Caption this, Stein and Herrera at half time in Lisbon.
“John, you’re immortal”, but of course he was mortal. Bill Shankly’s words from 1967 recorded the moment Jock Stein went from being merely a successful football manager into the greatest icon the Scottish game will ever have, but 30 years ago today, Jock’s mortality came as a shock to the world. A massive heart-attack, while managing Scotland at a World Cup qualifier at Ninian Park, Cardiff, ended the story of Jock Stein, aged 62.
He was 29 before he arrived at Celtic Park as a player after a career with Albion Rovers and Llanelli Town. By all accounts he was a decent central defender and a more than decent leader on the park. He quickly became vice-captain, then captain, and in 1954 led Celtic to their first double in 40 years, and their first league title in 16 years. Injury forced him out of the game as a 33-year-old. Celtic gave him a job coaching the reserve team, where he would work with some future Lisbon Lions.
In 1961, a year after becoming Dunfermline manager, he led them to their first Scottish Cup, beating Celtic in the final. In four years he transformed Dunfermline from the bottom of the table team he inherited, into a team who recorded astonishing victories in European football.
A meritocratic year at Hibernian then followed, at least part of which he spent discussing his future with Celtic chairman, Bob Kelly, before Kelly made one of the most inspired decisions in sport and offered Jock the Celtic manager’s job.
The rest, is literally history. In 13 years he took 10 league titles, winning all of his first nine. In his first five seasons he only lost three of 15 domestic trophies, but most important of all, in May 1967, his Celtic team became the first British club to reach, and then win, a European Cup final.
That European Cup win was enough in itself, but the manner of the win would mean Stein’s legend grew far wider than it otherwise would. Opponents Inter Milan were the most dominant team in the game. They were going for their third European Cup in four years and their fourth Italian title in five.
Celtic blew them away. It was the most comprehensive single goal victory in sport. The Italians were exhausted at the end, having defended 43 attempts at goal, seldom managing to cross the halfway line. The underdogs had triumphed, Celtic were instantly respected and adored across Europe, while Stein was viewed as having almost mystical powers.
So what did he really achieve? The Celtic you know today would be unrecognisable without him. Had he stayed at Hibs, they could be a bigger club than Celtic today. Our decades in the wilderness, which started in the 1920s, would have continued into the 70s and who knows thereafter. His gift to you, is Celtic. That’s why his statue is outside the ground.
It wasn’t all sweetness and light. Stein was a hard authoritarian, consistent with the style of the time. Football also caught up with him. Those first five years at Celtic, five league titles, five League Cups, two Scottish Cups, two European Cup finals, European semi-finalists a remarkable three times, were imperious, but some lights went out after losing to Feyenoord in the 1970 European Cup final.
After a fifth place finish in 1978 Celtic decided to sack Jock, offering him a position on the board, which he initially accepted but only later realised his responsibilities would be limited to Celtic Pools.
Football is a results business and looking back, the decision to sack The Big Man in 1978, should not be regarded as controversial. I certainly remember many Celtic fans of the era questioning his decisions, but the way the termination was handled was shoddy. Stein had lost his mentor, then Sir Robert Kelly, seven years earlier, while the pick of his second team, Hay, Macari and Dalglish, were sold for huge fees which were never invested in the squad. Or the stadium, training facilities or anything else an aspiring football club would invest in.
He grabbed the first offer out of Kerrydale St, but only 44 days later couldn’t wait to leave Leeds United to take up the Scotland job, where he returned to his earlier form. That night in Cardiff, Scotland stood on the verge of qualification for their fourth successive World Cup, two of which were under Stein.
The nation watched him being carried into the Ninian Park tunnel live on television. Even then, no one expected him to die. We thought Jock was immortal.
Foundation call: Walfrid and Directors’ Box hospitality, thanks to Intelligent Car Leasing, ebay auction here. More on this tomorrow.
SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Apologies for server problems over the last couple of days, I’m on it….
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There once was a team called the gers
A stinkin big hoose fulla berrs
And then they went bust and we all lived happily ever after.
