John Robertson was ‘very surprised’ by Ross County call to be Don Cowie’s number two – but insists ex-Scotland international was one of only two managers he would have returned to coaching for
John Robertson admitted he was surprised to get the call to join Ross County this summer – but insists Don Cowie is one of only two managers he would have returned to frontline coaching to help.
The former Inverness Caledonian Thistle boss and Hearts legend was brought in as Staggies assistant manager over the off-season, replacing Carl Tremarco and Paul Cowie with the feeling being that Don Cowie needed more experience on his coaching staff
It meant Robertson reunited with Cowie, who he managed at Ross County and interacted with during the latter’s time as a player at Hearts.
However, having been away from the training pitch since stepping away from the Caley Thistle hot seat in 2021, it was an unexpected turn of events to say the least for Robertson.
For the first time, he has detailed how his arrival in Dingwall came about, insisting that he is united with Cowie in wanting to get the Staggies back into the Premiership at the first time of asking.
“It was a complete and utter surprise to be asked in, but I’m delighted to be here and I’m going to do everything I can to help,” Robertson said.
“I got a phone call on the Friday morning from the chairman, just asking if I could pop in and see him in his offices to talk about what Ross County required for the Championship having been there.
“It was – or at least, I thought it was – a casual chat. I basically described the kind of squad I felt was required to have a chance of challenging for the Championship title, and he asked if I was still looking to get back into the game.
“I wasn’t in any great hurry. I was content working for and with my wife Sally and doing the BBC work, caddying and playing a bit of golf.
“When Roy asked, I said I would really need to speak to Steven Ferguson and Don Cowie, which I thought would buy me a day or two – to which he replied they were in the next room!
“I had a good chat with Don. He’s a guy I respect, who I’ve known for years, and there are only two guys who I would do this for, one being Don and the other being Liam Fox who I’m very close with and mentored in his early days at Hearts.
“Don was keen for me to join, but it must have been a tough decision because his brother (Paul) was here with Carl Tremarco. Neither of the two of them had done anything wrong, so for those two guys I have huge sympathy and I hope both will return to the game at some level, maybe back here as well.
“Since coming in to help it has been great. I feel we’ve worked very well together, and we’ve got the clear vision of what we’re trying to achieve which is promotion.
“There’s no doubt in the manager’s mind that he wants to win the title. It hurt him, personally, deeply, that the club got relegated last year and he wants to make up for that by taking them back up, as we all do.”
Although Robertson had been his own man as a manager for 20 years, he does also have experience working under other bosses from his time as a player/coach at Livingston, where he learned from David Hay and Jim Leishman.
After stepping away from the dug out at Inverness four years ago, he then spent time on the other side of the training pitch as sporting director.
Those experiences have meant Robertson feels as though he has slotted straight into the number two role at County without any issues.
“I had been offered management jobs in the lower leagues and Highland League, but I thought the director of football role was more the way forward for me,” Robertson recalled.
“I was asked to do this, and the reason I’m doing it here with Ross County is for Don Cowie. It’s as simple and straightforward as that.
“I have no ambition to be a manager. I’m here to assist and do what I can to help the team develop and be successful.
“There hasn’t been a huge adjustment in that respect, because I have plenty to be doing with set-plays, taking the parts of the sessions that the manager requires me to take.
“It’s good that I can help Don with my knowledge and experience over the years. I’ve managed over 400 games, and I know this league particularly well, and I know the region very well.
“It’s a one-year deal, so we’ll see how we go this year and see if we can be successful. We’ll see what happens after that.”
The combination of a young manager in Cowie with an experienced number two in Robertson echoes the ex-ICT manager’s own early career in the dug out, when he was assisted by Donald Park in the Highland capital.
Knowing how influential Park was on him, Robertson hopes to have a similar impact on Cowie to help lead Ross County to success this season.
“When I first took the job at Inverness, Donald Park was an easy recruit, so it was the perfect scenario for me to get him up here,” Robertson added.
“He had vast knowledge in terms of taking sessions, adding to sessions, advising on sessions, having a quiet word.
“As a young manager, you want to be seen to be doing everything. You want to be making sure the players understand who is in charge, but Donald would say ‘you take this part of the training and I’ll take that part’.
“It is very much the same now. We sit down as a coaching staff, the five of us and understand who is doing what.
“I will say quietly to the manager if I think there is anything he can add to the session or to a player. Sometimes he uses it, sometimes he doesn’t – the whole point is that the advice is there for him.
“At no point have we clashed. He listens and listens well. He is an intelligent guy and a very eloquent guy, and gets his message across, and I’m there to back him up very similarly to how Donald Park was there for me.
“That will hopefully help him because, as I say, he was very disappointed in last season’s league campaign which at one stage looked like being a top six finish.
“To go down, as I say, has hurt him. His passion for the club, the area and for football is huge and he wants to make up for it.
“Sometimes in a young manager, that enthusiasm can run away and you just need to slow it down, but he is very calm. He isn’t a manager who jumps about and shouts, or goes looking for confrontations with officials or the opposition like I did, but he will do if needs be – he’s not as quiet as he makes out.
“The top guys down south watch what’s going on, and don’t get distracted by refereeing decisions or noise from the opposition bench or the crowd.
“They watch what’s going on, and Don is very good at that. Just because he isn’t jumping up and down doesn’t mean he doesn’t have passion for the club, because he does in bucket loads.”