 Stein in 1971 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Stein | ||
| Date of birth | (1922-10-05)5 October 1922 | ||
| Place of birth | Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 10 September 1985(1985-09-10) (aged 62) | ||
| Place of death | Cardiff, Wales | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1940–1942 | Blantyre Victoria | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1940–1942 | Blantyre Victoria | ||
| 1942–1950 | Albion Rovers[2] | 236 | (9) |
| 1950–1951 | Llanelli Town[2] | 44 | (5) |
| 1951–1957 | Celtic[2] | 106 | (2) |
| Total | 365 | (13) | |
| International career | |||
| 1954 | Scottish League XI[1] | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1960–1964 | Dunfermline Athletic | ||
| 1964–1965 | Hibernian | ||
| 1965 | Scotland | ||
| 1965–1978 | Celtic | ||
| 1978 | Leeds United | ||
| 1978–1985 | Scotland | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
John Stein (5 October 1922 – 10 September 1985) was a Scottishfootball player andmanager. He was the first manager of a club from a Northern European country to win theEuropean Cup, withCeltic in1967. Stein also guided Celtic to nine successiveScottish League championships between 1966 and 1974.
Stein worked as a coal-miner while playing football by part-time forBlantyre Victoria and thenAlbion Rovers. He became a full-time professional football player with Welsh clubLlanelli Town, but returned to Scotland withCeltic in 1951. He enjoyed some success with Celtic, winning theCoronation Cup in 1953 and aScottish league andScottish Cup double in1954. Ankle injuries forced Stein to retire from playing football in 1957.
Celtic appointed Stein to coach theirreserve team after he retired as a player. Stein started his managerial career in 1960 withDunfermline, where he won the Scottish Cup in 1961 and achieved some notable results in European football. After a brief but successful spell atHibernian, Stein returned to Celtic as manager in March 1965. In thirteen years at Celtic, Stein won theEuropean Cup, ten Scottish league championships, eight Scottish Cups and sixScottish League Cups. After a brief stint withLeeds United, Stein managedScotland from 1978 until his death in 1985.
John Stein was born on 5 October 1922 at 339 Glasgow Road inHamilton, Lanarkshire, the only son of four children to George Stein, a coal miner, and Jane Armstrong.[3] Stein saw football as his escape from the Lanarkshire coal mines. In 1937, he left Greenfield school in Hamilton and after a short time working in a carpet factory went down the pits to become a miner. In 1940, Stein agreed to sign forBurnbank Athletic, but his father vehemently objected.[4] Soon afterward, he instead joinedBlantyre Victoria, another localjunior club.[4]
Stein first played for senior clubAlbion Rovers as a trialist in a 4–4 draw against Celtic on 14 November 1942.[5] On 3 December 1942, manager Webber Lees signed Stein for the Coatbridge club.[6] He continued to work as a miner during the week, which was areserved occupation during the Second World War.[7] This allowed Stein to play regularly, as many of their other players were serving in the Armed Forces.[7] He had a brief loan spell withDundee United in 1943.[8][9] Rovers won promotion to the First Division in1947–48, for only the fourth time in the club's history.[10]
During the1948–49 season, Rovers conceded 105 goals, won only three league games out of 30 and were relegated back to the Second Division.[10]
According to Rovers' historian Robin Marwick, Stein played 236 matches for Rovers, who were his longest serving senior club as a player. He scored nine goals, six of which were penalties (he also missed two penalties). His last Rovers appearance was against Alloa in a B Division match on 14 January 1950.
