Robbo, the man who made Forest dream

Tributes have been pouring in for the late Nottingham Forest star John Robertson who passed away on Christmas Day at the age of 72.

- By Nobby Piles

The Scot's death brings back memories of Forest's extraordinary achievements in the late 1970s which included winning two successive European Cups (now Champions League), in which the hugely talented left-winger played such an important role.In the 1979 European final in which Forest beat Swedish champions Malmo 1-0, Robertson delivered a perfect cross from which Trevor Francis headed the only goal of the match. The following year it was Robertson who scored the winner against Hamburg with a nicely-taken goal.

Robertson made more than 500 appearances for Forest, scoring 95 goals. This included a remarkable 243 successive games between 1976-80.

Any discussion on Robertson has to include his legendary boss Brian Clough who played such an influential role in the winger’s career. Clough was so taken with Robertson’s skill he famously called him “a Picasso of the game”.