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….
471 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- »
Neg.
Gives us a jock stein memory, cmon,
Neg2
I do not agree that is the case that Celtic has always done that, although I am not sure how many years you remember :-)
St Stivs- enjoy the stories of the day and if you do not like a post scroll on by, do not let it upset you. Take care.
HH
CRC
Jock Stein and Wee Oscar, two giants who put far more into Celtic than they ever took out.
God Bless and Hail Hail.
Neg Anon
Thanks for sharing your view of what’s going on.
crc
I was not asking for an explanation of how it is done. I have no desire to give up lumberjacking and take up accountancy at this late stage.
I was asking what was happening to the money?
Neg Anon reckons it is being saved somewhere, I think.
Victor,
Nothing upsets me,
Well mibby nature programmes about monkeys.
But that’s awe
St Stivs
I had the privilege of meeting King Kenny on Sunday and Feed the Bear on Monday.
Talk about chalk and cheese. All will be revealed soon, but just between you and me, Mr Aitken was totally amazing!!!!
HH
CRC
Neganon
If Paul has information he can share on here then as far as he knows that is correct info. There is no attempt to mislead.
On the board my view is they have failed to ensure a proportionally fair return for our media rights as a British based club and allowed Sky to put us at an overwhelming disadvantage to the likes of Hull, Stoke and Bournemouth. Oh and the Welsh clubs.
Our player policy – recruit and sell on – manages the position while accepting defeat. Where is the vision to resolve this? It has all gone too quiet on that one.
My other concern is over the manager, who I like. But he has no-one at the club, older, more experienced as a football man. We have accountants, whisky retailers and so on on the board but no-one who comes from a football background. That is a weakness, in my view.
I suggested Davie Hay previously. Maybe Gordon Strachan after his current gig is over. I am sure there are others. MON?
After St Mirren beat us 4-0 we were in a huge mess. Things are much better now than we could have wished for that night but we are nevertheless in the slow lane as MON predicted.
We need real vision to move on.
Great basketball youth.
Not as good as greenlion. But then the big fella go couldnt boot his ain arose with a fitba.
TEMBER 2015 9:23 PM
Thanks BMCUW @ 7:52 PM,
Are you going? Celtic U21 v Chelsea U21, Friday, December 4, Electrical Services Stadium, (Aldershot Town’s ground); KO: 7.05pm
Of course, Chelsea in a squaddie town might be a bit of a gamble – but I’m advised it really is a nice town. And you could see a few of the young bhoys – Aiden Nesbitt?
Hail Hail
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*++*~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks for the tip-off about that,I’ll do my best. It’s about a two-hour drive from me,to be followed by a nightshift. I’ve done worse before-and immediately after-nightshifts!
I’ll let you know nearer the time,bud. Look out for a madman wi a thirst nursing a solitary pint!!
Oooops,above to CHAIRBHOY.
Neganon
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
Exactly. An admission at last that you postulate guesswork as informed opinion or fact.
It could be this or it could be that. Either way, PL is a liar and so is Paul 67. Why are you on here if it’s all lies? You are the missionary keeping us right. Aye, right!
SFTB
Your post makes no sense
You do not want to know how it is done, but you want to know where is the money is?
You have to want to open your mind in the first instance if you really want to understand
The offer is still there. Your call.
HH
CRC
I was in Aldershot last December.
Its a atypical squaddie garrison English town.
Hated it.
Winning Captains
Since around July 2012 I have been telling anybody who is prepared to listen that Rangers FC (1872 etc) have not been liquidated, …. yet. But are in the process of so being. Being so in old money. Looks like Dave King has cottoned on to that very fact, and in doing so destroys any illusion, or delusion that RIFC are the same club. Which brings back into play the ongoing HMRC appeal, against their failed appeal, if I have got that right, against the original FTT decision re Murray Group Holdings (“which includes Rangers FC page 2 of the FTT decision) and Others. We have a bottom line now, which everyone on here knows already. If BDO completes the liquidation of Rangers FC then that club is no more. No more.
Sipsini
Cheers for that.
Enjoy using your own new material courtesy of Dodgy Dave.
