John Robertson, Forest's trophy-winning 'Picasso', dies at 72

Former Scotland winger John Robertson, called both "the Picasso of our game" and "our fat little guy" by manager Brian Clough, has died aged 72, Nottingham Forest said on Thursday.

"We are heartbroken to announce the passing of Nottingham Forest legend and dear friend, John Robertson," said the club statement.

"A true great of our club and a double European Cup winner, John's unrivalled talent, humility and unwavering devotion to Nottingham Forest will never ever be forgotten.

Robertson, who was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, on 20 January 1953, joined Nottingham Forest at 17. He made infrequent appearances in midfield until Clough took over in early 1975.

"Rarely could there have been a more unlikely looking professional athlete," Clough wrote in his autobiography of his first impression of Robertson. "A scruffy, unfit, uninterested waste of time." 

But, wrote Clough "something told me he was worth persevering with".

Clough put Robertson on the left wing where he thrived as the club gained promotion to the English top flight in 1977, immediately won the league and then two European Cups.

Roberston, said Clough, turned into "one of the finest deliverers of a football I have ever seen, as fine as the Brazilians or the Italians".

"Give him a ball and a yard of grass, and he was an artist, the Picasso of our game."

Forest won both its European finals 1-0 with Robertson playing a key role. He set up Trevor Francis's winning header against Malmo in Munich in 1979.

The following year in the final in Madrid, Robertson was up against Hamburg's German international right back Manny Kaltz. 

"We have got a little fat guy who will turn him inside out," Clough said before the game.

Robertson scored the only goal.

He won 28 caps for Scotland during his five-year international career, which included the 1978 and 1982 World Cups.

He moved on to Derby in 1983, before returning to Nottingham Forest. He then played for several non-league teams before becoming a coach, working under former Forest team-mate Martin O'Neill at Wycombe, Norwich, Leicester, Celtic and Aston Villa.

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