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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I’ve started but can’t finish:
There once was a Billionaire named Whyte
who had a manager that was incredibly s@#te…………..
and………….
The second purchaser’s name was Green
who invented a money-making scheme
on the 99th stroke
the bloody thing went broke
and left us with jelly and ice-cream!
With acknowledgements to the Good Ship Sevco!
from twitter on the Glib & shameless statement
“The story fails to mention Dave King & Paul Murray were directors of the liquidated club. There’s more to this”.
Get 57,
Thanks.
The writing styles and content of some different blog names are so similar at times!
Wonder how many different people actually post on here? Will need to meet up some day
It’s impossibile to be liquidated twice.
Once liquidated an entity ceases to exist.
Unless you are R*****s of course.
Am a right or am a merangue?
HH!!
Canamalar on 11th September 2015 9:28 am
The result of HMRC’s appeal was, I understood, to be published late August, what’s happened to it and has the result been leaked to some to allow a strategy to be formed ?
————-
That post got my attention.
Canamalar I hope you are well sir .
right offski but always remember when dealing with zombies and the establishment you are dealing with a nest of vipers .
A merchant from the Chateau Du Lait
Often said that night was day
Now the dreams of the ludge
Warned by an African judge,
Lay broken down Edmiston Way.
Phil’s latest:
http://www.philmacgiollabhain.ie/open-goals-and-off-the-radar-love/
Round about now we should get the ” too many obsessed with the Old Firm ” post ?
There are too many obsessed with the Old Firm
Prestonpans
We should be concentrating on our own problems?
The Rangers are reincarnated
With cheques which are always post-dated
They say they have dosh
Which of course is all tosh
With creditors always frustrated
Rangers are an irrelevance we should be focussing on the many many many many I said many problems at our own club:))
Dave King
Superstar
His eyes
Are ten tae three
And he wears a bra..
bournesouprecipe
Think they are still reading Phil’s latest to comment further……………
They were promised a floating pitch, and they’ve got it.
Many problems at Celtic.????? Prawn sandwich brigade. Celtic are doing fine. Champions. Top of the league. Playing in Europe. No delusions. Mon the hoops. This time next year we will have three forwards.
A Bear with some quantum mechanics
Said the ‘Gers second coming caused panics
But like Schrodinger’s moggy
His logic was soggy
The Huns still alive are Germanics
Any minute now,we will get that jolly jester,Neganon,on here making fun of the Hun nonsense,and then going on to discuss Saturdays massive game at Aberdeen.
Only kidding,I am a GASL.
I’ve waited all my (near 58 years) life to laugh at the Huns, stop telling me not to do it!!!!!!!!!
I can’t get enough of their pain and I WILL keep talking and laughing at/about them.
If some don’t like that?………………scroll on bye.
THE EXILED TIM. Fella the penny has finaly dropped with you they are going nowhere welcome to the real World of Scottish Football. H.H.
Bawsman
One could answer one back in same tone? (Using your loyalist unionist speak there)
If you don’t like this post – SCROLLLLLLLLL ON BY.
MWD said AYE :-) Don’t tell me whit tae dae cause a dinny like it but I’ll tell you whit tae dae and you’ll dae it.Right!CSC
I won’t ever stop telling them they died and are sevco and a tribute act
Cqn fills in the blanks when they question our facts.
I do think we concentrate too much on them and don’t concentrate enough on our own worries and deficiencies
8-)
Apricale
If you can get Heisenberg in there, you’re top trump
Happy shafter co founder
Taurangabhoy:
You’re right things are grand, buggered if can remember who it was that pumped us out of the Champions league this year, far less last year, buggered if I can remember who gets the living wage at Parkhead and who doesn’t and what the factored margins are in the superstore to determine the cut, buggered if I remember who endorsed the five way agreement and the consequential trashing of the integrity of Scottish football if it ever had any in the first place, buggered if I remember… ah! fweck I forgot.
But we are grand.
Ah! now I remember, Res 12 is 1 3/8″ from an open goal….
BT
agreed.
for ever more on a personal level one to one with an x-hun I tell them they are x-hun’s and are now born again huns.
far to much oxygen is wasted on them on here and elsewhere on line.
even if the born again hun cult disappears a born again again jun cult will surface.
I’m past the point of caring about it. took up too uch of my time for two years talking and hoping about them being gone for good. that’ll never happen as every Sat it will be halloween at hundome.
They still smell the same even though they are bor again.
MWD said AYE
Ah! now I remember, where’s our champions league striker?
We have to put Saturdays game against Aberdeen into perspective we want to win of course we do however,if we lose the game it is not the end of our season.We still have another 3 league games against the Dons.What for me puts the game on a knife edge is the Celtic defence will be changed and it has not been tested also we have a number of players coming back from Internationals how fit are they ? Aberdeen have a very settled side and are well rested and of course they are at home.That for me makes them the favourites so I am looking for a cracking game that could go either way. H.H.
There once was a team called Rangers
Who used EBT’s despite all the dangers
They eventually went bust
And now Ibrox is full of rust
But MSM claims they are still game changers
Ah! now I remember, when is somebody actually going to admit that our manager is out of his league?
I just can’t see us not winning tomorrow.
Aberdeen being over hyped as usual.
3-1 to the bhoys.
MWD said Aye
Ah! now I remember, as a club Celtic sit top of the SPL, and in doing so have more resources than the rest of the teams in the league collectively…. Rejoice for to the humble and the poor go the blessings!
And bankers try to slag off and bait Neganon because Negannon has sincere and valid concerns as to the future of our club and her embrace of mediocrity.
More fool who? More fool who….
Who is this Celtic that are sometimes mentioned on here?
MWD said AYE
.
Late Caption Entrè..
“I’m Not the One Who is Attacking You..Why are You so Defensive..”
Summa
Ps.. Anyone Worked in Jamacia before..TIA..
JFH,
This early in the season the more games played the fitter, faster and stronger players should be, no long ago the excuse used was that opposition teams were further into their season so would be fitter, trying to make excuses this early in the season is not on.
Kitalba if want to join less miserables , more power to you mate. I am a simple man, support my team if they were first or last if it came to that. I am sure thAt I could think up a good few things that I could complain about but why bother it’s all relative. Can’t see me becoming a negTron for any reason . MON the hoops.
Canalamar. Some Celtic players have traveled huge distances this week some have played two games this week.We may have knocks add to that a changed defence which have never played together before while Aberdeen have had more than a weeks rest and a settled team and they are at home.All these factors for me favour the Dons but I hope Celtic can pick up all 3 points. H.H.