In 1950, having been approached by former Albion Rovers teammateDougie Wallace, Stein signed for non-league Welsh clubLlanelli.[11][12] For the first time in his career, he became a full-time professional footballer, earning £12 per week.[13] Llanelli had gained promotion to theSouthern League in 1950 and signed several Scottish professionals.[14] In 1951, the club's application to jointhe Football League was rejected and there were rumours of financial problems.[15] All but two of the Scottish professionals left.[15]
Stein initially left his wife, Jean, and young daughter, Ray, in Scotland when he moved toLlanelli. His family moved down soon afterwards, but his council house in Hamilton was burgled about eight weeks after they moved.[15] Jean wanted to return to Scotland, and Stein accepted her desire in light of his own disillusionment with the problems at the club.[16] When asked what he would do by the Llanelli manager, Stein said he would probably quit football and become a miner again.[16]
In December 1951, on the recommendation of reserve team trainer Jimmy Gribben,[17] Celtic bought him for £1,200. He was signed as a reserve but injuries incurred by first team players resulted in him being elevated to the first team. In 1952, he was appointed vice-captain; when captainSean Fallon suffered a broken arm, the captaincy was passed to Stein.[citation needed]
Celtic finished eighth in the Scottish League during1952–53 and were only invited to the pan-BritishCoronation Cup tournament due to their large support base.[18] Celtic beatArsenal,Manchester United andHibernian to win the trophy.[19] This success was built upon in1953–54, as Stein captained the side that won a League and Scottish Cup double.[20] It was their first League championship since1938 and first League and Scottish Cup double since1914.[19][20] As a reward for their achievement, the club paid for all of the players to attend the1954 FIFA World Cup in Switzerland.[21] Celtic had also sent their players to watch theEngland v Hungary match in 1953. Stein was influenced by Scotland's poor preparation and the impressive performance ofHungary.[21]
Stein received his only international recognition in 1954, when he was selected for theScottish Football League XI.[22] It was not a happy experience for Stein, as his direct opponent,Bedford Jezzard, scored two goals asThe Football League XI won 4–0 atStamford Bridge.[22]
In1954–55, Celtic finished second in the league and lost the1955 Scottish Cup final toClyde.[23] Stein was forced to retire from football after suffering persistent ankle injuries during the 1955–56 season.[24] While playing in a friendly inColeraine in May 1956, he landed awkwardly and rolled over on the ankle. Two weeks later he had an operation to remove a bone nodule, after which he was ordered to rest until fully recuperated.[24] While on a holiday in Blackpool, the ankle irritated Stein, who found that it had become septic.[25] He was no longer able to flex the joint and had to stop playing,[25] officially retiring on 29 January 1957.[2]
In July 1957, Stein was given the job of coaching the Celticreserve team.[2][25] His squad included a number of young players who would later play under him in the first team, includingBilly McNeill,Bobby Murdoch andJohn Clark.[25] In his first season as a coach, Stein won the Reserve Cup with an 8–2 aggregate triumph overRangers.[26]
Despite this success, according to football journalist Archie MacPherson, Stein was told by club chairmanRobert Kelly he would not progress further at Celtic due to his Protestant faith;[26] Celtic had only previously appointed Catholics as managers,[19] though one of these,Willie Maley had spent 50 years at the club and Stein was only the fourth person to be appointed Celtic manager, after Maley,Jimmy McStay andJimmy McGrory, who was manager for 20 years. It was later suggested that Stein was allowed to leave Celtic temporarily with the intention of later appointing him manager, but MacPherson found no evidence for this.[27]
On 14 March 1960, Stein was appointed manager ofDunfermline.[28] When Stein was appointed, the team were only two points above last place and mired in a battle against relegation.[28] The team had not won in four months, but then won their first six matches managed by Stein.[29] To build upon this initial success, Stein signedWillie Cunningham andTommy McDonald fromLeicester City.[30] Dunfermline became a powerful force and Stein guided them to their firstScottish Cup victory in1961, winning 2–0 in a replayedfinal against Celtic. This success prompted job offers fromNewcastle United andHibernian, both of which were rejected by Stein.[31]
In the1961–62 season, Dunfermline progressed to the quarter-final of the1961–62 European Cup Winners' Cup[32] and finished in fourth place in the league.[30] Their league position earned a place in theFairs Cup after a Greek club withdrew.[33] Dunfermline defeatedEverton in the1962–63 Fairs Cup and retrieved a four-goal deficit againstValencia, but then lost in a play-off game.[34] Towards the end of the1963–64 season, it became apparent that Hibs wanted to replace their manager,Walter Galbraith.[35] It was reported in the media on 27 February that Stein would leave Dunfermline at the end of the season.[35] A fortnight later, amid speculation that Stein would move to Hibernian, Galbraith left the Edinburgh club.[35] On 28 March, Dunfermline lost in a Scottish Cup semi-final againstRangers.[36] It was announced two days later that Stein would leave Dunfermline with immediate effect, allowing him to take charge at Hibernian.[36]
Stein was appointed manager ofHibernian in March 1964. Although Hibs had a bigger support base than Dunfermline and had enjoyed success in the 1950s, the club was struggling.[37] Hibs had narrowly avoided relegation in1963 and were sitting in 12th place when Stein was appointed.[37] The players noticed an immediate difference from previous managers as Stein took an active part in practice sessions.[38] Stein built his defence aroundJohn McNamee, who had been discarded by Celtic, andPat Stanton.[39] In midfield he hadPat Quinn andWillie Hamilton, who were talented players but had under-achieved.[39] Hamilton had problems withdrinking andgambling, but he produced his best performances under Stein's guidance.[39] Stein led Hibs to victory in theSummer Cup, their first trophy in ten years.[40]Neil Martin scored regularly and was capped for Scotland under Stein.
