Today we have a guest writer, Archie Macpherson, Scotland’s most celebrated broadcaster. Archie started broadcasting for the BBC in the 1960s and was the authoritative voice of football commentaries, and comment, for decades thereafter. He was co-commentator for our first European Cup win and remains a regular newspaper columnist and TV contributor.
I had a brief conversation with Archie last month when he categorically stated that Jock Stein was best manager Scotland has ever produced was. Pleased, though I was, to hear this, in the light of accolades earned by Sir Alex Ferguson, I asked him if he could substantiate his claim.
These questions are enormously subjective but few have the breadth of perspective, not to mention the analytical capacity, to tackle this one properly. This is the article he offered to write for us on the subject:
Jock and Fergie, by Archie Macpherson
If there had been no Jock Stein there would have been no Sir Alex Ferguson. It may sound a contentious statement to make but even though it is tempting to play around with history according to your own beliefs and perceptions I would stand by that as a sound interpretation of the way the respective merits of these men can be set against each other.
It helps in this matter if you can lay aside the achievements of those men from the record books and instead consider their personalities and the context in which they plied their trade.
When Jock came to Celtic as manager in 9th March 1965, he fully understood from his past experience there as a player and coach that he would find a club desperate to achieve a commanding status in Scottish football. The frustration they felt only reflected that which their massive support similarly endured around that period. They were massive underachievers.
He also knew from his own background that his task would not simply be about selecting a team, then motivating them, but about radically overhauling the perception the public in general had about the club and which stemmed mainly from the constructs of the media.
It may be difficult for a current generation to fully comprehend this but Celtic then were simply perceived as bit players in a drama where the lead actor came from Govan and always took the curtain-calls. Stein changed all that. He took on the press-pack like he had been sent in from the city’s sanitation department to fumigate.
If you didn’t turn up on the dot for his press conferences then the door was slammed on your face no matter the size of your ego. His television interviews, unlike the passive posture of that likeable man his predecessor Jimmy McGrory, were often truculent and challenging. All of this concentrated the mind of those who wrote and spoke about Celtic. They would think twice about saying anything that might offend the big man. He was strengthening Celtic’s image and, as a by-product of that, securing the self-esteem within the playing staff which previously had been sadly lacking.
And where was Sir Alec at this time? He was watching, observing. I saw him sitting in the lounge of Malpensa Airport Milan in 1970, in the aftermath of the European Cup Final there, amidst thousands of Celtic supporters, which given his Rangers connections only indicated his deep interest in what Jock was doing.
Fergie to his credit was a learner. When he went to Old Trafford it was not to a club about which there was lack of public respect. It was initial lack of respect for himself which made him take up arms against his detractors. To go to a Fergie press-conference was to see a recreation of Jock at the height of his powers. And from being beside Jock in the dressing-room, and on the bench at Scotland games, he absorbed Jock’s handling of men which could range from wrath to wit. The so-called ‘hairdryer’ treatment Fergie handed out only simulated what Jock could do to make the walls of a dressing-room bulge when it got up his hump.
Where they differed enormously as men was that Jock did not harbour grudges in quite the same way as Fergie. Jock did have his difficulties with the BBC initially but never refused to deal with them. Fergie barred them for over a decade, then got an award from the same people. So I am suggesting that although you cannot compare the achievements made in entirely different footballing environments, Fergie served his apprenticeship in the Stein era by consequently adopting much of the big man’s methodology. Jock was the ice-breaker. Fergie was the follow up.
In that sense, as the one was indispensable to the success of the other, I rate Jock as the master of the two.
My thanks to Archie for his contribution.
[calameo code=000390171ece27dd9e54e lang=en page=98 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
1,035 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- ...
- 28
- »
eddieinkirkmichael
Somebody will lose an eye at least ;)
67 game highlights on Virgin 551 now
HH
valentinesday
19:23 on 10 January, 2014
______________________
Hi, my great Amigo – hope all is well wi ye.
