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Former Nottingham Forest forward Garry Birtles has shared some memorable anecdotes that highlight the close bond between legendary manager Brian Clough and winger John Robertson, who died last week.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Birtles recalled Robertson's relationship with Clough and Peter Taylor, noting the manager's understanding of the winger's quirks.
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"He [Clough] gave a little bit of leeway at times in pre-season training," Birtles said. "[Robertson] would stand 500 yards in front of the rest of us and he had a head start because the gaffer knew he wasn't the greatest pre-season trainer!
"But Robbo loved the gaffer back and I think he always says that without Brian and Peter coming at that particular point, he might not have achieved what he did."
Beyond the jokes, Birtles highlighted Robertson's playful rebelliousness, from his love of smoking, despite the strict routines of professional football, to his bold moments off the pitch.
"He was a smoker. The drinking culture was there at that particular point, but Robbo liked the fags," Birtles explained. "On matchdays, you'd see him sitting in the toilet and the smoke was coming out of the cubicle!"
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One particularly memorable story came from the successful European Cup campaign in 1978-79. Birtles recounted how Robertson calmly dealt with a tense situation outside the team hotel.
"I remember the semi-final against Ajax at the European Cup in Amsterdam," he said. "We always used to go out for a walk after dinner and outside at the hotel, there were quite a few Ajax fans with flags and everything - a bit hostile.
"The gaffer just said to Robbo: 'John, give me a lighter'. So he took the light off John and just snatched one of the flags off one of their supporters and set it on fire and stamped on it on the pavement right in front of everybody.
"That quietened them down a little bit!"
Listen to the full interview from 01'10'00 on BBC Sounds
[BBC]
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