The1964–65 league season started with anEdinburgh derby defeat byHearts, but Hibs managed to recover from this setback.[41] Stein invitedReal Madrid for a friendly game in Edinburgh, which Hibernian won 2–0 in front of a crowd of 32,000, further boosting his prestige.[42]Wolves asked Stein if he wanted to replaceStan Cullis as their manager.[42] Stein then approached Celtic chairmanBob Kelly, ostensibly to ask his advice about the offer from Wolves, but in the hope that he would be offered the Celtic job instead.[42] Kelly first offered Stein the position of assistant manager (toSean Fallon), which Stein rejected.[43] Kelly then offered Stein the chance to be joint manager with Fallon, but this was also rejected by Stein, who suggested he would rather go to Wolves if Celtic would not offer full control.[43]Billy McNeill believed that Kelly's initial reluctance was due to Stein's religion.[43] Kelly eventually agreed to offer Stein full powers over team selection.[44] Hibs tried to convince Stein to stay, even attempting to persuade his wife Jean, but becoming Celtic manager had been his long-held ambition.[45] While Stein was still Hibs manager, he arranged for Celtic to signBertie Auld fromBirmingham City[44] and allowed Hibs goalkeeperRonnie Simpson to join Celtic.[46] Some people claimed with hindsight that he had deliberately allowed Simpson to join Celtic before moving himself, but in fact it was due to a wage dispute.[46]
It was announced on 31 January that Stein would leave Hibs for Celtic at the end of the 1964–65 season.[45] Stein left Hibs in early March, after he had arranged forDundee managerBob Shankly to take the Hibs job.[47] When Stein left, Hibs were near the top of the league and had reached the semi-finals of the1964–65 Scottish Cup.[47] Hibs had defeatedRangers in the quarter-final, in his last game as Hibs manager.[47] They failed to win either competition, however, and Stein later admitted that "leaving Hibs at that time was probably my most embarrassing experience in football".[47] Stein was statistically the best ever manager of Hibs, with a win rate of 62%.[48]
He returned to Celtic in March 1965, becoming the club's first Protestant manager[45] and the fourth manager in club history.[47] Celtic were struggling in the league and continued to have mixed results, winning his first game 6–0 atAirdrie, but then losing 4–2 to Hibs and 6–2 toFalkirk.[49] In the period between the announcement of Stein's move to Celtic and his arrival, Celtic had progressed to the semi-finals of the1964–65 Scottish Cup.[49] Celtic were drawn againstMotherwell, who had dangerous forwards such asJoe McBride andWillie Hunter.[49] Stein prepared the Celtic players with tactical advice, which they had never received before.[49] Celtic came from behind twice against Motherwell to force areplay, which they won 3–0.[50] This set up afinal against Dunfermline, who had beaten Hibs in the other semi-final.[50] Celtic again came from behind twice beforeBilly McNeill scored the winning goal, giving Celtic their first Scottish Cup since 1954.[51]
For the1965–66 season, Stein made one major signing,Joe McBride from Motherwell.[52] McBride rewarded Stein with 43 goals that season.[52] Celtic lost the firstOld Firm derby that season,[52] but gained revenge by winning theLeague Cup final against Rangers.[53] Celtic reached the semi-finals of theUEFA Cup Winners' Cup, but were beaten 2–1 on aggregate byLiverpool.[54] Five minutes before the end of the second leg atAnfield,Bobby Lennox appeared to score a goal that would have put Celtic through on theaway goals rule, but it was controversially disallowed foroffside.[54] Celtic were involved in a tight Scottish league championship race with Rangers, who they also played in the1966 Scottish Cup final.[55] The final was lost after a replay, to a goal byKai Johansen.[55] Stein blamedJohn Hughes for failing to mark Johansen.[55] Celtic won the league championship, however, for the first time in 12 years.[56]
Stein was very confident entering the1966–67 season, saying to his players that he believed "we could win everything".[57] Celtic won the first Old Firm game of the season 2–0, scoring both goals in the first five minutes.[57] The team went on a long unbeaten run that was finally ended by a 3–2 defeat byDundee United on 31 December.[58] Stein surprised some observers by signing forwardWillie Wallace fromHearts in December, when the team was already scoring freely and had strikersStevie Chalmers and Joe McBride at his disposal.[59] As it happened, McBride soon afterwards suffered a knee injury that required surgery.[59]
