Jock Stein – The Celtic boss who achieved immortality | OneFootball

60 years ago this week, on 10 IMarch 1965, there was a truly momentous event in Celtic’s history.

Jock Stein, manager Jock Stein of successful Scottish club Celtic. Once again the Glasgow side has taken the Scottish league Division One championships. 3 May 1968. Imago Photo Top Foto (The Celtic Star)

A Celtic team went to Airdrie, beating the home side 6-0. Bertie Auld took the plaudits, scoring five of the goals. However, that was not the significant aspect. Instead, this was Jock Stein’s first game as manager.

The man who would go onto become a club legend – revered as Celtic’s greatest manager – announced his arrival with a big win, an early sign of the success he was to bring to Glasgow’s east end.

Jock Stein was born on 5 October 1922. He was brought up in Burnbank in Hamilton. After leaving Greenfield School in Hamilton, Stein worked briefly in a carpet factory, before moving on to become a miner.

Although he found employment in Lanarkshire’s mines, Stein had dreams of becoming a footballer. He played as a centre-half, first turning out for Blantyre Victoria, but then spent eight years at Albion Rovers in Coatbridge. Stein also played for Dundee United during the Second World War.

Jock Stein signs for Celtic on 4 December 1951. Photo The Celtic Wiki

In 1950, Jock Stein increased his football connections. Prior to this date, he had played football alongside working. Now, he moved to Wales and became a full-time professional footballer.

He spent two years playing for Llanelli. However, financial problems at the club – and the fact that his house in Hamilton was burgled – meant he wanted to return to Scotland. As a result, in 1951, he took what would be a momentous step in his life.

Following a recommendation from Celtic’s reserve team trainer Jimmy Gribben, Stein moved to Celtic Park. He was originally supposed to be a reserve, but soon found himself in the first team owing to injuries, and it was a position he kept.

Signing for Celtic brought certain personal problems to Stein.

He came from a Protestant background. In fact, Stein himself said that he grew up in an Orange family. As a result, many people that he had known for years refused to speak to him when he went to Parkhead. In addition, he sometimes faced negative comments from Celtic people about his religion.

Stein spent six years playing at Celtic Park, eventually becoming captain. Although the 1950s were not Celtic’s most celebrated years, he was part of the Bhoys’ successes of the era, including captaining the club to the famous Coronation Cup win in 1953. Stein was also a League and Scottish Cup winner as a player.

However, by the mid-1950s, Jock was facing serious injury problems. This made it impossible to play and 1956 was the last year he would play for Celtic, although he did not formally retire until in January 1957.

At this point, Stein knew that he wanted to move into coaching. It made sense for him to continue to do this at the club he would come to think of as home. In fact, he once remarked that “Unlike many other Celts, I cannot claim that Celtic was my first love… but I can say that it will be my last love.”

Jock Stein, 08.03.1974 Photo: imago/Colorsport

Jock Stein’s coaching career began at Celtic, looking after the reserves and youth team. He was clearly a forceful character and persuaded the Celtic board to purchase Barrowfield to use as a training ground. Under Stein’s leadership, the reserves enjoyed trophy success too.

However, this was not enough for Stein. He was not content with simply overseeing reserve games and wanted to be a first-team manager. His first chance to do this would take him to Fife.

In 1960, Jock Stein took charge at Dunfermline. He had a very positive impact, saving them from relegation in his first season. In the second year, there was even better news – although not for Celtic.

In 1961, Stein steered the Pars to their first ever Scottish Cup win. This involved beating Celtic 2-0 in the final, in a replayed match. Given Celtic’s lack of success and trophies at this time, this was a clear reminder of what they were missing.

Stein’s abilities were widely admired. As such, in 1964, he was persuaded to become manager of Hibernian. Despite spending less than a year in Edinburgh, he enjoyed some success, winning the Summer Cup shortly after he took charge.

But the fact he had moved to Edinburgh did not mean that others did not still covet him for their own managerial position.

By 1965, Celtic were struggling under manager Jimmy McGrory. The club’s all-time top scorer was a legend on the pitch but struggling by the mid-60s. Celtic had not won the League or Scottish Cup since 1954, or indeed any major trophy since 1957 (7-1 League Cup win).

The Celtic Board believed that Jock Stein was the answer to their problems, the man who could change this. As a result, in early-1965, Stein was offered the Celtic manager’s job.

On 9 March 1965, he became only the fourth man to have this title. By the following day, he had his first win, that big 6-0 victory over Airdrie.