Haw, Rabbie Burns, whit rhymes wi’ ‘crap’?
Eh?
Slap!
TBB
Are you sure the £20m unsecured claim is KIng?
Hmmm
Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan supports Oscar Knox, MacKenzie Furniss and anyone else who fights Neuroblastoma
King was for some skullduggeress reason put on the creditors list for £20m
Dad’s Army them tune amended lyrics,
I think the Glasgow Cup Matches were between youth teams and I remember reading somewhere that the Rangers FC youth team were separate from the Deadclub and as such did not die. It rings a bell that Deadclub had to pay for youth players coming out of Murray Park, which adds weight to the separation between the youth club and Deadclub.
Others on here with a better grasp of the facts should be able to answer your other queries and maybe even cover the Glasgow Cup one also.
DarnTheHairWeCare
There was a club called RFC
Whose fans loved singjng FTP
Then Charles Green and Craigie Whyte
Fed the zombies a crock of shite
Now they’re taking LSD
There once was a glib and shameless Liar Liar
Whos big blue pants were always on fire .
Im here all week CSC:)))))))))
Canamalar
Too right, thank feck it wisnae the boys!
Dharma Bam
_____________
Fair do’s.
Hail Hail
Canamalar,
I remember Charles Green saying that. I’m sure his “big hands” are capable of keeping them safe. Not so sure about the Loving Cup, though!
There was a young man called Whyte
whose voice was incredibly quiet
then one day
it faded away
and now its………..
Anyhow enough of this glib and shameless balderdash
Horses
First Race Sandown …Jack Nevison
First Race Doncaster ..Ornate
3.05 Doncaster Clondaw Warrior
3.40 Doncaster .Pure Diamond
May the Lord have mercy on your soul
There was once a young lad called Ally
Who was very, very pally
He would giggle and laugh
At jokes that were Nuff
Told by his pal Sir Wally
HH!!
THE BATTERED BUNNET on 11TH SEPTEMBER 2015 10:16 AM
– See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/but-of-course-he-was-mortal/comment-page-8/#comment-2674627
Exactly what I was thinking only far better expressed.
It would require a three card trick with the company names plus a compliant media of course.
Post 2012 rule changes mean a vote on which division a new ‘traditional’ club plays in wouldn’t be required only the agreement of the league board.
A seamless transition summer 2016 would be their ideal strategy.
cv
WHO DO YOU THINK…
Fair doos
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SneuvKIkM3A
nuff = naff!
As I see and read that report, the £20M directors claim would have to be adjudicated on – I am not sure that it has been accepted.
Doesn’t the silly season start at the beginning of an international break? Anyway…
I don’t give a monkey’s for Sevco
and couldn’t care less about King.
It’s Celtic I know,
chasing 5IAR.
Pittodrie will rock while we sing.
How do you type the words shafting ,Chrles Green ,Craig Whyte into a sentence without getting a yellow card ,
Till later all, Mam time
TALLYBHOY
Yesterday we referenced IF,and its relevance to your upbringing.
Today,you lower yourself to The Dandy.
Cor,yer a Beezer,a Topper,a Wizard. But yer nae f…..g poet!!!!!
Apart from that,how you doing,old bean?
BRTH
http://news.stv.tv/west-central/105215-rangers-director-dave-king-lodges-20m-creditors-claim-against-club/
LEFTCLICKTIC
Tell yer Mum her pal far Swindon has a cyberhug wi her name on it!
HH
WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE KIDDING MR CELTIC, IF YOU THINK THE HUNS ARE DONE?
In my reply, I didn’t refer to you by your posting name and instead used a version which I thought was easier to write. However, I mispelled it!
I’ll reply using your proper blog name from now on.
BRTH
It’s accepted sufficient for BDO to have an interim dividend of £1.4M set aside for him.
THEBATTEREDBUNNET
That can be challenged by any other creditor. He may well fall foul of another taxman.