In the1966–67 European Cup, Celtic progressed through the first two rounds with relatively comfortable wins againstZurich andNantes.[60] Celtic then faced Yugoslav sideVojvodina, who Chalmers later described as "the best team we played in the whole tournament".[60] A miss-kick byTommy Gemmell allowed Vojvodina to score the only goal of the first leg, played in Yugoslavia.[60] In the return game, Celtic drew the aggregate score level with a goal by Chalmers in the 58th minute.[61] Stein was agitated during the game, frequently glancing at his watch.[61] Near the end, he remarked to Sean Fallon that "it looks like bloody Rotterdam!", citing where a play-off match would have been held if the tie had finished level.[61] Instead, McNeill headed in a tie-winning goal from a corner kick during injury time.[61] Celtic then defeatedDukla Prague 3–1 in the first (home) leg of the semi-final, with Wallace scoring twice.[61] In the return game, Celtic sustained heavy pressure but held out for a goalless draw.[62] It became a common belief that Stein had abandoned his attacking principles for that game, but Bobby Lennox, McNeill and Chalmers all later said that Stein had not set out defensive tactics beforehand.[62]
Four days after the second leg against Dukla, Celtic defeatedAberdeen 2–0 in the1967 Scottish Cup final.[63] Celtic were involved in a close race with Rangers for the Scottish league championship, decided by an Old Firm game atIbrox on the last day of the league season.[63] Celtic needed a point to clinch the championship.[63]Archie Macpherson wrote in his biography of Stein that it was one of the best Old Firm games he had seen, as both sides played without a fear of losing: Rangers needed the victory to win the championship, while Stein believed Celtic's best chances lay in attacking their opponents.[64] Rangers took the lead in the 40th minute, but Celtic equalised within a minute thanks to a "scrambled effort" byJimmy Johnstone.[64] Celtic went 2–1 ahead with 15 minutes remaining, when Johnstone beat some opponents then fired a left-footed shot high into the net.[64]Roger Hynd scored an equalising goal for Rangers, but the match finished in a 2–2 draw and Celtic won the championship.[65]
With the 3–1 aggregate victory against Dukla, Celtic progressed to the1967 European Cup final.[63] The other finalists were Italian giantsInter Milan, prior winners of the competition. Despite initially falling behind to an Inter penalty, his team triumphed 2–1, winning much admiration for the positive attacking quality of their football. In winning club football's most prestigious trophy, Stein became the first man not only to guide a Scottish club to champions of Europe, but also the first to achieve this honour with a British club. Furthermore, he became the first manager to win the EuropeanTreble, and remains the only manager to win the fabled Quadruple, thanks to his side's earlier League Cuptriumph over Rangers.[66][67] All of this was achieved witha team all born within 30 miles ofGlasgow. Shortly after winning the European Cup,Bill Shankly told Stein "John, you're immortal now".[68]
The following season, Celtic won the League and League Cup for the third season in a row. In 1969 they won another domestic treble, their second in three years. In 1970, Stein led Celtic to a League and League Cup double; they also finished runners-up in the Scottish Cup. He also guided them to a second European Cup final in1970, knocking outBenfica andLeeds United en route, but they lost to Dutch sideFeyenoord inMilan.[69] Around this time,Manchester United made efforts to persuade Stein to join them as manager.[70] Stein declined their advances, a decision he later toldAlex Ferguson that he regretted.[71]
He was appointedCommander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1970. Stein would have beenknighted instead if not for an infamousIntercontinental Cup final match againstRacing Club where four Celtic players were sent off.[72][73]
