RISE OF ROBERTSON Champions League
FANS of Leicester City are still waiting for the release of Fearless, the movie reputedly being made in tribute to the rapid rise of Jamie Vardy. Perhaps the producers are waiting to see how the England striker fares at this summer’s World Cup finals in Russia. The casting directors might simply be struggling to identify a suitably dazzling replacement for Meghan Markle, touted for the part of Vardy’s wife Rebekah but instead signed up for the main role in a wedding at Windsor Castle yesterday. Or maybe their eyes have been distracted by a developing story at Liverpool, and one that threatens to pack an even greater dramatic punch.
This Saturday, Andy Robertson will line up against Real Madrid in the Champions League final. That he will become the first Scot to do so in 21 years is remarkable enough but the fact he has worked his way up from amateur status in just five years lends a cinematic quality to his ascent.
Robertson’s former manager Jackie McNamara knows a thing or two about constructing an entertaining soccer narrative, having scripted a comedy series entitled The Therapy Room as his playing career drew to a close.
The writing fell by the wayside as his managerial career progressed from Partick Thistle to Dundee United but at Tannadice he found himself playing a supporting role in the rapid rise of Robertson.
While movie-makers were keen to latch on to Vardy’s ascent from non-league Stocksbridge Park Steels to Premier League winner, McNamara believes a young lad from Glasgow has trumped the tale.
‘It’s such a good story,’ says McNamara. ‘In five years, Andy has gone from Queen’s Park to the Champions League final.
‘Although Vardy has done really well, I’d argue Andy’s story is better. Vardy may have played non-league, but Andy was actually an amateur who was selling programmes at the national stadium.
‘He is an inspiration for any kid who has been told by an expert that they are not good enough. They told him he was too small, now he’s off to the Champions League final.’
Robertson’s rise has been well told, from the day he was released by Celtic at 15 through his days working in the commercial offices at Hampden to his £8million transfer to Anfield last summer.
It was McNamara who handed Robertson his big break, taking him from Queen’s Park to Dundee United in the summer of 2013.
‘I brought Andy up with his mum and dad just before pre-season and took them round the training ground at St Andrews,’ recalls McNamara. ‘If you look at the pictures of Andy when he first came he was very thin, just a wee boy, so I took them all to the gym.
‘We told them we would build him up, do his strength and conditioning and look after him.’
While McNamara and his coaching staff of Simon Donnelly and Darren Jackson were confident they had secured a gem, they hedged their bets by taking in Graham Carey on trial that summer. Quickly, it became clear that they would have no need for the Irishman — now a valuable player for Derek Adams’ Plymouth Argyle side — but there was no presumption on Robertson’s part. ‘On his first day at pre-season he went into the kids’ changing room rather than the first team,’ laughs McNamara. ‘We had to send the kitman through to tell him he was next door with the first team. ‘But that just shows how humble he was. We gave him his first contract and told him we’d renegotiate if he got into the first team. That happened so quickly because he took it upon himself to be in that team every week.’
During that break-out season at Tannadice, Robertson earned the first of his 22 Scotland caps and established a reputation as one of the most exciting talents to come out of the country in years.
A full-back blessed with lightning pace and a left foot capable of devastating delivery, he was quickly on the radar of Hull City, who unveiled him on the same day as Harry Maguire, now a Leicester and England team-mate of Vardy’s.
‘Right away we knew,’ continues McNamara. ‘He was a joy to work with and we knew he would never be stopped.
‘Within a year he was off to Hull and we knew that would also be a stepping stone for him.’
Jackson would agree and recalls being struck at the level of application displayed by Robertson from his first training session.
‘I remember Andy putting in the same performance in training every single day,’
says Jackson. ‘He’d never drop off and act like it wasn’t his day, he was at it every time.
‘I see the same in Kieran Tierney — two young kids who just have a massive drive to be the best. Young kids need to realise that training is not just something you turn up for, but something that can make you better.’
Robertson spent three years at Hull and his learning process would have been enriched by the experience of relegation to the Championship in his first season.
By the time he returned to the Premier League, he was good enough to catch Liverpool’s attention. When he got to Anfield, he found Spanish internationalist Alberto Moreno blocking his path to a place in the starting XI but simply knuckled down and applied his usual ferocious work-rate to the challenge of displacing Moreno.
McNamara believes he has remained driven by his experience at Celtic.
‘My story is not quite as spectacular as Andy’s but I went through it, too, when I was rejected by Hibs,’ says McNamara.
‘I like to think I proved the guys wrong because I ended up scoring against Hibs in a Scottish Cup final.
‘And the guy who said I wasn’t good enough was involved in trying to sign me for Hibs from Dunfermline before I went to Celtic.
‘To me, this is a really key element because we are at a crossroads in Scotland with Project Brave. Who is judging players and at what age?
‘We were judged up to 17 but we all developed at different ages. Some kids need that extra year.
‘That’s a concern for the future. We judge kids too early.’
Off the field, Robertson has impressed just as much. Attendees to his 21st birthday party in Glasgow in 2015 were asked to make a donation to the East Renfrewshire foodbank rather than bring presents and his interest in the issue continues through charitable deeds on Merseyside.
‘Andy comes from a great family,’ says McNamara. ‘His parents can take a lot of credit.’
By overcoming adversity and grafting his way to the top, Robertson has laid the groundwork for glory. Now all he needs is the fairytale ending in Kiev on Saturday night.
TO commemorate the 20th anniversary of Scotland’s involvement at the 1998 World Cup, Jackie McNamara will be participating in the La Reunion weekend which takes place on June 9 & 10. Book for the Golf Day at Dalmahoy and the Gala Dinner at Hilton Glasgow by emailing john@thelongestforty.com — more info: www.thelongestforty.com