Editing Bryan Robson (section)

===West Bromwich Albion===
Towards the end of the [[1973–74 in English football|1973–74]] season, his second as an apprentice, Robson made his reserve team debut, against [[Everton F.C. Reserves and Academy|Everton reserves]] at [[Goodison Park]].<ref>Robson (2007), p. 23.</ref> He signed a professional contract in the summer of 1974, earning £28 per week plus a £250 signing on fee.<ref>Robson (2007), p. 24.</ref> During the [[1974–75 in English football|1974–75 season]], he was a regular in Albion's reserve team, but was not selected by [[Don Howe]] for the first team.<ref>Robson (2007), p. 25.</ref> Following Howe's departure with three matches of the season remaining, Robson was called up to the senior team for the first time by caretaker manager [[Brian Whitehouse]]. He made his first team debut away at [[York City F.C.|York City]] on 12 April 1975 at the age of 18, helping Albion to a 3–1 victory.<ref name="Robbo pp26-27">Robson (2007), pp. 26–27.</ref> In the following game, his home debut, he scored his first goal for the club, in a 2–0 win over [[Cardiff City F.C.|Cardiff City]], and also scored in the final match of the season away at [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]].<ref name="Robbo pp26-27"/>

During the [[1975–76 in English football|following season]], Robson played only sporadically. He faced stiff competition for midfield places, not least from player-manager [[Johnny Giles]], and was utilised by Giles in various positions, including centre-half, left-back and midfield.<ref>Robson (2007), pp. 28–29.</ref> Albion finished third in Division Two to win promotion back to the top-flight.

Robson experienced top-flight football for the first time during the [[1976–77 in English football|1976–77 season]], and began to appear more regularly in the side, although he was still alternating between the positions of left back and his preferred central midfield role. His rapid progress was halted however, when he received the first serious injury of his career. Playing at left back, he broke his left leg in a tackle with [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]] striker [[Chris Jones (footballer, born 1956)|Chris Jones]].<ref name="Robbo pp30-32">Robson (2007), pp. 30–32.</ref> Two months later, Robson made his comeback in a reserve game at [[The Hawthorns]], but the original break was refractured in a challenge with [[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke City]]'s [[Denis Smith (footballer, born 1947)|Denis Smith]].<ref name="Robbo pp30-32"/> Again he recovered, and returned to the first team in late December. He went on to enjoy a run in the side and scored his first professional [[hat-trick]], in a 4–0 win against [[Ipswich Town F.C.|Ipswich Town]] on 16 March 1977.<ref name="Robbo pp30-32"/> One month later however, he broke his right ankle in a challenge with [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]]'s [[Dennis Tueart]],<ref name="Robbo pp30-32"/> causing him to pull out of the England under-23 squad following his call-up.{{Citation needed|date=September 2007}}

Giles left Albion at the end of the 1976–77 eason. His successor, the club's chief scout and former player [[Ronnie Allen]], picked Robson to replace Giles in central midfield. However, Allen himself left midway through the season and defender [[John Wile]] was put in temporary charge. Results worsened and Robson was dropped from the team.<ref name="Robbo pp33-34">Robson (2007), pp. 33–34.</ref> He returned to the side under new boss [[Ron Atkinson]], whom Robson described as "a down-to-earth, fair-minded, regular bloke".<ref name="Robbo pp33-34"/> Atkinson did leave Robson out of an [[FA Cup]] semi-final against [[Ipswich Town F.C.|Ipswich Town]], but recalled him for the latter stages of the league campaign as Albion qualified for the [[UEFA Europa League|UEFA Cup]]. In the [[1978–79 in English football|1978–79 season]], Robson was a key player, starting 41 out of 42 league games and wearing the number 7 shirt on each occasion.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Matthews |first1=Tony |last2=Mackenzie |first2=Colin |title=Albion! A Complete Record of West Bromwich Albion 1879–1987 |publisher=Breedon Books |year=1987 |pages=147 |isbn=978-0-907969-23-5 }}</ref> He played a major part in Albion finishing third in Division One, their highest league placing for more than 20 years, and reaching the UEFA Cup quarter-finals. The [[1979–80 in English football|following season]] was a disappointing one by comparison, with the club finishing only 10th in the league, but Robson's performances in midfield helped to earn him his first full England cap in February 1980. In the [[1980–81 in English football|1980–81 season]], he scored ten goals in 40 league games to help Albion to a 4th-place finish in the First Division.

Atkinson left to take over at [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] in June 1981, and speculation mounted that Robson would either follow him to United or join [[Bob Paisley]]'s [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]]. Albion offered Robson a new contract worth £1,000 per week, but he turned it down and put in a transfer request.<ref name="Robbo pp45-46">Robson (2007), pp. 45–46.</ref> His teammate [[Remi Moses]] signed for United in September 1981 and Robson followed soon afterwards.