The 1970s brought continued success on the domestic front. During this time Stein's Celtic completed arecord of nine consecutiveScottish league championships, equalling a world record held at the time byMTK Budapest andCSKA Sofia[74] This sustained success became routine to the extent that attendance figures fell during the later part of the run, with the decline at Celtic being above the league average.[75] This prompted theScottish Football League to consider league reconstruction, which was enacted in 1975.[76]
Stein was badly injured in a car crash in 1975; he nearly died but eventually recovered. Sean Fallon assumed control as manager for most of the 1975–76 season. Stein returned to his position at the start of the1976–77 season.Davie McParland joinedCeltic at this time, replacing Sean Fallon as assistant manager and working under Stein.[77] McParland took charge of the 'tracksuit' aspects of coaching at Celtic while Stein watched from the touchline, still not fully recovered from the serious car smash he was involved in the year before.[77] Stein signed Hibernian's long-serving captain, defenderPat Stanton.[78] Later on in the season, Stein signed attacking midfielderAlfie Conn fromTottenham Hotspur. It was a transfer that surprised many, given Conn had played for Rangers in the early 70s, winning the European Cup Winners' Cup for them in 1972 and scoring in a 3–2 win over Celtic in the1973 Scottish Cup final.[79] Conn became the first footballer post-World War II to play for both Rangers and Celtic.[80] Celtic, helped considerably by Stanton's organisation of the defence,[81] went on to win their tenth league and cup double; Celtic finished nine points ahead of Rangers in the league and beat them 1–0 in the1977 Scottish Cup final courtesy of anAndy Lynch penalty.
Celtic struggled in the1977–78 season and Stein was persuaded to stand down. He was allowed to nominate his successor, Billy McNeill, and Stein thought an agreement was in place for him to join the Celtic board of directors.[82] Celtic instead offered a management position in theirpools company,[82][83] which Stein rejected as he believed he still had something to offer football.[84] A testimonial match for Stein was played against Liverpool at Celtic Park on 14 August 1978.[84] After the game, the Liverpool managerBob Paisley encouraged Stein, who was three years younger than Paisley, to stay in football.[84] There was also the example of Bill Shankly, who had experienced an unhappy retirement since leaving Liverpool in 1974.[84]
In August 1978, Stein was appointed manager ofLeeds United.[85] The players at Leeds received the news well, but were concerned that Stein had never shown any previous interest in managing in England.[85] Early results were mixed, although the Leeds chairmanManny Cussins detected some improvement from the previous few seasons, when Leeds had slipped from their dominant position in English football.[85] Attendances atElland Road were low and Stein apparently missed the pressure of big games against foreign opposition.[85]
Ally MacLeod had just resigned asScotland manager, having clung to office for only one match after their failure at the1978 World Cup.[85] The day after MacLeod's departure journalist Jim Reynolds had written inThe Glasgow Herald in relation to Scotland's search for a new manager that "The ideal choice would, of course, have been Jock Stein, but the SFA are five weeks too late" adding that it was "most unlikely" that he could be tempted to take the Scotland job "until he has given it a real go at Elland Road."[86] However the next day Reynolds wrote in the same newspaper that Stein was a front runner for the job and reported that former Scotland bossWillie Ormond considered him to be "the obvious choice" if he would be prepared to take the job. Stein was quoted as saying "There is little I can say about the situation. If Scotland want me they must approach the club first." However the report ended by quoting Manny Cussins as stating he was "certain Jock Stein is happy at Leeds and will not leave to take the Scottish job". He also indicated that if players could be "worth £400,000, Jock Stein must be worth four million pounds."[87]
Stein advised commentatorArchie Macpherson to make it publicly known that he would be interested in taking the job.[85][88] Cussins, who had sackedBrian Clough after just 44 days in charge of Leeds in 1974, refused permission for theScottish Football Association to speak to Stein.[85] Cussins could not convince Stein to stay, however, and he resigned to accept the position of Scotland manager.[85] Stein had been manager of Leeds for just 44 days, like Clough, although his tenure and departure had no bitterness or rancour.[85]
