Souness tried to sign John Robertson from Newcastle

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Anyone remember that?
I don't remember talk of it at the time although I was young. John has a new book out so doing a bit of press. We bid 500k. Other Scottish teams outbid us the sheep and Hearts (changed days). He said in an interview in Guardian today out of the 3 it was us he was interested in talking to most but we wouldn't up it.
Know we had Ally but he would've been a good signing imo.
 
Anyone remember that?
I don't remember talk of it at the time although I was young. John has a new book out so doing a bit of press. We bid 500k. Other Scottish teams outbid us the sheep and Hearts (changed days). He said in an interview in Guardian today out of the 3 it was us he was interested in talking to most but we wouldn't up it.
Know we had Ally but he would've been a good signing imo.
Can't recall it, maybe wasn't publicised, but he was a very good goal scorer
 
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Always seen him as a pound shop version of Ally (I probably didn't have to make the meme to explain that).
 
"Rangers came in at £500,000, Hibs, Aberdeen and Dundee United came in at £600,000. Rangers was very interesting, Graeme Souness was there, but they weren’t prepared to raise their offer," he recalled.
"When the chairman told me about the bids, it was Rangers out of the three that I wanted to speak to but the offer was too low. Wallace [Mercer, the Hearts chairman] eventually went that wee bit extra to get me back and the stars aligned.”

Hibs tranfer record is 700,000. In 2001.
Dundee United's transfer record is 750,000. In 1995.
Aberdeen's transfer record is 1,000,000. In 1995.

Murray was our chairman FFS. They weren't outbidding us on anything.
 
From the guardian

Jim Smith came in and was told he needed to sell players. Myself, John Hendrie, Dave Beasant and Andy Thorn were put up for sale. John went immediately to Leeds and a bun fight started between Scottish clubs over me. Rangers came in at £500,000, Hibs, Aberdeen and Dundee United came in at £600,000. Rangers was very interesting, Graeme Souness was there, but they weren’t prepared to raise their offer. When the chairman told me about the bids, it was Rangers out of the three that I wanted to speak to but the offer was too low. Wallace [Mercer, the Hearts chairman] eventually went that wee bit extra to get me back and the stars aligned.”
Robertson featured in an era where Scottish strikers were feared. Ally McCoist, Mo Johnston, Steve Archibald, Frank McAvennie and Eric Black were among them. The recent, widespread failure to produce prolific scorers is glaring. “It’s mathematics,” Robertson says. “If you play with two centre-forwards you need two as back-up – think of the figures from under-12s up.”
Robertson was manager of Inverness when he was given compassionate leave in February. His return to work brought a new role, in which he has immersed himself. Robertson remains irked by Scottish football’s handling of the pandemic, with his Highland club encountering geographical challenges.
John Robertson last October during his time as Inverness manager. ‘I was running myself into the ground, not sleeping and taking too much on,’ he says.

John Robertson last October during his time as Inverness manager. ‘I was running myself into the ground, not sleeping and taking too much on,’ he says. Photograph: Malcolm Mackenzie/ProSports/Shutterstock
“I was running myself into the ground, not sleeping and taking too much on. Three of the players’ wives were pregnant, I was worried about my own family down in Edinburgh. We lost my sister. It all built up and built up. I felt responsibility as a manager to keep players, staff and their families safe. Everything caught up and it was just too much – I had to take a step back.

“They banned players from having showers after games. That’s fine for administrators sitting in Glasgow. The attitude I got was: ‘Well, it’s not our fault you are based up there.’ They weren’t interested. We were away to Queen of the South on a Friday night, the players had to get home at 3am before they could have a shower.”
Now in fine fettle, Robertson closes his book at the conclusion of his playing days. “There’s more to come,” he says with a broad smile. “Robbo II.” You get the sense he has unfinished business.
Robbo: My Autobiography is published by Black & White and released on 28 October
 
I mind going down to see Newcastle when we had a free SC weekend.
Guys were asking me about John R.
Told them he would score for fun down here.
Thank feck it was before mobiles and social media.

