Where are they now?: John Robertson

WHEN the late Peter Taylor first encountered John Robertson on Nottingham Forest's pre-season tour in 1976, he told the 22-year-old Scot, spotty and overweight, that he was a disgrace to his profession. In the words of Brian Clough's assistant, he had been 'birding it, boozing it and living out of a chip pan'.

The reformed winger was central to Forest's promotion to the top flight in 1977 and played a major part in their subsequent glory. His goal in the final against Hamburg won the 1980 European Cup.

Later, Robertson was central to Taylor and Clough's never-reconciled rift. Taylor, tempted out of retirement to manage Derby, signed his former protege, who was out of contract, while Clough was on holiday. Clough bought Robertson back, but released him in 1987.

'I did not intend to quit then but I sat by the phone waiting for a call and none came,' he recalled.

Nowadays he scouts for his 'old mate' Martin O'Neill at Wycombe Wanderers. He still plays, on Sundays, for a Nottingham pub team. 'I just walk about in midfield these days.'

(Photograph omitted)