Mark Lawrenson joined The Football Show to discuss the death of Michael Robinson, the former Republic of Ireland and Liverpool player.

Robinson, who played 24 times for the Republic of Ireland and who won a European Cup with Liverpool in 1984, passed away at the age of 61 after a battle with skin cancer.

Robinson scored four goals for the national side between 1980 and 1986 and later carved out a successful television career in Spain - Lawrenson remembered his friend and team-mate.

"Before I cleared off to Liverpool, I sold my house to him at mates rates so he still owed me money - or would have done," said Lawrenson with tongue in cheek.

"I went to Liverpool and in pre-season 1983, Joe Fagan had just taken over. We were in a hotel in Switzerland and he said to me 'Mark - Michael Robinson?'

"I said 'Good player, I know him well. A real handful. Probably underrated.' He asked me the last time I saw him, I said it was a while ago and he said 'Well, you'll see him tomorrow - we've just signed him."

Lawrenson says Robinson was like a 'battering ram' that took the pressure off the likes of Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush. But it was his career post-football that made Robinson a household name in Spain.

"He was, in Spain, a bit like Des Lynam was all those years in England. The other thing about it was that this was not his native tongue - he did a fabulous job.

"If you went for lunch with Robbo, it lasted a day. Your ears would be bleeding because he never stopped talking - but it was all in good fun. He was just a really, really nice bloke."

Souness on Michael Robinson

Earlier in the day, former team-mate of both Lawrenson and Robinson - Graeme Souness - had paid his own tribute.

Souness revealed how well known and liked Michael Robinson became in Spain.

"He took himself off to Spain, played at Osasuna in Spain and then he's created a life for himself in the media out there and he was extremely popular in Spain. He phoned me up one Friday afternoon - he used to go for these long Spanish lunches - and he was celebrating. He got back to his office, because he'd been out for lunch with Seve Ballesteros. He was walking down the street in Madrid and half a dozen people stopped and asked him for an autograph and only one asked Seve. He was rejoicing in that. He was a proper, proper man."

Souness finished his tribute to his friend on a poignant note.

"He was a close pal of mine and I'm absolutely sick for his family. It's a sad day for me. I have tried to ring him a couple of times in the last couple of weeks. Michael was a very emotional man and he wouldn't pick up the phone any more to me. It was only last night that I'm thinking - 'I'm going to try him and try him until I get him and I thought I won't ring him now because he may be in his bed and I was going to ring him today'. And I've not got the chance to speak to him."

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