Gazza played one game I was at, they threw Mars bars at him and called him a fat bastard.
His own fans
 
Anyone remember the fee he went back to Hearts for?
If Souness had managed to get him for 500k it would have been theft.
 
Some harsh comments on Robertson here. A very good striker in his day who would be a cert for an Old Firm move in today’s climate.

But, yeah, December 1988, we‘re not getting outbid in Scotland. We bought Mel Sterland for £750,000 three months later, f’fsake.

I think outbid is the wrong word tbh, we had a value that we didn’t go over. Had souness wanted him that much he would’ve paid the dosh
 
I think outbid is the wrong word tbh, we had a value that we didn’t go over. Had souness wanted him that much he would’ve paid the dosh

Even at that, if we wanted a player back then, we got them and didn’t quibble over £100k here and there.

McCoist was injured in December 1988 and we were relying on Drinkell but I don’t recall us buying another striker if we genuinely failed to get a Robertson.
 
If memory serves I believe his older brother Chris played a handful of games for us in the 70s. Didn't he come on as a sub in a cup final v Celtic and hit the bar with a header?
In the article the then Hibs chairman wouldn't show his brother the contract that John wanted him to see before he signed it. Robertson believes it was because his brother played for us at the time. With that he never signed as a kid for Hibs. What a sickener for Hibs , Hearts version of Ally for us in OF in those games.
 
Saw an interview with him a while back. The legend was that he was a Hibs fan who ended up at Hearts - but, he said that if anything, he was a Rangers fan as his brother played for Rangers.

He also said that he had an offer from Hibs. When Hibs found out he was going to watch his brother playing for Rangers, the chairman (Tom Hart) withdrew the offer.
 
Thought he was a great wee player and would've been a great signing for us.In fact I thought it was a cert he would end up at us eventually but it wasn't to be.
 
Who says we were “outbid”
Our valuation of him may have been capped at £500k as a squad player.
i‘m sure if Souness wanted him that much he would have got him.
 
Even at that, if we wanted a player back then, we got them and didn’t quibble over £100k here and there.

McCoist was injured in December 1988 and we were relying on Drinkell but I don’t recall us buying another striker if we genuinely failed to get a Robertson.
We had signed Andy Gray a few months earlier after Gary McSwegan broke his leg and was out for the season.
 
Definite jackanory here.

Great wee player wouldve been good for us but in December 1988 we’ve already signed Gough Ferguson Walters in the last year alone for proper money.

Newcastle probably still owed Hearts money he only signed for them 8 months previous and something was worked out around what was owed allowing Robertson to dress it up how he likes now
 
If memory serves I believe his older brother Chris played a handful of games for us in the 70s. Didn't he come on as a sub in a cup final v Celtic and hit the bar with a header?
Indeed. John, for some reason or another, was part of a Q&A panel in the Edmiston Club, late 80s / early 90s. Think Donald Findlay was also on the panel. Someone asked JR if he wished he'd followed his brother and played for Rangers. JR made all the right noises about being happy with his career path etc, but the big smiles and exaggerated head nodding, made sure we knew the real answer.
 
Remember him watching an away european game in the old Edmiston house, came across as very pro Rangers, might have had Bill McMurdo as his agent with him too.
Edited... correct agents name
 
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I saw post Newcastle Robertson only, who wasn’t good enough for Souness’s Rangers.
Yeah, fair enough but I think he was the 1st couple of years, I think he was at the top of his game and that's why he ended up at Newcastle.
When he came back he was still a cracking wee player but we had upped our game and had better forwards.
Was definitely Rangers class for the bulk of the 80's though.
 
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One from memory here and i might be wrong. Older bears might remember or correct me.
Was Chris Robertson who played for Rangers not his brother?
I'm sure he came on as a sub in the 77 Scottish cup final and went close with a header.
 
He was a great striker, even The Goalie said in his book that Robertson was a nightmare to play against. He always seemed to score against him.
 
I see the logic that we wouldn’t go over the ‘value’ rather then we were outbid.

However, at a time when we were spending money on Andy Gray, Neale Cooper, Mel Sterland and Tom Cowan - I can’t see us not upping by if few hundred K if we really wanted too.
 
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