One of the smaller parts of the British Isles, the ethos of the Scottish population, one that of hard-work and perseverance had bled into their football as well.
In 1967, Celtic had become the first British team to conquer Europe aka become European Champions (later rechristened to the UEFA Champions League) and the face of this victory was their manager, Jock Stein.
Jock Stein grew up in Burnbank, Ayshire. Being the son of a coal miner, young Jock went along with his father for work.
He played as semi-professional player for local club Blantyre Victoria. He was then hired for a brief stint at Llaneli Town before coming back to Scotland to play for Celtic. However his playing career was cut short by an injury and he was forced into early retirement.
He started out as a manager for the Celtic reserves sides where future legends such as Billy McNeil and John Clarke benefitted from his then modern style of management.
However with Celtic not ready to promote him to manager of the first team, Jock Stein went to relegation contenders Dunfermline.
As much as his achievements with Celtic were great, his achievements with Dunfermline were equally breath-taking. For a team that were languishing in relegation spots, he won the Scottish Cup in 1961. This earned them a ticket to the UEFA Cup Winners Cup where they reached the Quarter Finals.
He then went to Hibs. A club which was having a bit of a down period rose straight back to the top of Scottish football. With no option, Celtic had to call back Jock Stein with an offer he could not refuse.
Appointed as the Manager of the Bhoys, Jock Stein won the league in his first full season. For a team that had not won the league or the Scottish Cup since 1954, Jock Stein set off winning 9 successive title wins. He also won 8 Scottish cups in this time.
The crowning achievement of his career came when Celtic defeated Helenio Herrera’s Inter 2-1 in Lisbon to win the UEFA European Cup earning the team the nickname Lisbon Lions. All of the players who played for Celtic that day were all born within a 30 mile radius of Parkhead. Celtic had won the quadruple of Scottish and European football.
JOCK STEIN – STYLE OF PLAY
Although tactics and formations were in their formative years, Jock Stein’s style of football was intense, quick and had all the elements of the revolutionary Total Football that would sweep the game later. Ajax who liked to play the 4-3-3 with Cryuff, Stein like to play with a 4-2-4 which sometimes metamorphosized into a 4-4-2.
Stein unlike Herrera, who had a mantra of winning at any cost, wanted to play football that entertained the fans along with the win.
His teams were characterized by 3 tactical traits. Pace of counter-attacks being key trait. Against Inter, Celtic would move the ball from defense to midifeld within a matter of 5 seconds, a rare sight to behold in the 60s and more attributed to modern style of football.
Another trait was their ability to create neat passing combinations by creating passing patterns something similar to their Dutch counterparts, Ajax. Being from the same locality and all friends with each the Scottish players had forged a deep bond that it was easier for them to create passing patterns which bamboozled the Catenaccio powerhouse Inter. Despite being 1-0 up within the 7 minute Inter could not restrict the flow of shots and unofficial source put the amount of shots that Inter faced at 40.
Lastly, Positional changes between players were also very common. Gemmel who played as a left back or a half-back as called in those days would tuck in and play as an inside forward. While pushing for a winner against Inter, Celtic transformed from a 4-2-4 to a 3-2-5.
But more than tactical insight it was possible due to the many talents of the players. Johnstone, possibly the greatest player the club has ever produced was a talented winger who had great 1v1 ability as well an ability to bend crosses in. Murdoch a midfield behemoth, who resembled maybe a modern Yaya Toure, was a clear midfield presence. He wasn’t a silky passer but he was a ball carrier who also could pass and find teammates.
And Jock Stein was a real mentality monster. He never made any big signings for his team but rather motivated his players to remove their shackles to achieve their goals which they did.
JOCK STEIN – LEGACY AND DEATH
A near fatal accident in 1975 curtailed Stein’s time at Celtic with his assistant taking over until the 1976-77 season. In the 1977-78 season Celtic underperformed which forced Stein to step down and choose Billy McNeil as his successor.
Stein them took up his dream job of being the Scotland Manager replacing Ally MacLeod. Despite not being able to qualify for the 1980 Euros, Scotland qualified for the 1982 World Cup in Spain. A win against New Zealand and a draw against Soviet Union was not enough as Scotland lost 4-1 to Brazil meant they went out in the group stages on goal difference.
It was against Wales in a World Cup qualification match in 1985, that Stein had a pulmonary edema as a result of his long standing heart disease and passed out in the medical room in Ninian Park, Cardiff.
But before he passed, his legacy was continued by his assistant manager, none other than Sir Alex Ferguson who was his assistant with the Scotland National Team. Famous for his “hairdryer treatment” for star player, Sir Alex Ferguson said that he was inspired by Jock Stein who said getting angry for a good purpouse was harmless. Here is a what Sir Alex Ferguson had to say about him.
CONCLUSION
Dubbed as the greatest ever Sportsperson to come out of Scotland Jock Stein came at an age where Internet was not the rage and it has somehow not given Jock the real recognition he deserved. But his work at Celtic and Scottish football and his “passing of the torch” to Sir Alex Ferguson ignited a fire and created more legends and achievements for Scottish football. It also made way for Modern Celtic who became a powerhouse in Scottish Football.
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