The Battered Bunnet on 11th September 2015 11:06 am
Have they not set it aside, prudently, in case he does win. Otherwise they’d have paid out to everybody then be left to stump up his share from their own pocket.
That was my understanding anyway. As ever, I’m happy to be educated to the contrary.
little bit of topic – received news this morning that Charles Macleod (Charlie Barley) of Stornoway Black Pudding fame passed away last night,my thoughts and prayers are with his family at this sad time. Hail Hail Hebcelt
off topic
BMCUW
How dare you!
McGonnagall is one of my favourite poets(sic)!
Apart from that I’m no bad.
Wife n daughter away so, once again, I’m left to my own devices.
It’s the grape-picking season, and a bumper crop this year. Smashin!
As you know I prefer consuming grapes in liquid form!
Talk soon.
HH!!
There was an old club called Rangers
To the taxman they were certainly strangers
Their saviour was called Whyte
But it turned out he was sh%£e
And they called in the funeral arrangers
Weeminger
There’s nothing in the public domain that qualifies or disqualifies his claim, only that it was submitted, and is now noted on the Creditors List.
How is came to be accepted – and there is nothing to indicate that it’s disputed – is unknown, but it certainly intriguing to say the least.
Afternoon Timland from a hot hun free mountain valley.
Hun three has always been on the cards, I am surprised that it’s taken this long, and of course they will dump more debt, it’s what they do, they will get all the help needed from the powers that be, and everything in the OF will be rosy again.
In the meantime, while the court cases are going on, I would wager my life that they are still playing out of the bigot dome, calling themselfs rangers, using the same badges etc.
They are going to get away with it, arn’t they.
Hebcelt
Charles Macleod (Charlie Barley) of Stornoway Black Pudding fame may be off topic but since the topic seams to be the obsession with a deid club and another club I have not a jot of interest in no matter were they ply their trade, your post is of far moresignificance than the other tripe.
I love my Stornoway Blackpudding.
RIP Charles..
MWD said AYE
Dharma Bam
I think his previous blog name was Mr Pastry.
Per BBC
Griffiths pleads guilty over song
Posted at 11:03
Celtic and Scotland striker Leigh Griffiths has pleaded guilty to singing an offensive song about former Hearts player Rudi Skacel.
Griffiths and other Hibs fans were caught on video singing the song before an Edinburgh derby match at Tynecastle in March last year.
It contained lyrics saying that Czech-born Mr Skacel was “a f…..g refugee”.
The footballer’s lawyer Liam O’Donnell told Edinburgh Sheriff Court his client apologised unreservedly for his actions and that Celtic had fined the player four weeks’ wages.
Sheriff James Scott admonished Griffiths.
CELTIC and Scotland striker Leigh Griffiths made a brief appearance at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today to answer a charge of singing a song with offensive lyrics about former Hearts player Rudi Skacel.
Sheriff Scott asked: “Are you pleading guilty to the charge?” and the 25-year old footballer replied: “Yes”.
Mr O’Donnell said his client apologised unreservedly for his actions. In the 18 months since then, the lawyer said his client had not been in trouble.
He added that Griffiths had been fined four weeks wages for being involved in the incident.
Sheriff Scott admonished Griffiths.
ET
that’s my view. No matter how much we want them to disappear in whatever hunerry form they are. They will cling to and sell themselves as they were and exist on, forever backed by the demographic of the country, the SFA, the SPFL, UEFA, FIFA, the polis, The Beeb, SKY TV, BT TV, Sotland today, reporting Scotlnad, Tabloid Media, Radio Scotland, Radio Clyde, the wee granny buying her bread in Presto (they are still Presto eh?). We will forever never recognise them as such but they will forever be disguised in their weekly halloween outfit as the self safe thing.
MWD said AYE still prefer eating my Stornoway Black Pud.
So was the Griff charged under the OBA ?
If they do get liquidated again give think the SFA will struggle to allow a third club access to the professional set-up, no sure the members will be so accommodating this time especially after the embarrassment of not completing the season, how can they accept any guarantees ?