Jason (may I call you Jason?)...what you have to remember is..well...more, what you have to learn...is that, people will make comments, that may appear to be brown nosing, but...we all know Robbo's way...so when a comment such as you quoted comes up...Robbo knows they aren't brown nosing...everyone else knows they aren't brown nosing....true brown nosing wouldn't actually get them anywhere...Pete wouldn't like it and would bloody say so! Just the same as if he doesn't like what someone says , he will generally say so, even if he does choose his moment.
As you have stated, Robbo has done a great deal within Paintball, over many years and has achieved great things in his career....if someone makes a comment about Pete being "great", then its similar to someone making a comment about Einstein being Clever...he was...and that's it...you wouldn't go.."oh, stop bumlicking Einstein...just coz he achieved a couple of things".
I am not comparing Pete to Einstein (Einstein was crap at paintball and with the ladies!)...but you get my drift?
Things like Mikey said...he says because, apart from not being able to help himself, as you will see in other threads...he and Robbo have a love/hate relationship and it's an "in" joke...
Not all Bum licking is bum licking..anyway...that is something, or close to what I am supposed to be doing right now (Chloroform at the ready Pete!)...so...I bid you adieu