"I think you have a lot of inspiration in life. My grandfather is a big inspiration; he's now a professional boxer and, you know, a former soldier. He's very disciplined and a great person," Herdman said in an exclusive interview with the Indonesian national team, which aired on the team's YouTube channel on Monday.
"I mean, as a starting point, you look at your family and then, in your life, as you grow up and you're around different people, I think, you know, watching Sir Bobby Robson at Newcastle United, with other lads up north who came from working-class backgrounds and became pilgrims in football, and travelled to many different countries," he added.
Herdman admired Robson's five-year tenure at Newcastle United. Under Robson, the Magpies' best Premier League finish was third place in the 2002/2003 season with 69 points, behind Arsenal's 78 and champions Manchester United's 83.
The Magpies' points tally at that time surpassed Chelsea and Liverpool, who were in fourth (67 points) and fifth (64 points) positions.
Newcastle ended Robson's managerial career, which spanned 255 matches.
