John Robertson, the Nottingham Forest and Scotland legend, has died at the age of 72. The former winger was a key figure in the great Forest side managed by Brian Clough that rose from the second tier to win multiple major honours, including back-to-back European Cups.
Robertson set up the decisive goal in the 1979 European Cup final victory over Malmö and scored the winning goal against Hamburg the following year. He earned 28 Scotland caps, notably scoring the winner against England at Wembley in May 1981. Clough described him as "the Picasso of our game".
Forest said in a statement: "We are heartbroken to announce the passing of Nottingham Forest legend and dear friend, John Robertson. 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." His family said he passed away peacefully on Christmas morning with his wife and family by his side, after a long illness, and that he was reunited with his daughter Jessica.
Born in Uddingston, Lanarkshire in January 1953, Robertson joined Forest in May 1970. After initially struggling due to a lack of professionalism, a stern warning from Clough's assistant Peter Taylor in 1976 prompted a turnaround. He went on to make more than 500 appearances for Forest, scoring 95 goals, including the penalty that sealed the 1978 League Cup against Liverpool.
After leaving Forest in 1983 for Derby and later returning, Robertson enjoyed a successful coaching career. He spent five years as assistant to Martin O'Neill at Celtic, winning three league titles and reaching the Uefa Cup final, and also worked at Wycombe, Norwich, Leicester and Aston Villa. Former player Stan Collymore paid tribute, saying Robertson was "one of the loveliest, kindest-hearted humans I've met".
