Forest great was loved in Nottingham but under-appreciated in Scotland before going on to thrive as a coach
O
n the eve of a Celtic European tie 25 years ago, Stiliyan Petrov cut an increasingly agitated figure. The young midfielder, soon to shoot to prominence under Martin O’Neill, was finding it impossible to snatch the ball from a rotund, wizened coach during a possession drill. Petrov’s teammates were cackling with laughter. John Robertson’s brilliance was understated enough in Scotland. Word of his talent in the game was never likely to reach Petrov as he grew up in deepest Bulgaria.
Petrov is part of a recent generation who owe a debt of gratitude to Robertson the coach. More of them later. When news of Robertson’s death filtered through on Christmas Day, the prevailing sense was that his country had lost one of a kind. He was also an individual who, for reasons associated with his own modesty, really never received the kudos he deserved in the land of his birth.
Robertson was two-footed (albeit much more devastating with his left), capable of a bamboozling switch of pace over five yards and a wondrous crosser. He was Brian Clough’s favourite, for goodness sake; a footballer key to two crucial European Cup final goals. It is a pity that only now may Robertson be properly cherished in Scotland. Robertson was very different in style to Denis Law and Kenny Dalglish. It should not be sacrilege to suggest he was their footballing peer.