Nice of him to admit they’re a new club, right enough!
Dave King’s cottoned on to the fact that the Huns will pay good money if there was ever the maddest idea that the Huns could be brought back to life because the new club’s on the road out anaw.
It’s not happening,in this universe or any other.
All King’s done is ridicule the same club argument.
Celtic Mac
Why ‘if’ BDO complete the liquidation of Rangers FC, and not ‘when’?
Isn’t liquidation an irreversible process once begun?
crc
“eltic have done the old amortisation trick or created special reserves or magical exceptional costs every year since I remember. ”
You would have to convince me that these are the same too options.
I am quite prepared to believe that assets, earnings and expenditures can be manipulated and moved around, within the law, in order to make the books look like they want them to look.
I am much less interested, though, in the techniques used and learning about them, than I am as to the purpose behind doing as they have done. My mind is fully open but life is too short for me to want to know the micro-ecoomics of it. I want the macro-economics picture.
The question I asked was :-
Is the money being….
a) stolen?
b) deferred?
c) hidden away for no discernible reason?
d) None of the above?
e) I could tell you but I’ll have to kill you?
f) I could tell you but you’ll have to join the Masons?
g) I had to suffer through 4 years of Uni on the dismal science so I am not letting you off?
The liquidation was completed,BDO were only left to investigate what caused the liquidation.
That was my understanding anyway.
They’ve been officially liquidated.
BDO will not finalise the liquidation until they are satisfied that all moneys due to RFC 1872 are recovered and made available to pay the creditors. If they suspect that there has been any wrong doing by directors of RFC 1872 prior to its insolvency, those directors can be pursued through the courts and held accountable for the debt, IF the liquidator considers it would benefit the creditors. This is one of the reasons why HMRC refused to agree to the CVA back in 2012.
Dave King is punting moonbeams to the gullibles with his talk of a “rescue” from liquidation. His statement does suggest that he thinks newco is a different club. Strange, but everything is in this whole saga.
HH
Memory of Jock Stein
Glasgow student charities week 1973 – when Dalglish was in his pomp- phoned from Notre Dame Glasgow Catholic Teacher Training College to Celtic Park ‘ We would like to kidnap Kenny for charity’ Silence then …. ‘not possible etc etc ..,, Jock then takes phone ‘ do you guarantee that there will be no students running on the park on Saturday ?.. Then meet Kenny at 2.00pm at the Beechwood Restaurant’
Three of us arrive in an old Hilllnan imp and at appointed time Kenny appears … Takes one look at the car he is to be kidnapped and asks if it is ok if he follows us in his Mercedes ! we hold Kenny for two hours…… Photos with Daily Record and Express with Kenny tied to chair ….,not sure if Celtic ever paid £50 ransom but the memory of that brief telephone conversation with Jock Stein is etched in my memory
Walturd. “We wish the new club every success”
Gough. “the club I gave blood, sweat and tears for is dead”
Findlay. “it is genuinely a new entity”
And now G&SL’s “we want to take oldco out of liquidation”.
The prosecution rests, m’lud.
beatbhoy
The process is ongoing. The reason I used the word if, and not when, which I would normally use is because, if reported accurately, the Chairman of the Newco, has raised the possibility, however remote, that the liquidation can be avoided.
Face painters of the world live in hope.
Celtic Mac
Yeah, they and 275 others!
beatbhoy
Exactly!
I guess everyone was busy watching the Patriots Pummel Pittsburgh in the downpour.
I’m sure Brady made sure the balls were properly inflated.
Nice to read Big Jock’s tributes and personal stories.
Tomorrow is the 14th anniversary of 9/11.
Sobering times.
‘GG on 11th September 2015 4:38 am
BIG interest in Oz. about Jarryd Hayne and the San Fran whatevers.
A conga line of Rugby League players heading your way and Ozzie punters signing up for the visuals.
9/11 sobering right enough when you think of the universal fall out.
“He can run but he can`t hide.”
Oh,is that right,Georgie,boy.
Petec
C`mon,son.
Gie`s a shout.
Morning.
Blog quiet.
Macjay.
Nae body taking on you on?
