy Blue has passed away - Robert Watt RIP
I received a phone call this morning to say he has passed away after being taken into Ninewells Hospital last night where he sadly deteriorated very quickly and died in the wee small hours.
Robert was a mainstay of both Follow Follow fanzine and the website for many years - his wit and wisdom remain there for all to see - his last article for the website was written the morning after the League Cup exit. The last call I had with him was regarding an up coming article about the 3-2 league Cup win with Ally scoring a hat-trick - he was, as ever, reeling off facts, figures and anecdotes about it as he could do with many games.
Robert has a wide and varied media career that took him from the Rangers News and local papers to national circulation magazines, West Sound radio, national papers and latterly the Belfast Telegraph. Whether FF was a high point or a low point in that career was something he often joked about!
Behind his devil-may-care public persona there was a man of principle - he left several jobs because he thought he was treated unfairly. In fact he took Peebles Publishing (then in charge of the Rangers News) to court and won. In time of need he wasn’t too precious about himself and would turn his hand to bar-tending or other jobs to get by - he was happy with just enough to see the Rangers and be comfortable at home.
It was the football that brought us together - he was truly obsessed by it - all of it, not just Rangers. He had a huge video library which in the last few years he was changing over to DVD - you would call him and he’d tell you he was just pausing some Bayern v Dortmund league game he had taped ten years before! His memory for facts, figures and stories about Rangers was legendary amongst his circle of friends.
Over the years I would bump into him in the strangest of places - he’d turn up in Amsterdam or Rotterdam or some pre-season friendly - at the Emirates he turned up and announced “where have you got me a room”!!! In latter years he and his partner Doris, an Ibrox season ticket holder, would enjoy themselves on our European jaunts and spend a lot of time in their Maltese bolthole.
Much of his adult life was spent in Irvine and latterly he had a flat in Kilwinning and spent a lot of time in Forfarshire with Doris. It was from her home he was taken after falling unwell last night.
In 2011 he was diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia but he pulled through - a recurrence lately meant more hospital visits but he seemed confident he could beat it a second time around. My last conversation with him centred around his frustration at not being able to get back to Malta - the doctors said the chance of infection on the plane journey was too great.
In 2011 he was told to get into Crosshouse hospital immediately when the doctor received the results of tests and was told if he didn’t he had ten days to live. He faced up to it with great fortitude - I will shortly post up a magnificent email he sent me from his hospital bed in 2011 - so full of courage and hope it took my breath away - if only we all could summon up the same bravery when faced with the same.
One thing about Robert was his never-ending sense of humour. On the first trip to see him in Crosshouse he told me to bring him a cargo as the nurses didn’t mind him having the odd snifter. Myself, the Gub, Robert McElroy of the Rangers Historian and Leggo all got gowned up. I slipped him a quarter bottle and said “That’s from Bob, he doesn’t think you’ll last long enough to finish a half bottle” - quick as a flash he replied - “You were always a miserable bastard McElroy!”
And now he is gone. I’ll miss his enthusiasm for our club, his humour, miss his rants before every game at the subway or outside the Louden and his cleverly but outrageously biased match reports!
Condolences to Doris, his friends, family and colleagues.
Goodbye old pal.
G_S
Little Boy Blue has passed away - Robert Watt RIP
I received a phone call this morning to say he has passed away after being taken into Ninewells Hospital last night where he sadly deteriorated very quickly and died in the wee small hours.
Robert was a mainstay of both Follow Follow fanzine and the website for many years - his wit and wisdom remain there for all to see - his last article for the website was written the morning after the League Cup exit. The last call I had with him was regarding an up coming article about the 3-2 league Cup win with Ally scoring a hat-trick - he was, as ever, reeling off facts, figures and anecdotes about it as he could do with many games.
Robert has a wide and varied media career that took him from the Rangers News and local papers to national circulation magazines, West Sound radio, national papers and latterly the Belfast Telegraph. Whether FF was a high point or a low point in that career was something he often joked about!
Behind his devil-may-care public persona there was a man of principle - he left several jobs because he thought he was treated unfairly. In fact he took Peebles Publishing (then in charge of the Rangers News) to court and won. In time of need he wasn’t too precious about himself and would turn his hand to bar-tending or other jobs to get by - he was happy with just enough to see the Rangers and be comfortable at home.
It was the football that brought us together - he was truly obsessed by it - all of it, not just Rangers. He had a huge video library which in the last few years he was changing over to DVD - you would call him and he’d tell you he was just pausing some Bayern v Dortmund league game he had taped ten years before! His memory for facts, figures and stories about Rangers was legendary amongst his circle of friends.
Over the years I would bump into him in the strangest of places - he’d turn up in Amsterdam or Rotterdam or some pre-season friendly - at the Emirates he turned up and announced “where have you got me a room”!!! In latter years he and his partner Doris, an Ibrox season ticket holder, would enjoy themselves on our European jaunts and spend a lot of time in their Maltese bolthole.
Much of his adult life was spent in Irvine and latterly he had a flat in Kilwinning and spent a lot of time in Forfarshire with Doris. It was from her home he was taken after falling unwell last night.
In 2011 he was diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia but he pulled through - a recurrence lately meant more hospital visits but he seemed confident he could beat it a second time around. My last conversation with him centred around his frustration at not being able to get back to Malta - the doctors said the chance of infection on the plane journey was too great.
In 2011 he was told to get into Crosshouse hospital immediately when the doctor received the results of tests and was told if he didn’t he had ten days to live. He faced up to it with great fortitude - I will shortly post up a magnificent email he sent me from his hospital bed in 2011 - so full of courage and hope it took my breath away - if only we all could summon up the same bravery when faced with the same.
One thing about Robert was his never-ending sense of humour. On the first trip to see him in Crosshouse he told me to bring him a cargo as the nurses didn’t mind him having the odd snifter. Myself, the Gub, Robert McElroy of the Rangers Historian and Leggo all got gowned up. I slipped him a quarter bottle and said “That’s from Bob, he doesn’t think you’ll last long enough to finish a half bottle” - quick as a flash he replied - “You were always a miserable bastard McElroy!”
And now he is gone. I’ll miss his enthusiasm for our club, his humour, miss his rants before every game at the subway or outside the Louden and his cleverly but outrageously biased match reports!
Condolences to Doris, his friends, family and colleagues.
Goodbye old pal.
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