Robbie Mustoe
{{short description|English footballer and commentator}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Robbie Mustoe
| image =
| caption =
| fullname =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1968|8|28|df=y}}
| birth_place = Witney, England
| height =
| position = Defensive Midfielder
| youthyears1 = 1984–1986
| youthclubs1 = Oxford United
| years1 = 1986–1990 | clubs1 = Oxford United | caps1 = 91 | goals1 = 10
| years2 = 1990–2002 | clubs2 = Middlesbrough | caps2 = 365 | goals2 = 25
| years3 = 2002–2003 | clubs3 = Charlton Athletic | caps3 = 6 | goals3 = 0
| years4 = 2003–2004 | clubs4 = Sheffield Wednesday | caps4 = 25 | goals4 = 1
| totalgoals = 36 | totalcaps = 478
| manageryears1 = 2006 |managerclubs1 = Bentley Falcons (assistant)
| manageryears2 = 2007 |managerclubs2 = Boston College Eagles (assistant)
}}
Robin "Robbie" Mustoe (born 28 August 1968) is an English former professional footballer who now works as a commentator for NBC Sports.
He made nearly 500 appearances in the Football League and Premier League playing primarily as a defensive midfielder for Oxford United and Middlesbrough, but also making appearances for Charlton Athletic and Sheffield Wednesday.{{cite web |url=http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player1/robbiemustoe.html |title=Robbie Mustoe |work=UK A–Z Transfers |publisher=Neil Brown |accessdate=25 November 2009}}
Playing career
Mustoe began his football career as a junior with Oxford United.{{cite web |url=http://www.oufc.co.uk/page/Youth/0,,10342~1056482,00.html |title=Alumni |publisher=Oxford United F.C |accessdate=25 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130070529/http://www.oufc.co.uk/page/Youth/0%2C%2C10342~1056482%2C00.html |archivedate=30 January 2009}} He made his Football League debut in the 1986–87 Football League First Division, and went on to play nearly 100 league games for the club.{{cite web |url=http://www.sporting-heroes.net/football-heroes/displayhero_club.asp?HeroID=42365 |title=Robbie Mustoe Middlesbrough FC |work=Football Heroes |publisher=Sporting Heroes Collections |accessdate=25 November 2009}}
He joined Middlesbrough in 1990 for £375,000. When Bryan Robson took over as player-manager in 1994, Mustoe initially lost his place.{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-longserving-mustoe-the-boro-boy-made-good-1189567.html |title=Long-serving Mustoe the Boro boy made good |first=Simon |last=Turnbull |newspaper=The Independent |date=6 December 1998 |accessdate=25 November 2009}} However, he worked his way back into the side, becoming a consistent member of the first team, featured in all three of the club's Wembley finals,{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-heskey-levels-at-the-last-to-deflate-juninho-1265668.html |title=Heskey levels at the last to deflate Juninho |first=Glenn |last=Moore |newspaper=The Independent |date=7 April 1997 |accessdate=25 November 2009}}{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/chelsea-cruelly-expose-boro-fault-lines-1262302.html |title=Chelsea cruelly expose Boro fault lines |first=Glenn |last=Moore |newspaper=The Independent |date=19 May 1997 |accessdate=25 November 2009}}{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-viallis-selflessness-primes-chelseas-deserved-victory-1153305.html |title=Vialli's selflessness primes Chelsea's deserved victory |first=Glenn |last=Moore |newspaper=The Independent |date=30 March 1998 |accessdate=25 November 2009}} and shared the club's 1999 Player of the Year award with Hamilton Ricard.{{cite web |url=http://www.mfc.premiumtv.co.uk/articles/youre-fan-tastic-20090514_70638_1657816 |title=You're Fan-Tastic! |publisher=Middlesbrough FC |date=14 May 2009 |accessdate=25 November 2009 }}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
When Steve McClaren took over as manager in 2001, Mustoe was 33 and not part of McLaren's future plans. However, he again worked his way back into the team and played a prominent part in the 2001–02 season.{{cite news |url=http://www.sundaysun.co.uk/sport/north-east-football/2002/03/30/robbie-is-still-doing-me-proud-79310-11749543/ |title=Robbie is still doing me proud |newspaper=The Sunday Sun |date=30 March 2002 |accessdate=25 November 2009}} He left the club in the summer of 2002, having made more than 450 appearances in all competitions.
