Former Scotland international and Nottingham Forest winger, John Robertson, famously hailed by manager Brian Clough as “A Picasso of our game,” has passed away at the age of 72.
Robertson, who usually scored the decisive goal as Nottingham Forest retained the European Cup by defeating Hamburg in 1980, having also provided the assist for Trevor Francis’ winner against Malmo the previous season.
For Scotland, he netted a memorable winner against England in 1981 and scored against New Zealand at the 1982 World Cup finals, earning 28 caps in total.
After retiring, Robertson served as assistant manager to former Forest teammate Martin O’Neill at Wycombe Wanderers, Norwich City, Leicester City, Celtic, and Aston Villa.
His 2012 autobiography, Supertramp, recalled Brian Clough’s transformation of him from a “scruffy, unfit, uninterested waste of time” into “one of the finest deliverers of a football I have ever seen, as fine as the Brazilians or the Italians.”
John McGovern, Forest’s captain, described Robertson as “like Ryan Giggs but with two good feet, not one,” praising his exceptional talent and versatility.
Trophies, Goals & Successful Spells
Born in the Viewpark area of North Lanarkshire, Robertson began his career with Drumchapel Amateurs and represented Scotland at youth level before joining Nottingham Forest in May 1970, making his debut later that year.
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Initially listed for transfer, he became a pivotal player under Brian Clough from 1975, appearing in 243 consecutive matches between December 1976 and December 1980.
ZHe scored the winning penalty in Forest’s 1978 League Cup final replay victory over Liverpool.
In 1983, Robertson moved to Derby County for a contested transfer fee, straining the relationship between Clough and his former assistant, Peter Taylor.
Injuries hampered his time at Derby, and despite returning to Forest in 1985, he never regained his top form, later playing for non-league sides Corby Town, Stamford, and Grantham Town.
During his Forest career, Robertson also won First and Second Division titles, the UEFA Super Cup, two League Cups, the 1978 FA Charity Shield, and the Anglo-Scottish Cup. In 2015, he was voted Nottingham Forest’s favourite all-time player by a Nottingham Post poll.
As assistant to Martin O’Neill, Robertson enjoyed coaching success, helping Wycombe win promotions from the Football Conference and Third Division, and Leicester gain promotion to the top tier alongside a League Cup triumph.
His most successful spell followed at Celtic, where the club won the Scottish Premier League three times, the Scottish Cup three times, the League Cup once, and reached the UEFA Cup final.
Robertson ended his coaching career at Aston Villa in 2010, helping the team reach the League Cup final, where they finished runners-up.
