Tony Mowbray discussed his cancer diagnosis and present health condition in a long interview.
In an interview with the BBC, former Sunderland and Middlesbrough manager Tony Mowbray gave a detailed health report.
The 60-year-old hasn’t been in the dugout since being forced to leave his most recent position with Birmingham City in February. The veteran defender was a guest of both Sunderland and Middlesbrough earlier this season, giving a speech at halftime during his visit to the Riverside. Mowbray formally resigned from his position in the Midlands in May.
Mowbray gave BBC Radio Tees a new health update, thanking his two most recent former teams, Sunderland and Birmingham City, for their support after he was diagnosed with colon cancer during the 2023–24 season. He also talked about the difficult previous 12 months.
“I speak as a family really, so it’s been the hardest year of my life and of our lives,” Mowbray said on BBC Radio Tees. “My disease was diagnosed out of the blue. This time a year ago, I was probably still Sunderland’s manager. I guess I was soon after, as I recall my house being broken into yesterday, which was actually a year ago. My young kid called me when I was in Sunderland attending a board meeting.
I hurried home after the meeting to find the house crowded with police officers and everything. So, this year got off to a terrible start for our family, and then, in a really odd turn of events, but I understand football, I lost my job at Sunderland. My world really fell apart after I had a fantastic phone conversation and meeting with Birmingham City about joining them and their plans. They saw me as the person who could put everything together and lead them on the journey, hopefully back to the Premier League.
“The League Managers Association had arranged for me to get a check-up with a doctor in Manchester. You receive one annually, which is essentially a full-body MOT. Your eyesight, hearing, everything, and I went along with it. Suddenly, I had a colonoscopy since I had stated that I had some problems. I was diagnosed with bowel cancer unexpectedly, which is incredibly heartbreaking, after they noticed a change in the way I would use the potty. I had to go to the football team where I had recently started working. In my eight games as manager, I believe I had won four, drawn two, and lost two.
“We had just defeated Sunderland and Blackburn, my two former clubs, and we were doing pretty well. Everything was going well, the stadium was packed, and I was really looking forward to having a great time there.” Unfortunately, my life altered drastically 10 days later when I was in a Manchester hospital bed undergoing a ten-hour operation. Professionally, I find it upsetting since I watch Birmingham every week and see the players, who have essentially transformed the entire squad. Only perhaps two or three remain from my time there.
“I was aware of the owner’s idea, and I believe it will be a fascinating aspect of my career.I hope they can prove themselves in League One this year, and I wish them all the best. Basically, it’s about the family when you have a disease as I did. I can still picture my children crying as I sat in a hospital bed in Manchester, not on Teesside. I was honestly quite sick, so I wasn’t sure if I would survive it or not. I did return home from that, and it’s a really erratic time.
You were feeling fantastic on some days, but on others, I would pass out and end up on the kitchen floor. Together with my wife, I called the Chief Executive in Birmingham and informed him that I needed to take care of myself because my family and health are the most important things in life. I quit that position. For the record, I think Birmingham City and Sunderland have both been fantastic. It’s been a year without work and money, but those football clubs have taken care of me and kept their end of the bargain.
Once more, it truly is humbling that people are practically paying me because I signed a contract with them in good faith and they deserve it, not because I worked for them. They’ve been amazing for me and my family, as I indicated. That’s about it; I don’t want to delve too far into it beyond the fact that I still have problems. I’m still not quite prepared for job at this time. I’m hoping that after a recent procedure, my body will stabilise in a few months, and I do want to return to work.
“I play football; it’s in my blood.” I want to get engaged with a group of young men and attempt to talk to them about football, life, and what it truly takes to advance to the next level and be a winner. the sacrifices you must make, and I want to attempt to motivate them by sharing some of my tales about life, perseverance, hard effort, quality, and skill. My body is telling me I’m not ready yet, so I’m not quite ready yet. I nearly called this morning to say, “I had a really bad night last night, but I want it to come because I want to come and watch live football.” I’m here today.
“I’ve always loved the border, and I hope today will witness a nice performance and a good triumph. When I eventually bring another club to Middlesbrough, I hope to be able to cheer the supporters before the game and let them know that two outstanding teams will be competing for a victory. From a borough perspective and beyond, of course, people already love you, so thank you for being so forthright and honest. You didn’t have to do that, and everyone is listening.
“I am aware that Chris Hoy, a well-known celebrity, is currently telling men about his terrible experience, but he is telling people, and I believe it is appropriate. If something is wrong or abnormal in your life, like having a prostate or having trouble using the loo, it was different for me because it was the back end of my body. I was unable to go, but it was different, so I wanted it checked out. They put a camera up, and if I hadn’t, I probably wouldn’t be here today or I might not have been in a position where I could have had surgery and recovered.
That’s the case for me, so the message is quite clear to guys in particular—of course, this applies to both sexes—but I am aware that men don’t like to visit the doctor. I consider myself to be a typical North East working-class boy. Although most people don’t like to go to the doctor, I’ve been lucky throughout my career to have a club doctor, who has been a huge assistance. Without that club doctor, I might not be here today.
“In the end, the club doctor suggested that we get a colonoscopy, which is what transpired. Therefore, don’t be scared to visit your doctor if something seems out of the ordinary. Make an appointment. I know it can be challenging to obtain one on the NHS at times, but set up an appointment, go talk to the doctor, and if they recommend a colonoscopy or a prostate test, it’s worth it because it’s not just you.
Therefore, consider your family. If you have children, consider their interests and their desire to visit their father until he is elderly and they are able to take him on vacation, push him around in a wheelchair, or do anything else they can. However, it’s about your family, which is what I discovered when I was sitting in that Manchester bed and decided to quit my job and have no income coming in because I needed to be prepared and there for my wife and family.
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