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John Robertson (footballer, born 1964)

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For other people with the same name, see John Robertson.

John Grant Robertson (born 2 October 1964) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player. His playing career included spells at Newcastle United, Dundee and Livingston, but he is best known for his two spells at Heart of Midlothian totalling about 18 years, where he is the club's all-time leading goalscorer. He has since managed Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Heart of Midlothian, Ross County, Livingston, Derry City and East Fife.

John Robertson
Personal information
Full name John Grant Robertson[1]
Date of birth (1964-10-02) 2 October 1964 (age 60)
Place of birth Edinburgh, Scotland
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
Salvesen Boys Club
Edina Hibs
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1981–1988 Heart of Midlothian 203 (106)
1988 Newcastle United 12 (0)
1988–1998 Heart of Midlothian 310 (108)
1998 → Dundee (loan) 4 (1)
1998–2000 Livingston 41 (14)
Total 570 (229)
International career
1984–1987[2] Scotland U21 6 (0)
1990–1996[3] Scotland B 3 (0)
1990[4] SFA (SFL centenary) 1 (0)
1990–1995 Scotland 16 (3)
Managerial career
2002–2004 Inverness Caledonian Thistle
2004–2005 Heart of Midlothian
2005 Ross County
2006–2007 Livingston
2007 Derry City
2010–2012 East Fife
2017–2021 Inverness Caledonian Thistle
2023 Inverness Caledonian Thistle (interim)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

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Hibernian attempted to sign Robertson as a teenager but he asked for time to think the deal over; after Hibs refused, he signed for Heart of Midlothian along with school friend and fellow future internationalist Dave Bowman. Robertson eventually earned the moniker "The Hammer of Hibs" (in addition to his more standard nickname "Robbo") as he scored a record 27 goals in Edinburgh derby matches.[5] In 1986, 20 league goals from Robertson helped Hearts to the brink of a league and cup double. A 27 league game unbeaten run ended with two Albert Kidd goals for Dundee in the last six minutes of the season allowing Celtic to overtake them to win the title. A week later, Hearts lost 3–0 to Aberdeen in the cup final.[6] He scored 106 goals in 202 Hearts league games in this spell at Tynecastle Park.

He left Hearts to play for Newcastle United in April 1988. Robertson failed to score in 14 Newcastle competitive first team games and returned to Hearts in December of that year, and remained there for the next decade. In 1998 Hearts won the Scottish Cup with Robertson an unused substitute, earning him his only senior medal as a player. In this second spell at Hearts he scored at a much less prolific rate compared to his first spell, with this time 106 goals in 310 league games. After an earlier loan spell with Dundee scoring once in 4 league games, he left Tynecastle that summer. He joined Livingston as a player-coach, scoring 14 goals in 41 league games.

Robertson was also a Scottish international, playing on 16 occasions for Scotland. He made his debut against Romania in 1990, scoring in a 2–1 win. He missed out on selection for the UEFA Euro 1992 due to a hernia injury.[7]

Coaching career

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Inverness Caledonian Thistle (first spell)

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Whilst playing for Livingston, Robertson became involved in the coaching side of the game.[8] He left the club in season 2002–03 to become manager of Inverness Caledonian Thistle where he guided the Highland team to the SPL for the first time in their history.

Heart of Midlothian manager

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In November 2004 he returned to Hearts as head coach and despite two cup semi-finals and a good season in Europe as well as finishing fifth in the league, he was sacked in May 2005.

Ross County and Livingston

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Robertson was appointed manager of Scottish First Division team Ross County in June 2005, but left by mutual consent after four months.[8] He was then appointed manager of Livingston in February 2006,[8] but was sacked in April 2007 after finishing sixth in the First Division.

Derry City

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Robertson was appointed by League of Ireland side Derry City in July 2007. He took club out of the relegation battle to a safe mid table position and also won the FAI League Cup and qualified for the Setanta Cup before being dismissed by the new chairman and board of directors at Derry, and replaced by former Derry boss Stephen Kenny.[9] In 2009, Robertson coached strikers at Scottish Premier League clubs Dundee United and Kilmarnock. In March 2010, Robertson helped coach the strikers at Hearts on a non-contract basis.

