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Northumbrian born Keith Robson was a left sided winger, whose aggressive
style endeared him to West Ham fans during his brief three year career
at Upton Park. The 20 year old was signed for £50, 000 in September 1974
from Newcastle United and his arrival, together with that of Billy
Jennings from Watford, sparked a remarkable scoring spree with the
Hammers netting an incredible 20 goals in just 4 games during a 12 day
period. Robson made his debut for West Ham in a home League Cup replay
against Tranmere Rovers shortly after signing and was immediately on the
scoresheet in a 6-0 win. A few days later he was again a scorer, this
time on his Division One debut in a 6-2 victory against Leicester City
at Upton Park. Keith continued his impressive start for The Hammers,
scoring in all of the next three games; against Birmingham City (won
3-0), Burnley (2 goals in a 5-3 win) and Derby (2-2 draw). During his
first season in claret and blue, he went on to score a total of ten
League goals, finishing second top scorer for the club behind Jennings,
who netted 13 times.
The season was to have a bitter sweet finish for
Robson though, as a thigh injury kept him out of West Ham's FA Cup Final
win against Fulham, his place on the left flank going to Pat Holland.
Keith was, however, to play in a Final in his second season with West
Ham, scoring in a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Anderlecht in the European
Cup Winners Cup at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels. He also played a
major part in the Hammers run to the Final, scoring in the home
successes against Reipas Lahti and Ararat Erevan and, most memorably,
striking the vital third goal in the classic semi-final second leg tie
at Upton Park against German side Eintract Frankfurt which West Ham won
4-3 on aggregate. However, domestically the 1975/76 season was to be
less successful for Robson as he ended with only a disappointing 3
league goals in 34 appearances as the Hammers battled against
relegation.
His onfield behavior also began to become an issue, in
particular after being sent off for punching an opponent during a home
Christmas defeat by Ipswich. Keith suffered an injury disrupted season
during 1976/77 as West Ham again struggled badly in the League,
finishing just two points above the relegation zone in 17th place. His
disciplinary record came further into question during the season as he
was publicly criticised by West Ham Chairman Reg Pratt after being
booked in a League Cup game in October 1976 against QPR. He eventually
played in only 9 League games in his final season at Upton Park without
scoring. Keith's last game for the Hammers was in a 6-0 defeat at
Sunderland in March 1977, which was later described by John Lyall as one
of the worst team performances in his time at the club. With the
emergence of youngsters Geoff Pike and Alan Devonshire limiting his
first team chances, Robson was eventually sold to Second Division
Cardiff City in August 1977. (Mark Matthews)
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