Stein was first appointedmanager ofScotland on a part-time basis in the spring of 1965, taking charge of their attempt to qualify for the1966 World Cup.[19] Scotland achieved good results in their first two qualifiers, a draw againstPoland and a win againstFinland.[89] Stein was criticised by the Scottish press after the team conceded two late goals and lost 2–1 at home to Poland,[90] but they managed to beatItaly 1–0 atHampden Park through a last minute goal byJohn Greig to raise some hope of qualification.[91] Scotland suffered from several players withdrawing from the return match against Italy due to injury.[92] Stein, by instinct an attacking coach, set his team up defensively.[92] A 3–0 defeat meant that they failed to qualify fromUEFA Group 8.[92] Stein relinquished the Scotland job after this defeat to concentrate on his full-time role withCeltic.
AfterWillie Ormond resigned as manager of Scotland in May 1977, Stein was approached about replacing him, but confirmed that he intended to remain at Celtic. Amid overwhelming optimism incited by incumbent managerAlly MacLeod that Scotland would achieve great success at the1978 FIFA World Cup, Stein was one of the few to caution against this: something he would be proven right in, as Scotland subsequently failed to qualify from the group stage.[93]
Stein was appointed Scotland manager on a full-time basis on 5 October 1978, which was his 56th birthday.[94] 65,872 attended his first game in charge, a 3–2 win againstNorway at Hampden, despite the bus services in Glasgow being on strike.[95] Stein had picked a team with only players based in England, but he felt that he could bring through more home-based players.[95] He also believed that Scotland had tended to play with too much emotion and naivety, which he wanted to replace with an emphasis on retaining possession of the football.[95] Two defeats toBelgium meant that Scotland failed to qualify for the1980 European Championship.[96] This was followed by losses toNorthern Ireland andEngland in the1980 British Home Championship, which led to some criticism in the media.[96]
The Scots' form improved in their successful qualifying campaign for the1982 FIFA World Cup, finishing top of their group and only losing once.[97] Scotland travelled to Spain in the summer of 1982 in what would be the only occasion Stein would manage a side at the finals of major international tournament.[98] Scotland swept into a 3–0 lead in their first group game againstNew Zealand, but then careless defending saw the Kiwis stage a comeback, scoring twice. Scotland added a further two goals near the end to restore their three-goal advantage, but concern was raised at the potential repercussions of the two New Zealand goals should goal difference become a factor.[98]
Brazil were the next opponents, and Stein make a number of changes to his side.Danny McGrain andKenny Dalglish were surprise omissions, whileDavid Narey,Willie Miller andSteve Archibald came into the side.Graeme Souness took over the captaincy in McGrain's absence.[99] Narey gave Scotland a shock lead when he opened the scoring with a powerful right-foot strike.Zico equalised just before half-time from a free kick, and then Brazil took control in the second half, scoring three times to send Scotland crashing to a 4–1 defeat.[100] The final group game paired Scotland against theSoviet Union. The teams were level on two points each, but the Soviets had a better goal difference and this meant Scotland had to win.Joe Jordan came into the team for his first appearance at the 1982 World Cup, and he gave Scotland the lead in the first half, but the Soviets rallied and scored twice in the second half. The second goal was particularly galling for the Scots, and came as a result of defendersAlan Hansen andWillie Miller colliding with one another, allowingRamaz Shengelia a clear run in at goal to score. Souness netted a late equaliser for Scotland, but the game finished 2–2 and Scotland went out on goal difference.[101] Stein commented after the final match: "I am very disappointed we have not qualified. If we had played the way we did in any other section we would have gone through", adding "We have proved we can compete at this level, if not win..... Tonight I think we have done Scotland proud, both on and off the field."[102]
