In the long and colourful history of Glasgow Celtic Football Club, with its endless parade of great players and managers who brought joy to crowds dressed in green and white hoops, one name stands out above the rest:Jock Stein. Stein took the reins at Parkhead in March 1965, at a time when the club was in turmoil. Celtic's trophy cabinet had begun to accumulate dust, their city rivals Rangers were hoarding silverware, and the once powerful support had begun to wane. On the field, the situation wasn't much better; despite the presence of talent, the team appeared apathetic and significantly underachieving.
Stein changed all that. Under his direction, Celtic won nine league championships in a row—ten in total—alongside eight Scottish Cups, six League Cups, and, most famously, the 1967 European Cup. That remains the pinnacle of the club's history. Over his 13 years as manager, Stein built three different Celtic teams, each one successful, each one adored. His era brought unmatched glory to one half of Glasgow, and the story of those years, with all its drama and triumph, becomes a testament to the man himself.
But the story isn’t just about trophies and celebrations. The authors of this book look at Stein’s flaws as honestly as they do his strengths, capturing the full picture—from the soaring highs to the tough disappointments. The epilogue offers a quietly powerful reflection on the end of Stein’s time at Celtic: “All careers decline—as do all men, inevitably. Football is for the young, and ageing can be cruel. This book is a football life, and ideally the story of such a man would end with the capture of a European Cup to crown a career; instead, frequently, life does not imitate art.”
ROYAL MAIL TRACKED 48
Published: March 15, 1999
Publisher: Visit Andre Deutsch Ltd
Price: £12.99
Hardback: 384 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0233996158
Dimensions: 218 x 284 (mm)