He played a season at Charlton Athletic before ending his professional playing career in League One with Sheffield Wednesday.{{cite web |url=https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=5746 |title=Robbie Mustoe |work=Soccerbase |publisher=Centurycomm |access-date=24 November 2009 |archive-date=16 November 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041116130653/http://www.soccerbase.com/players_details.sd?playerid=5746 |url-status=live }} At Wednesday he scored once, an injury-time winner against Brighton & Hove Albion.{{cite web
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_2/3552709.stm
|title=Sheff Wed 2–1 Brighton
|publisher=BBC
|date=27 March 2004 |accessdate=1 February 2010}}
In his book Woody and Nord, Gareth Southgate describes Mustoe as "one of the most honest professionals in the game".{{citation needed|date=November 2009}}
Coaching career
After retiring as a player, Mustoe moved to Lexington, Massachusetts, in the United States where he coached college soccer.{{cite web |url=http://bceagles.cstv.com/sports/m-soccer/mtt/mustoe_robbie01.html |title=Robbie Mustoe Profile |work=Boston College Official Athletic Site |publisher=CBS Interactive |accessdate=25 November 2009}}
Media work
Mustoe moved to the US after retiring from playing where he worked as a commentator/analyst for ESPN television for five years.{{Cite web |date=2009-06-11 |title=ESPN and ESPN2 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Television Commentators |url=https://sportsmedianews.com/espn-and-espn2-2009-fifa-confederations-cup-television-commentators/ |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=Sports Media News |language=en-US}} He was invited into ESPN by former Boro commentator Dave Roberts.{{cite web |url=https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/robbie-mustoe-im-living-dream-9836230 |title=Robbie Mustoe: 'I'm living the dream - it's not the worst way to earn a dollar' |publisher=TeessideLive |date=12 August 2015 |accessdate=28 May 2020}} where the two worked side by side in both the TV studio and conducting soccer commentaries. Mustoe also worked alongside Adrian Healey for ESPN's La Liga, UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Euro 2008, the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, the 2010 FIFA World Cup in which he partnered mostly with Derek Rae, and UEFA Euro 2012 coverage.{{Cite web |date=2012-06-08 |title=ESPN Inc. at UEFA EURO 2012 |url=https://sportsmedianews.com/espn-inc-at-uefa-euro-2012/ |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=Sports Media News |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=By |date=2009-08-23 |title=TELEVISION DEALS SHOULD RAISE LA LIGA'S PROFILE IN THE UNITED STATES |url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2009-08-23-0908220153-story.html/ |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=Sun Sentinel |language=en-US}} He also regularly appeared as a pundit on ESPN FC and made sporadic appearances for the network's Premier League coverage working in the studio.
In April 2013, he joined fellow British "Robbie" (Robbie Earle) on NBC as an analyst for their newly purchased English Premier League TV rights in the US market, as well as NBC's Match of the Day and Premier League Download programs.{{cite web|url=http://epltalk.com/2013/03/28/robbie-earle-and-robbie-mustoe-expected-to-join-nbcs-epl-soccer-coverage-team/|publisher=EPL Talk|title=Robbie Earle and Robbie Mustoe Expected to Join NBC's EPL Coverage|date=28 March 2013|accessdate=15 October 2014}}
Honours
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Soccerbase}}
- {{NeilBrownPlayers|player1/robbiemustoe}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mustoe, Robbie}}
Category:Sportspeople from Witney
Category:English men's footballers
Category:Men's association football midfielders
Category:Oxford United F.C. players
Category:Middlesbrough F.C. players
Category:Charlton Athletic F.C. players
Category:Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players
Category:English Football League players
Category:Premier League players