John Robertson: ‘The Picasso of football’ who helped Nottingham Forest to two European Cups
The Scotland winger won the European Cup in successive seasons with Forest, scoring in the 1980 final
Former Nottingham Forest and Scotland winger John Robertson, who twice won the European Cup under Bryan Clough, has died aged 72, the Premier League club have announced.
Lanarkshire-born Robertson, who was once described by Clough as “a Picasso of our game”, signed for Forest aged 15, soon making his debut when only 17, and would become a key player as Clough’s side won the First Division league title in 1978 before back-to-back European Cup triumphs.
It was Robertson who provided the assist for Trevor Francis to score the only goal as Forest beat Malmo 1-0 in Munich and he then slotted in the winner himself as Clough’s men beat Hamburg 1-0 in Madrid the following season.
Robertson, who also won the League Cup twice with Forest, was part of Scotland’s World Cup squads in 1978 and 1982.
After a brief spell at Derby, Robertson returned to the City Ground in 1985, playing 12 times in his final season before being released.
Following his retirement, Robertson later moved into coaching as assistant to former Forest team-mate Martin O’Neill at Celtic and Aston Villa.
John Robertson was one of several players whose lives were transformed after Brian Clough took over as Nottingham Forest manager, but it was the return of Peter Taylor which had a profound impact on him.
Taylor resumed his role as Clough’s assistant 18 months into his reign in the summer of 1976, and ordered Robertson back to the team hotel ahead of the first pre-season training season before launching a verbal attack on his attitude and lifestyle.
The winger’s reaction was instant and lasting.
Robertson played a key part in Forest winning promotion that season and played all 42 league games as Forest won the title and League Cup the following campaign.
He went on to set up the winner in one European Cup final and scored in the next one while enjoying a memorable career with Scotland, and was twice voted Forest’s best player of all time.
John Neilson Robertson was born on January 20, 1953 and brought up in Uddingston, a Lanarkshire town just outside Glasgow, living in the same Viewpark area as another great Scottish winger, Jimmy Johnstone.
The youngest of three children, his father Hughie was a former miner who worked with the electricity board and his mother worked at the local Tunnock’s biscuit factory.
Robertson represented Scotland Schoolboys and signed for Forest aged 15 before making his debut when 17.
Forest were relegated from the top flight in 1972 and, although Robertson enjoyed a spell under Dave Mackay, he fell out of favour with Clough’s predecessor, Allan Brown, who tried unsuccessfully to swap him for Partick Thistle’s Ronnie Glavin.
Despite this, Robertson was bizarrely and mistakenly called up by new England boss Don Revie as he named 90 players for a get-together in 1974.
Clough jokingly branded Robertson “tramp” because of his appearance, but the winger longed for any gesture of approval he got from his boss, saying in his 2012 autobiography, Super Tramp: “When I was the recipient I could have done cartwheels. The day I stopped playing for the gaffer, it seemed there was a huge void in my life.”
Robertson won the title, two League Cups and two European Cups – setting up Trevor Francis to score the only goal against Malmo in the 1979 final after overcoming the death of his brother Hughie in a road accident days before the semi-final, an incident which precipitated his heavy smoking. He scored himself against Hamburg in the 1980 showpiece.
His form with Forest got him into Scotland’s 1978 World Cup squad before he had even made his international debut.
Robertson netted eight times in 28 appearances, scoring against New Zealand in the 1982 World Cup and netting a Wembley winner in 1981 – after which he got a lift into London on the England team bus having arranged a night out at Stringfellows with Forest and England striker Tony Woodcock.
The day he stopped playing for Clough initially came in 1983 when, with Forest contract talks slow to get going, he shocked his mentor by signing for Taylor at Derby. The deal spelled the end of Taylor and Clough’s already frosty relationship and Robertson was initially told he was not welcome at the City Ground.
The move proved a disaster.
Robertson’s mind was not fully on the job after his first child, Jessica, was born severely disabled in pre-season. With Forest back in Europe, Derby were struggling and relegated from the Second Division at the end of the season.
Clough forgave Robertson and re-signed him in 1985, with the Scot playing 12 times in his final season before being released.
At 33, he was surprised to find no offers from league clubs and he had an unhappy spell running a pub.
Life after football proved difficult initially with Robertson and first wife Sally involved in a lengthy legal battle with the NHS over the treatment of their daughter at birth.
Jessica, who had cerebral palsy, could not communicate and she died aged 13, but Robertson admitted she had made him more caring and considerate.
Robertson split with his wife and spent time sleeping on friends’ couches, but his friendship with former Forest team-mate Martin O’Neill helped him enormously.
Robertson played for O’Neill at non-league Grantham, got a job under him selling insurance, then, after a spell as Grantham manager himself, was a scout for him at Wycombe, Norwich and Leicester.
By the time the pair left for Celtic in 2000, Robertson was O’Neill’s right-hand man and he bought a house back in Uddingston.
“He was a special (coaching) partner, no question about that,” O’Neill recalled in 2024 when Robertson was featured in BBC Scotland’s Icons of Football series.
“People, for want of a better phrase, bought into John, they really did. There was something about him.”
Robertson’s final job in football was Aston Villa assistant manager from 2006 to 2010.
In August 2013, Robertson was taken to hospital having suffered a suspected heart attack while playing tennis with former Forest team-mate Liam O’Kane and had a stent inserted.
Robertson is survived by daughter Elisabeth and second wife Sharyl and their children, Andrew and Mark.
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