East Fife

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Robertson was appointed manager of East Fife in October 2010. In September 2011, his East Fife side knocked SPL club Aberdeen out of the Scottish League Cup at Pittodrie Stadium. On 1 March 2012 it was announced that Robertson had left East Fife.[10]

Inverness Caledonian Thistle (second spell)

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In June 2017, Robertson returned to Inverness Caledonian Thistle as manager.[11][12] On 24 March 2018, the club won the Scottish Challenge Cup. In the 2018/19 season, Inverness qualified for the promotion playoffs but were beaten in the semi-finals by Dundee United.[13] Dundee then made an approach for Robertson, but this was rejected by Inverness.[13] Inverness finished second in the 2019–20 Scottish Championship, which was curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic.[14]

In June 2020, his contract with Inverness was extended by two years.[14] Robertson was placed on compassionate leave in February 2021, with Neil McCann given caretaker charge of the team in his absence.[15] Robertson returned to Inverness in May 2021 as sporting director, with a new manager to be appointed (Billy Dodds).[16] Dodds was sacked in September 2023, and Robertson was placed in caretaker charge of the Inverness first team until Duncan Ferguson was appointed later that month.[17][18] He left the club in November that same year.

Career statistics

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Club

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[19][20][21][22][23]

Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Scotland League Scottish Cup League Cup Europe Total
1981–82 Heart of Midlothian First Division 1 0 0 0 0 0 – – 1 0
1982–83 23 21 3 0 2 0 – – 28 21
1983–84 Premier Division 35 15 2 1 7 4 – – 44 20
1984–85 33 8 5 2 5 1 2 2 45 13
1985–86 35 20 5 4 3 1 – – 43 25
1986–87 37 16 6 2 1 0 2 1 46 19
1987–88 39 26 4 2 3 3 – – 46 31
England League FA Cup League Cup Europe Total
1988–89 Newcastle United First Division 12 0 – – 2 0 – – 14 0
Scotland League Scottish Cup League Cup Europe Total
1988–89 Heart of Midlothian Premier Division 15 4 3 0 0 0 1 0 19 4
1989–90 32 17 3 4 1 1 0 0 36 22
1990–91 31 12 1 0 3 1 3 3 38 16
1991–92 42 14 6 4 3 2 0 0 51 20
1992–93 42 11 4 3 3 1 4 0 53 15
1993–94 36 8 3 1 2 2 2 1 43 12
1994–95 31 10 5 3 2 1 0 0 38 14
1995–96 33 12 5 1 2 1 0 0 40 14
1996–97 27 14 3 2 5 3 1 0 36 19
1997–98 21 6 2 0 2 0 0 0 25 6
1997–98 Dundee First Division 4 1 0 0 0 0 – – 4 1
1998–99 Livingston Second Division 36 13 5 2 3 1 – – 44 16
1999–00 First Division 5 1 1 0 0 0 – – 6 1
Total Scotland 558 229 66 31 47 22 15 7 686 289
England 12 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 14 0
Career total 570 229 66 31 49 22 15 7 700 289

International appearances

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Scotland national team[24]
Year Apps Goals
1990 2 2
1991 3 0
1992 3 0
1993 3 0
1995 5 1
Total 16 3

International goals

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Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first
Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 12 September 1990 Hampden Park, Glasgow   Romania 1–1 2–1 UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying
2 17 October 1990 Hampden Park, Glasgow    Switzerland 1–0 2–1 UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying
3 24 May 1995 Toyama Park Stadium, Toyama   Ecuador 1–0 2–1 Kirin Cup

Managerial record

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As of match played 23 September 2023[25]
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team Nat From To Record
G W D L Win %
Inverness Caledonian Thistle   26 December 2002 3 November 2004 84 44 13 27 052.38
Heart of Midlothian   3 November 2004 9 May 2005 35 13 9 13 037.14
Ross County   21 June 2005 24 October 2005 15 6 5 4 040.00
Livingston   15 February 2006 15 April 2007 51 15 10 26 029.41
Derry City   2 July 2007 11 December 2007 24 8 8 8 033.33
East Fife   26 October 2010 1 March 2012 62 28 11 23 045.16
Inverness Caledonian Thistle   14 June 2017 13 May 2021 155 70 42 43 045.16
Inverness Caledonian Thistle (interim)   17 September 2023 26 September 2023 1 0 0 1 000.00
Career total 427 184 98 145 043.09

