Robertson had performed for Scotland at schoolboy and youth stage earlier than becoming a member of Forest as a teen in 1970. He had did not make an affect till Clough’s appointment, however the nice supervisor noticed one thing he might nurture.

In his autobiography Clough wrote: “Not often might there have been a extra unlikely trying skilled athlete… scruffy, unfit, uninterested waste of time… however one thing advised me he was price persevering with and he turned one of many most interesting deliverers of a soccer I’ve ever seen.”

He additionally wrote: “If someday, I felt a bit off color, I’d sit subsequent to him. I used to be bloody Errol Flynn compared. However give him a ball and a yard of grass, and he was an artist, the Picasso of our sport.”

Clough was idolised by Robertson, who stated: “I knew he appreciated me however I beloved him. I would not have had a profession with out him.”

Robertson performed in 243 consecutive video games between December 1976 and December 1980, and regardless of the big-name buys resembling England goalkeeper Peter Shilton and Francis, Britain’s first £1m footballer, he was the participant who made Forest tick.

For all of the expertise elsewhere, Robertson was Forest’s fulcrum.

In Forest’s first season again within the prime flight below Clough in 1977-78, Robertson not solely performed an important position in successful the title, but in addition scored the winner from the penalty spot towards Liverpool of their League Cup last replay at Outdated Trafford.

It was not simply Clough who recognised Robertson’s significance, with former team-mate Martin O’Neill saying: “He was probably the most influential participant in Europe for possibly three-and-a-half to 4 years.”

And Forest’s captain below Clough, John McGovern, acknowledged: “He was like Ryan Giggs however with two good ft.”

All this regardless of Robertson’s personal admission that he had no tempo and couldn’t deal with.

Clough, nevertheless, was not bothered about what Robertson couldn’t do, preferring to provide him licence to focus on what he might do. It was the proper footballing marriage of supervisor and participant. Two maverick characters working in concord.

In a well-known interview earlier than the 1980 European Cup last towards Hamburg, who had England captain Kevin Keegan of their aspect, Clough was requested in regards to the prospect of their nice Germany right-back Manfred Kaltz conserving Robertson quiet.

“We have slightly fats man who will flip him inside out,” stated Clough. “A really gifted, extremely expert, unbelievable outside-left.”