Lee Wallace ? Yip.
And, the wee bonus ball – think of the carnage
over at the orcdome if we signed him :)
HH
Is there a quiz tonight?
Breaking news . Fat Sally registers with Weightwatchers. Gregg’s axe 400.
Watching Ajax goal chalked off on a Premier Sports. Didn’t know I had this channel til this morning. Would have saved me from watching the keystone cops on PC stream last night.
Anyway, what do the fixed odds have in store ?
Chelsea 8/13 have great record v Hull, who have won at home only 2 from 17, 4 from 41 in total.
Man City, 4/6, won 6, drawn 1 in last 7 visits to Newcastle.
In last 15, h and a, Man city w13, drawn 2.
Blackburn 1/2 home to Doncaster who have won 2 in 20, h and a.
Wigan, 8/11, have lost 1 in 12 at home to Bournemouth.
Bradford 11/10 home to Bristol City. Bradford no losses h and a in this fixture in last 9.
Sheffield U 6/4 away to Notts Co who have not won in last 8, h and a in this fixture.
Mansfield 9/5 at home to leaders Scunthorpe. In last 10 at home in this fixture, Mansfield w8, d1.
Motherwell 8/15 at Hearts. In last 8 visits, w4, l2, d2.
Murderwell look banker given the state of the Herts.
Will do perm with 5 at reasonable prices.
HT from Turkey and Premier Sports showed highlights of Lisbon 67. Well done !
Good luck , all, wt the bets. HH.
67Heaven … I am Neil Lennon, supporting WEE OSCAR..!!.. Ibrox belongs to the creditors
19:25 on 10 January, 2014
Has the penny not dropped with oor wee shuggy on SSB that oldco would still be in SPFL if they weren’t corrupt…..
_________________________________________________________________________
If you and, yer families safety was threatened by the
Neil Lennon bomb-mob…would you go on the radio
or onto the papers and bad-mouth the bom-mobs team ?
Hugh Keevins was one of a number of journalists threatened by the anti – NL / Turnbull Hutton / Irish / Catholic / Celtic mob – just ask Phil.
Ye see, AT was a big tough guy coming into the SSB studios and telling HK what he should be saying ?
Oh yeah – easy to be the big tough guy when ye can, jump on a plane and fly away to were ever ye came from ?
Different if yer HK who has to live amongst the ‘peepil’ every day !!!
Only saying.
HH
KevJungle
Hope you’ll be attending the SC tie wae the dandy
dons, I know you’ve got a soft spot for them….you
know deep down you want too,anyways hope you
and you’re loved one’s are doing well.
1-1 Ajax equaliser
My 1st post and I want to say, KevJungle I like your style, a man after my own heart. hail hail
valentinesday
19:38 on 10 January, 2014
______________________
Yer right – the Dons are my second favorite team.
And, yer gonnae batter me wi a big stick here….
…If Neil disny keep Balde n Pukki in the starting line-up
and goes back to…Stokes(1 goal in 16 games)…then,
I think that the Dons will win the two cups. imo
Will I be going ?
Jury’s oot !!!
Loved ones are doing brill – thanks.
Hail Hail
Can’t see Galatasary getting anything here.
So can start packing…passport, chainsaw, tasers..for Antalya in the Phil Cole’s bus.
HH.
the bookworm
19:44 on 10 January, 2014
My 1st post and I want to say, KevJungle I like your style, a man after my own heart. hail hail
________________________________________________________________________
Careful there :)
Thank you for that.
If yer gonnae be saying things like that – please post more often :)
Nah, seriously….watch how ye go on here – the ‘hounds’ will be after ye.
Welcome to the madhouse n God Bless.
Oh, btw…ye know that I have to ask…nah, ye don’t sound like wan.
Take care – Hail Hail
Regarding McCoist’ s wage cut funny how the journals don’t ask if that were Lenny they wouldn’t stop or am I wrong?
bigshuggy
19:50 on
10 January, 2014
Can’t see Galatasary getting anything here.
