LONDON:
Former Scotland winger John Robertson, referred to as each “the Picasso of our sport” and “our fats little man” by supervisor Brian Clough, has died aged 72, Nottingham Forest stated on Thursday.
“We’re heartbroken to announce the passing of Nottingham Forest legend and pricey buddy, John Robertson,” stated the membership assertion.
“A real nice of our membership and a double European Cup winner, John’s unrivalled expertise, humility and unwavering devotion to Nottingham Forest won’t ever ever be forgotten.
Robertson, who was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, on 20 January 1953, joined Nottingham Forest at 17. He made rare appearances in midfield till Clough took over in early 1975.
“Hardly ever might there have been a extra unlikely trying skilled athlete,” Clough wrote in his autobiography of his first impression of Robertson. “A scruffy, unfit, uninterested waste of time.”
However, wrote Clough “one thing instructed me he was value persevering with”.
Clough put Robertson on the left wing the place he thrived because the membership gained promotion to the English high flight in 1977, instantly received the league after which two European Cups.
Roberston, stated Clough, was “one of many best deliverers of a soccer I’ve ever seen, as superb because the Brazilians or the Italians”.
“Give him a ball and a yard of grass, and he was an artist, the Picasso of our sport.”
Forest received each its European finals 1-0 with Robertson enjoying a key position. He arrange Trevor Francis’s profitable header towards Malmo in Munich in 1979.
The next yr within the closing in Madrid, Robertson was up towards Hamburg’s German worldwide proper again Manny Kaltz.
“We’ve bought a bit of fats man who will flip him inside out,” Clough stated earlier than the sport.
Robertson scored the one purpose.
He received 28 caps for Scotland throughout his five-year worldwide profession, which included the 1978 and 1982 World Cups.
He moved on to Derby in 1983, earlier than returning to Nottingham Forest. He then performed for a number of non-league groups earlier than turning into a coach, working underneath former Forest team-mate Martin O’Neill at Wycombe, Norwich, Leicester, Celtic and Aston Villa.