When it came to trophy success, Jock had an instant impact on Celtic. The following month – in April 1965 – the Bhoys had won the Scottish Cup. They beat Stein’s old team Dunfermline in an exciting 3-2 fixture, a game in which the Bhoys had twice come from behind to win.

1965 was also a big year for Jock Stein for another managerial reason. He was appointed as the part-time manager of Scotland, overseeing attempts to qualify for the 1966 World Cup. Although Scotland did not get to the finals, he had one big success, beating Italy 1-0.

However, this was not yet the time for Stein to devoted to international management and he left the role to focus fully on Celtic.

This was achieved to great effort. Under Stein, Celtic grew in stature. They built on the 1965 Scottish Cup win, and in 1966 the League flag again flew over Celtic Park because the Bhoys were Champions for the first time in 12 years.

That same season, they also reached the semis of the European Cup-Winners’ Cup. Despite winning at Celtic Park, they were controversially knocked out by Liverpool, stopping them reaching the final, and possibly winning their first European trophy. However, this would not be a permanent situation.

The 1966 title win ensured Celtic entered the 1966-67 European Cup, the first time they competed in this. It was, of course, a path which led to Stein’s greatest day. His team marched through the rounds before defeating Inter Milan in Lisbon in May 1967.

As Bill Shankly then told him: “John, you’re immortal now.” This was especially the case when in the same season the Bhoys also completed their first ever domestic Treble, and added the Glasgow Cup too for good measure.

This victory in Lisbon led to one of Celtic’s most controversial games. Celtic played Argentinian side Racing Club in the World Cup Championship final. After drawing over two legs, Celtic lost a violent replay in Uruguay, with six players being ordered off.

Celtic were a true European superpower when Stein managed them. Twice more (1972 and 1974), the Bhoys reached the European Cup semi-finals. And in 1970, they went to Milan to play Feyenoord in the final, but lost out to 2-1. Interestingly, this was an issue which would later see many of the players criticise Stein, suggesting he had underestimated the Dutch side.

As well as European success, Celtic enjoyed massive dominance in Scotland. Under Jock Stein, the Bhoys won a then world record of nine titles in a row, from 1966 to 1974. In total, Stein won ten titles, eight Scottish Cups and six League Cups. And, of course, the European Cup!

But there was also huge adversity to overcome. In 1975, Stein faced arguably his greatest ever challenge – something that happened off the park.

Whilst returning from a holiday, he was in a near fatal car crash. This kept him out of the dugout for the entire 1975-76 season, meaning that assistant boss Sean Fallon had to take temporary charge at this time.

Perhaps as a result of this, by the late-1970s, Stein’s time at Celtic was clearly coming to an end. In the summer of 1978, Billy McNeill took over as manager. He had been the man that Stein believed was best placed to lead the Hoops.

However, it was not an exit without controversy. Stein was offered the chance to be a Celtic director, which was initially accepted, before being declined. Various claims were made that Stein felt insulted by the specific role that he was expected to fulfil, and the club and their greatest manager parted ways following a testimonial in August 1978.

But this was far from the end of Jock Stein’s place as a manager. By the end of the year, he had two more jobs!

After leaving Celtic, he became Leeds United boss. This was an appointment greeted with excitement in the English city, but it proved to be a short term destination. Stein could not settle at Leeds and after only ten games and 44 days, he had departed Elland Road. This was perhaps partly because he had his eye on another job.

By October 1978, Stein was again back as a manager – this time as Scotland boss, on a full-time basis. He spent seven years in the job, which included qualifying for the World Cup Finals in 1982 and (eventually) 1986.

But despite this latter success, the 1986 World Cup was not a tournament he would attend.

On 10 September 1985, Scotland went to Ninian Park in Wales for a World Cup qualifier. The Scots needed a draw to achieve a play-off place and did this, drawing 1-1 with their hosts.

However, as the match ended, Stein had a heart attack. He was supposed to take medication but had not done so in case the effects of it interfered with match preparations. And so, in an event that shocked the football world, he died at ground, aged only 62.

It is difficult to fully express Jock Stein’s impact not only on Celtic but on the wider footballing world.

He oversaw a Celtic side that dominated that did not simply dominate in Scotland, they also reached Europe’s pinnacle too. And they did so playing attractive and exciting football that made the name Celtic revered around the world.

Jock Stein remains a legendary figure, well remembered by everyone connected with Celtic as the club’s greatest manager. His name adorns one of the club’s stands, and his statue stands proudly at the front of Celtic Park.

His achievements ensure that – as Bill Shankly once predicted – he is indeed “immortal.”

Matthew Marr