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‘The toughest year of my life’ – Ipswich Town legend Tony Mowbray on his bowel cancer battle

The 60-year-old decided to leave his job at the helm of Birmingham City in February, having been diagnosed with the illness 'out of the blue.' Speaking with BBC Radio Tees, the man who scored one of the goals for the Blues at Wembley in their famous Play-off Final win over Barnsley in 2000 admitted that the past 12 months have been incredibly hard. SIGN-UP! Get ALL our Town content for the rest of 2024 for just £2 - or 30% off a year! Tony Mowbray celebrates his goal for Town at Wembley in 2000 (Image: Archant) “It’s been the toughest year of my life, of our lives because you talk as a family really," he said. “Out of the blue my illness was diagnosed. I was still Sunderland manager this time a year ago and my house got burgled a year yesterday. “I was at Sunderland in a board meeting and I got a call from my young son so I left that meeting and raced home to see the house full of police officers and everything. “So the start of this year started really badly for us as a family. And then pretty strangely - but I understand football – I lost my job at Sunderland. “I then had an amazing phone call and meeting about joining Birmingham City and the plans that football club had, they saw me as the guy who could bring that together and take that on a journey hopefully back to the Premier League and I was happy to do that. “And then my world came crashing down really. I’d had a doctors’ appointment through the League Managers Association to go to Manchester to have a check over – you have one every year, like a full-body MOT really, everything, your hearing, your eyesight, everything. “And I went along and out of the blue... part of it was having a colonoscopy, because I’d mentioned that I was having some issues. "The way I would go to the toilet had changed so they had a look and I got diagnosed with bowel cancer out of nowhere really. “It’s quite shattering. Unfortunately ten days later I was in a hospital bed in Manchester having a ten-hour operation and my life changed really.” Tony Mowbray decided to leave his job at Birmingham City to focus on his recovery from cancer (Image: PA Sport) Mowbray, who played more than 150 games for Town before retiring after that play-off final win, spoke candidly about his recovery, revealing that he was 'very, very ill.' “When you get an illness like I’ve got it’s about the family really," he explained. "I remember sitting in a hospital bed in Manchester and my kids had tears in their eyes, not sure if I was going to get through it or not to be honest - I was very, very ill. “I did come home from that and there was a period when I was very up and down. Some days I was feeling great and other days I would collapse and black out and find myself on the kitchen floor. “I sat down with my wife and phoned the chief executive at Birmingham and told him that health and family is what life’s about and I need to get myself right so I left that job. “I would like to say on record that both Sunderland and Birmingham City have been amazing to me. “It’s been a year without work, without money, and yet those football clubs have looked after me and honoured the contracts that I’d signed. “That’s quite humbling that people are giving me money, not for working for them, but because I signed a contract in good faith and they deserve a mention that they’ve been so fantastic for me and my family.” Tony Mowbray played more than 150 games for Town (Image: Archant) And Mowbray insisted he will return to the game he loves so much. “I still have issues, I still at this moment am not 100% ready for work," he admitted. "I’m thinking in a couple of months hopefully my body will settle down after a recent operation that I had and I do want to go back to work. “Football’s in my blood, it’s what I do. I want to get involved with a group of young men and talk to them about life and football and what it takes to be a winner and get to the next level, the sacrifices you have to make and try to inspire them with some of the stories I tell about life and fighting and work and quality and talent. “That’s what I want to do, somewhere down the line – my body’s not quite ready yet.” Mowbray also urged anyone who is having symptoms of illness to go to a doctor - with a special emphasis on men who may otherwise ignore the signs. Tony Mowbray is planning to return to football when he's fully recovered (Image: PA Sport) “That’s the strong message," he stressed. "I spoke to my doctors and what they’re saying is it doesn’t need to happen. “If there’s something not right, not normal in your life, whether that be prostate and it’s more difficult to go to the toilet… for me it was the back end of my body and it was different. “It wasn’t that I couldn’t go, it was that it was different and I wanted it checking out. “And so they stick a camera up and if I didn’t do that I probably would have not been here today or I would have been in a situation where I wouldn’t have been able to have an operation and recover. “The message from me loud and clear is for men particularly, but this is for both sexes of course. “I know men generally don’t like to go to the doctor. I feel like I’m a normal working class lad from the North East, I don’t really want to go and see the doctor. “I’ve been fortunate all my working career to have a club doctor and that’s been a big help – and without that club doctor I might not have been here today. “The club doctor was ultimately the one who said let’s have a colonoscopy. “So if there’s something not normal, don’t be afraid to go and see your doctor. Make an appointment, I know they’re difficult sometimes to get, but make one and go and have a chat with the doctor. “And if they think colonoscopy or they want to do a test for your prostate, it’s worth it because it’s not only you, think about your family. “If you’ve got kids, they want to see their dad until he’s an old man so they can take him on holiday or push him around in a wheelchair or whatever it might be. “But it’s about your family – that’s what I found sitting in that bed in Manchester and making a big decision to leave a job and have no money coming in, because I needed to be ready and in that life for them, and for my wife.”