Under Stein, Scotland began their qualifying campaign for the1986 World Cup with a 3–0 win overIceland at Hampden Park in October 1984.Paul McStay scored twice in the first half, and came close to getting a hat-trick when he struck the crossbar in the second half.Charlie Nicholas scored Scotland's third goal.[103] Stein observed that Scotland "won with style" and singled out wingerDavie Cooper along with McStay for the flair they both displayed.[104] The Scots turned in an even better showing in their next tie, a 3–1 home win overSpain.[105] Two first half headed goals fromMo Johnston gave Scotland a 2–0 lead at half-time. Spain pulled a goal back in the second half, but with 18 minutes remainingKenny Dalglish dribbled past three Spanish defenders before striking a powerful shot high into the net for Scotland's third. It was Dalglish's 30th international goal, equalling the national team record held byDenis Law,[105] and it would also be Dalglish's last. Stein described the win over Spain as "the most satisfying since I became [Scotland] manager", adding that "we scored three goals against a quality team that came to defend".[106] Spanish managerMiguel Muñoz praised the Scots' performance, describing them as "tremendous".[106] Performances and results were more mixed in the later qualifying ties, losing the return match in Spain, going down to a 1–0 defeat againstWales in Glasgow and scraping a narrow 1–0 win over Iceland inReykjavík.[107] Scotland went into their last qualifying tie, away to Wales, needing at least a draw to secure a play-off spot.
The Scottish International Committee made the surprise announcement of Stein in a dual role asScotland under-23 team manager, also known as theColts, and assistant to theScotland national team on 17 February 1975. Both roles were assigned on a temporary basis.[108] His appointment was made to take the strain off managerWillie Ormond.[109] Stein accompanied Ormond for theWales under-23s match on 25 February, but only to observe.Aberdeen managerJimmy Bonthrone andRangers assistantWillie Thornton were also in attendance.[110] Stein did not officially inherit theColts job from Ormond until April.[111] Stein started asColts manager with wins overSweden under-23s in a friendly,[112] andLeeds United in a challenge match.[113] He then took charge of his only competitive match in charge. It was aUEFA under-23 Championship qualifier away at theRomania under-23s. Goals fromWillie Pettigrew andWillie Young meant the team opened the campaign with a 2–1 win.[114] Despite a three match winning streak,[115] Stein relinquished both roles soon after, as he was hospitalised as the result of a car crash.[116]
As national team boss, Stein was also responsible for theScottish League XI side. He took charge on four occasions, which included one during his first spell in 1965,[117] and a further three matches between 1978 and 1980,[118] This included the last inter-league match involving the Scottish League XI, a 2–4 defeat by theIrish League XI atWindsor Park.[119]
On 10 September 1985, Scotland playedWales atNinian Park,Cardiff, in a 1986 World Cup qualification match. Wales had been leading 1–0 by aMark Hughes goal, before Scotland were awarded apenalty with 9 minutes left.Davie Cooper scored to make the score 1–1; the resulting draw secured a qualification play-off againstAustralia. Stein, who had been in poor health and under intense pressure, suffered a fatalpulmonary edema (fluid build-up in the lungs) at the end of the game – he had stopped taking prescribed medication for heart disease so his match preparations would not be disrupted by the side effects[120][121] – and died shortly afterwards in the stadium's medical room; he was 62 years old.[122] Due to the circumstances, the cause of death has frequently been reported as aheart attack. Stein was cremated at Linn Crematorium in Glasgow, at a private ceremony at which many past and present football figures were in attendance.
His death had a profound effect on his assistant, andAberdeen manager,Alex Ferguson, who regarded Stein as a mentor and was horrified by his sudden death.[123] Ferguson was appointed interim manager and led the Scotland team to the 1986 World Cup, but they failed to progress beyond the group stage andAndy Roxburgh was appointed as Stein's permanent successor.