So can start packing…passport, chainsaw, tasers..for Antalya in the Phil Cole’s bus.
HH.
“”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””
No thanks….. you obviously have not seen Midnight Express!!!!
kevjungle
19:35 on 10 January, 2014
I would suggest that,, in keevins case, it’s more about his hatred of Celtic……but, generally, you are so correct……fear has been a big factor …… off in….!!!!!!!!
Visitors – have to leave
Take Care Tims – Off oot.
67Heaven … I am Neil Lennon, supporting WEE OSCAR..!!.. Ibrox belongs to the creditors
19:56 on 10 January, 2014
________________________
xxxxxxxxx
….next time…laters mate.
Good evening friends
2-1 Turks
2-1 Gala
KevJ, nae chance. I actually like soap. :-)
KevJungle
19:35 on
If you can’t do your job properly, because of fear, then the honest thing to do is to get out of that profession and get another job. IMO
Did keevins not fall oot with Celtic after his son in law (Barry john corr) got binned
HH
bigshuggy
19:50 on
Any other tips shuggy?
_kevjungle @19:35_______________________________________________________________________
If you and, yer families safety was threatened by the
Neil Lennon bomb-mob…would you go on the radio
or onto the papers and bad-mouth the bom-mobs team ?
Hugh Keevins was one of a number of journalists threatened by the anti – NL / Turnbull Hutton / Irish / Catholic / Celtic mob – just ask Phil.
Ye see, AT was a big tough guy coming into the SSB studios and telling HK what he should be saying ?
Oh yeah – easy to be the big tough guy when ye can, jump on a plane and fly away to were ever ye came from ?
Different if yer HK who has to live amongst the ‘peepil’ every day !!!
Only saying.
HH
===================================================
I know one thing Kev, I wouldnt turn into a Soup taking turncoat who attacks his own,
The man has no morals, decency and very little sense
Is Hugh Keevins barred for life?
I’m quite ilking this blank weekend when you get to see Celtic against top sides.
This whole thieving & cheating episode has proved none of the footballing suits have any morals & decency and maybe the crowds are dwindling because of that.
Oooops should have been a penalty for the Dons.
Anyone interested in a Celtic quiz at 9 ?
Didn’t see that one googy but a bit earlier I thought Hibs should have had one. Decent enough game and excellent crowd.
KevJungle – if Keevins was withh AT right now in the Central African Republic he’d be filling his drawers and crying like a baby.
googybhoy ♥ Celtic
20:15 on
10 January, 2014
Oooops should have been a penalty for the Dons.
“”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””
Agree, starting to think that maybe Scottish refs aren’t
biased, just shit!!!!!!!!!!!
Celtic v Galatasaray on Sunday, 16.30 CP time, tough shift coming up.
Delighted that we will play the Turks on Sunday.
2-1 the final.
67heaven … i am neil lennon, supporting wee oscar..!!.. ibrox belongs to the creditors
19:56 on 10 January, 2014
That’s the thing that gets me about Keevins. I can understand the soup taking part of it. The fear factor etc.
The bit I don’t get is the gratuitous criticism of just about anything to do with Celtic.
You just know that if we were to ever win the champions league final 5-0. He would start the following evenings show with “Celtic win the champions league…….BUT!
corkcelt- supporting the dam 5
20:18 on 10 January, 2014
Aye not a bad match.
Dons look strong.
Remember going there years ago when they were one of the first to putting seats in.
No roof over the seats and four inches of snow to get off your seat.
Luxury
corkcelt- SUPPORTING THE DAM 5
Belated happy Birthday, you must be proud of you’re
young fellow county man who got a game last night.
gavcfc79
18:51 on 10 January, 2014
masty is neil lennon and both of us are supporting wee oscar
19:03 on 10 January, 2014
Cheers Bhoys.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!