4 min read

Tony Mowbray

Tony Mowbray, discussing the tumultuous events following his surprise diagnosis of bowel cancer, explained his health journey and its impact on his professional life.

Tony Mowbray said “Out of the blue my illness was diagnosed. I was still Sunderland manager this time a year ago and my house got burgled a year yesterday. I was at Sunderland in a board meeting and I got a call from my young son so I left that meeting and raced home to see the house full of police officers and everything. So the start of this year started really badly for us as a family. And then pretty strangely – but I understand football – I lost my job at Sunderland. I then had an amazing phone call and meeting about joining Birmingham City and the plans that football club had, they saw me as the guy who could bring that together and take that on a journey hopefully back to the Premier League and I was happy to do that. And then my world came crashing down really. I’d had a doctors’ appointment through the League Managers Association to go to Manchester to have a check over – you have one every year, like a full-body MOT really, everything, your hearing, your eyesight, everything. And I went along and out of the blue… part of it was having a colonoscopy, because I’d mentioned that I was having some issues.”

Recounting his realization and initial treatment experiences, Tony shared his deeply personal struggle with the diagnosis and its emotional toll on his family.

Tony Mowbray said “The way I would go to the toilet had changed so they had a look and I got diagnosed with bowel cancer out of nowhere really. It’s quite shattering. I remember sitting in a hospital bed in Manchester and my kids had tears in their eyes, not sure if I was going to get through it or not to be honest – I was very, very ill. Some days I was feeling great and other days I would collapse and black out and find myself on the kitchen floor. I sat down with my wife and phoned the chief executive at Birmingham and told him that health and family is what life’s about and I need to get myself right so I left that job. I would like to say on record that both Sunderland and Birmingham City have been amazing to me. It’s been a year without work, without money, and yet those football clubs have looked after me and honoured the contracts that I’d signed. I still have issues, I still at this moment am not 100% ready for work. I’m thinking in a couple of months hopefully my body will settle down after a recent operation that I had and I do want to go back to work. Football’s in my blood, it’s what I do. That’s what I want to do, somewhere down the line – my body’s not quite ready yet.”

Two lines of advice that Tony emphasized for others concerning early detection and medical consultations highlighted his call to action.

Tony Mowbray said “I spoke to my doctors and what they’re saying is it doesn’t need to happen. If there’s something not right, not normal in your life, whether that be prostate and it’s more difficult to go to the toilet… for me it was the back end of my body and it was different. It wasn’t that I couldn’t go, it was that it was different and I wanted it checking out. And so they stick a camera up and if I didn’t do that I probably would have not been here today or I would have been in a situation where I wouldn’t have been able to have an operation and recover. The message from me loud and clear is for men particularly, but this is for both sexes of course. I know men generally don’t like to go to the doctor. I feel like I’m a normal working class lad from the North East, I don’t really want to go and see the doctor. I’ve been fortunate all my working career to have a club doctor and that’s been a big help – and without that club doctor I might not have been here today. The club doctor was ultimately the one who said let’s have a colonoscopy. So if there’s something not normal, don’t be afraid to go and see your doctor. Make an appointment, I know they’re difficult sometimes to get, but make one and go and have a chat with the doctor. And if they think colonoscopy or they want to do a test for your prostate, it’s worth it because it’s not only you, think about your family. If you’ve got kids, they want to see their dad until he’s an old man so they can take him on holiday or push him around in a wheelchair or whatever it might be.”