Birmingham City radio personality Tom Ross pays tribute to a Birmingham City legend
11:26, 15 Jan 2026
St Andrew’s will be a sadder place after passing of true Blue ‘Hoppy’
The legendary Bill Shankly once famously said “some people think football is a matter of life or death. I assure you it’s much more important than that.”
Well, he was 100% wrong, it most definitely isn’t. To lose anyone is the toughest thing many of us have to deal with in our lives, the feeling of devastation, the feeling of unbridled grief hits harder than anything. When it is at its most painful is when it’s someone close who passed suddenly. No time to say goodbye. That’s how it was when Robert ‘Hoppy’ Hopkins passed away last Sunday at the age of 64 years young. I make no bones about it; it hit me like a bomb. I have lost a friend. One of the first people to contact me was the Blues CEO Jeremy Dale who wanted to offer his condolences to the Hopkins family, with thousands more offering their sympathy to the family. I first met Hoppy in the late 70s but got to know him best when he signed for Blues in 1983. He was not only a very competitive and aggressive player but was also very talented. Whatever team he played for Blues was his team, the team he loved and supported.
Had he not played for them, he would have been cheering them on the terraces, as he was home and away after he retired from playing. He was a warrior who played with passion, commitment, and a desire to win that was top drawer and was what endeared him most to the supporters. You would not want to play against him, that’s for sure. Whenever I called him to ask him to do something or make an appearance at a supporters club or whatever, he always said yes. He played for the Blues All Stars Charity team from the very first game in 1992 up until the last one we played in September; the games will not be the same without him in the dug-out with me. He turned up every game and despite the state of his knees he always wanted to make an appearance. Not long ago, I had a chat and said his playing days were over as he would damage his knees even more. He said he would have an operation to get them sorted as he wanted to keep playing, such was his desire to wear a Blues shirt. But he was prepared to turn up and help me. But most of all, I will miss the phone ringing and him saying “what’s happening Rosko?” and we would chat about the Blues All-Stars team or whatever but always Blues-related. I was so happy when he met his partner Nicola, she gave him and his life a massive much needed boost. I am sure that “Aye Aye Hoppy” will be ringing around St Andrew’s at the next home game. I, like thousands of Blues fans, will miss him and his down to earth Brummie attitude. St Andrew’s will be a lesser place without him there cheering the team on at every home game. The reactions to his passing on my social media pages were around 6,000 and showed how engaged with Hoppy the Blues fans were and just how popular and loved he was, something he never realised due to his humble nature. Everyone needs a pal like Hoppy, someone you can rely on, someone you would definitely want in your team-a warrior with a never-say-die attitude. With a nod to Frank Sinatra, without doubt Hoppy did it his way. RIP..