Honours

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Player

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Heart of Midlothian

Livingston

Scotland U16

Individual

Manager

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Livingston Reserves
Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Derry City

Individual

Notes

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  1. ^ ICT and Raith Rovers were declared joint-winners on 30 April 2021. The final was originally withheld due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Robertson was the manager when the team reached the final and was still the permanent manager at the time of announcement, albeit Robertson was on compassionate leave at the time.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "John Robertson". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  2. ^ Scotland U21 player Robertson, John, FitbaStats
  3. ^ Scotland B player Robertson, John, FitbaStats
  4. ^ On this day, back in 1990, a Scottish League XI beat Scotland 1-0 at Hampden Park in the SFL Centenary match with the goal coming from then Aberdeen Football Club star Hans Gillhaus, Scottish Professional Football League via Facebook, 18 August 2016
  5. ^ "Heart of Midlothian VS Hibernian". FIFA. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  6. ^ Pye, Steven (1 May 2015). "How Albert Kidd became a Hibs and Celtic legend without playing for them". The Guardian.
  7. ^ Smith, Aidan (13 April 2019). "Interview: John Robertson on plotting the downfall of Craig Levein". The Scotsman. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  8. ^ a b c "Robertson named Livingston boss". BBC Sport. 15 February 2006. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  9. ^ "Derry sack Robertson". Retrieved 11 December 2007.
  10. ^ "John Robertson". Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  11. ^ Healey, Derek (14 June 2017). "John Robertson returns as Caley Jags boss 13 years after securing top flight promotion". The Press and Journal. DC Thomson & Co Ltd. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  12. ^ "John Robertson returns as Inverness Caley Thistle manager". BBC Sport. 14 June 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  13. ^ a b MacBeath, Amy (21 May 2019). "Dundee refused permission to speak to Inverness CT boss John Robertson". Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  14. ^ a b "John Robertson: Inverness CT manager extends contract until 2023". BBC Sport. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  15. ^ "Neil McCann to take charge at Inverness while John Robertson is on compassionate leave". Sky Sports. 23 February 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  16. ^ Coyle, Andy (13 May 2021). "Inverness appoint Robertson as club's first sporting director". STV Sport. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  17. ^ "Inverness Caledonian Thistle: Billy Dodds and Barry Wilson sacked as club search for new head coach". BBC Sport. 17 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  18. ^ "Duncan Ferguson: Inverness Caledonian Thistle chose former Scotland striker as manager". BBC Sport. 26 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  19. ^ "John Robertson". London Hearts Supporters Club. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  20. ^ "Dundee – 1997/98". Soccerbase. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  21. ^ "Livingston – 1998/99". Soccerbase. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  22. ^ "Livingston – 1999/2000". Soccerbase. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  23. ^ "Newcastle United – 1988-89 season". 11v11. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  24. ^ John Robertson at the Scottish Football Association
  25. ^ "John Robertson's managerial career". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  26. ^ "Hearts win sixes". The Scotsman. 22 January 1985. Retrieved 9 April 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  27. ^ "Hearts clash gets green light". Aberdeen Evening Express. 20 January 1987. Retrieved 9 April 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  28. ^ a b "1980: England 4 v 5 Scotland, Schoolboys". Football Experience. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
    "Benchman: When Scotland won at Wembley 5-4". Falkirk Herald. 20 August 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  29. ^ "Heart of Midlothian Hall of Fame". Heart of Midlothian FC. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  30. ^ "Six former players added to Scotltish football's hall of fame". BBC Sport. 27 October 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  31. ^ a b "Robertson on steep learning curve at Inverness". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  32. ^ "Inverness Caledonian Thistle And Raith Rovers Announced As Joint Winners of Tunnock's Caramel Wafer Cup". Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC. 30 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  33. ^ "Bell's Monthly Awards for August, 2005". SPFL. 14 September 2005. Archived from the original on 22 April 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  34. ^ "IRN BRU SFL Phenomenal Monthly Awards". SPFL. 19 December 2010. Archived from the original on 22 April 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
    "Irn-Bru Phenomenal awards for November 2010". SPFL. 24 December 2010. Archived from the original on 22 April 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2010.
    "IRN-BRU SFL Phenomenal Awards – October 2011". SPFL. 18 November 2011. Archived from the original on 7 October 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
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