I’ve been listening to a lot of debate on the badger issue and its not a black and white issue.
Brilliant reading the stories about Me Stien.
I don’t really have one but I do remember when I was in P7 I was the goalie of my school team, West End don’tcha know and we got to the cup final against Seafield primary and our manager by that time was a local tall imposing dark haired Scrap merchant who had replaced Bill Baird the headmaster as fitba coach.
I’ll never forget him standing us there and looking down and saying “right.. I’m Jock Stien and you’re Celtic.” , before sending us off to win.
I think we won 4-1.
Thanks for indulging me.
Wish I could get a ticket for Pitoddrie.
Our local CSC got 1 adult and 1 concession.
HH
Mr Stien.
Uncomfortable reading for all the Sevconians who hold to the “we’re still Rain-jurz” myth this morning.
King has gone postal and truly let the cat out of the bag. The whole “same club” line relied on a mighty and lofty indifference to the entity currently being liquidated. The “club” had somehow escaped this entity, variously described (laughably) as its “holding company” or “operating company”.
But when King refers to this company as “Traditional Rangers”, then that begs the very awkward question: “If that’s Traditional Rangers then what is the thing currently playing at Ibrox?”.
He can’t have it both ways. He can’t hold the “same club” line but mourn for the liquidation of “Traditional Rangers”.
Either he’s a total moron, or has had a moment of guilt-induced clarity, or he is preparing for yet another version of the zombies to be wrenched, drooling, from the black and muddy earth of Govan.
macjay1 for Neil Lennon,
Hi Dude,
Yeah well, The Lord Died to take away all of my sins, and they are many, so many, you couldn’t even comprehend.
I’m alright, despite some incredible support, I’m outie from CQN.
I don’t like it anymore, the Secret Wans and they are rocking and Rollin’ every side, well it is not for me.
I never thought I’d see Crowley credited on CQN, I certainly can’t stomach the sleekit New Age ‘mystical combo of merging all the Religions into one’, all from Masonic sources sh!t being posted by a person revered by the Celtic Family.
Nah it’s time to get to feck.
I hope yer well BTW.
Jock Stein and Oscar Knox were both Gigantic gifts from God.
Petec
Don’t you be leaving CQN now my friend
KTF
I’ve tracked the posts when he is not Celtic’ing.
All undermine that Christ was God and Died to save Everyones Sins. He doesn’t come blatantly come out and say it, he certainly leads every person towards that conclusion with the links.
I know that New Agers are in every position. Basically they are Anti God.
Some are more deceptive than others though, the Celtic Support is well intelligent.
This isn’t about Celtic.
Anyway definitely outie.
Please Realise that Christ Died to take away all of our Sins.
Top of the morning to you all from a bright Dunfermline where the sun is starting to warm up all the wee birdies and the Fifers too.
Whats Dave King up to now.
If he was genuine (forget the technicalities) I for one would petition for his ennoblement, but he aint.
What is he up to? I reckon he is getting ready for offski and wants an excuse to do so with whatever dignity he can salvage: “I wanted to pay off all the debts of Oldco, but others didn’t”…..etc, etc
Doing the Dons on Saturday would do me good.
H.H.
Gasl has taken the off the radar bullplop to new heights!
But why start talking about liquidation in this way now?
Either he’s not very good at all of this – and he isn’t.
Or – there is the distinct possibility he knows the legal stuff is the death knell, he can’t sustain newco long enough to hold on for the asset sale and might be preparing the hoardes for a change of name, badge, venue and jersey until he and the RRM cam buy ibrox in an asset firewall in 5 years time.
Paying off all the debts? Don’t be silly.
I think he’s run up the white flag.
Italiabhoy
King’s media show yesterday was riddled with lies , inconsistencies and wild conjecture
Any competent journo would have made matters very uncomfortable for him
Instead the big questions weren’t asked and the mendacity went unchallenged
I found the interview on RS quite amusing….operation dupe the stupid fans is in full swing… Hell mend them
A Powerful intro.
Not really worth watching, as it has been posted multiples times by myself, anyway…
New Agers
Rip Stanley Montieth.CSC