Jock Stein is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential managers in the history of British football. In contrast to his predecessors, he was actively involved in his players training – a "tracksuit manager". And whereas training had previously consisted of mainly running around the track, he introduced practising with the ball into training. He is considered a football visionary; in particular for his time atCeltic where he transformed a side lacking direction and having gone almost eight years without a trophy into the best team in Europe, all whilst playing entertaining adventurous football. Prior to that, he had ledDunfermline Athletic to their first everScottish Cup final win. Furthermore, his man-management style and grasp of the psychological side of the game was years ahead of its time.[124][125][126][127][128]
Stein was hugely respected by his peers and a massive influence on the next generation of managers who would follow in his footsteps; such as those who played under him likeBilly McNeill,Kenny Dalglish,Graeme Souness,Alex McLeish,Gordon Strachan; and those who worked under him as coaches likeJim McLean,Walter Smith,Craig Brown and in particularAlex Ferguson.[128]
Stein's use of a free–flowing4–4–2 formation and his relentless, highly offensive strategy with Celtic in the 1967 European Cup final victory over Inter Milan in Lisbon, which saw him overcomeHelenio Herrera's highly successful but more defensive–mindedcatenaccio tactical system, has also retroactively been compared by pundits to the similarly attacking–mindedtotal football philosophy pioneered by Dutch managerRinus Michels atAjax during the 1970s. Due to their triumph, which saw them become the first Scottish and British side to win the European Cup title, the 1967 Celtic side were dubbed the "Lisbon Lions" in the press.[129][130][131][132]
Since his death, Stein has been inducted into theScottish Sports Hall of Fame and theScottish Football Hall of Fame. WhenCeltic Park was rebuilt in the 1990s, the traditional Celtic fans' end of the stadium was named the Jock Stein Stand.
In 2002 Stein was voted the greatest ever Celtic manager by the club's fans, and he was voted the greatest Scottish football manager in a 2003 poll by theSunday Herald newspaper.[133] A bust of Stein was presented to Celtic by a supporters' group and now sits in the foyer of the stadium.
On 5 March 2011, a greater than lifesize bronze statue of Stein, by the sculptorJohn McKenna, was unveiled outside Celtic Park. The statue depicts Stein holding theEuropean Cup.[134]Celtic chairmanJohn Reid said;
Jock will undoubtedly be remembered as one of world football's greatest ever managers – a man of immense stature and someone who gave so much to Celtic, Scotland and the game of football in general.
He married Jeanie McAuley in 1946 and they were together until his death 39 years later.[135] They had a son George[136] and daughter Ray.[137] Ray died of cancer on 9 September 2006 aged 59,[137] and was outlived by her mother, who died on 2 August 2007 at the age of 80.[138] George was living in Switzerland by the time of his father's death.[122]
| Team | Country | From | To | Record | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||||
| Dunfermline Athletic[139] |  Scotland | March 1960 | March 1964 | 192 | 93 | 37 | 62 | 048.44 | ||
| Hibernian[140] | Scotland | March 1964 | March 1965 | 50 | 31 | 8 | 11 | 062.00 | ||
| Scotland[141] | Scotland | May 1965 | December 1965 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 042.86 | ||
| Celtic[142] | Scotland | 9 March 1965[143] | 1 August 1978 | 761 | 530 | 120 | 111 | 069.65 | ||
| Leeds United[144] |  England | August 1978 | October 1978 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 040.00 | ||
| Scotland[141] | Scotland | October 1978 | September 1985 | 61 | 26 | 12 | 23 | 042.62 | ||
| Total | 1,081 | 687 | 181 | 213 | 063.55 | |||||
Albion Rovers
Celtic
Dunfermline Athletic
Hibernian
Celtic
Scotland
My source told me that Jock Stein turned out for Dundee United on Saturday, April 17, 1943 in a 4–3 win overRaith Rovers atTannadice.The Sporting Post from that date confirms this information. Indeed, a paragraph from the SP that day, which covered the game, stated, 'Johnny Stein, of Albion Rovers, who assisted Dundee United in their cup-tie, had a busy day watching Joe Payne'.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
