“God only knows how the club would’ve developed without Jock,” Billy McNeill admitted in The Sun today.
As the 25th anniversary of Stein’s death approaches the impact that he had on the club can never be understated.
The cliched ‘Old Firm’ tag was wearing thin in the post war years with Celtic picking up just one championship, with Stein as captain, since the end of rationing.
Hearts and Hibs had won the First Division title more often with Kilmarnock pipping Hearts to the 64/65 title as Stein returned to Celtic.
The rest is history with nine successive titles racked up crowned by winning the 1967 European Cup and a legacy that lasts to the present day.
In the early 60s Celtic were not at the races, the memory of Hampden in the Sun was fading slightly with no footage of Billy McPhail’s glory to sustain the suffering faithful.
McNeill added: “Celtic had no direction before he returned.
“A year after the big man took the manager’s job he took us to North America for six and a half weeks and we played 13, 14 games. It sounds unbelievable now – but that trip was to be the making of the Lisbion Lions. We didn’t lose a game.
“The trip truly allowed Jock to get to know every player and by the time we returned to Scotland for the momentous 1966-67 season he had established everything in his mind.
“Jock made good players great players. He transformed Tommy Gemmell and Bobby Murdoch.
“Ronnie Simpson became one of the club’s greatest ever keepers. But he thought he was out of the door when Jock returned because Jock had released him at Hibs!
“The success Celtic had in the ’60s and ’70s was down to Jock. The European Cup triumph, of course, will always be regarded as Celtic’s greatest moment.
“And part of me thinks Jock won it for us before a ball had even been kicked in Lisbon. Inter Milan were an incredible team in reputation and talent but because of Jock we never thought we would lose.
“Before the game Inter tried to steal our touchline bench for the match – only to be chased by Jock who wasn’t in the mood to take prisoners. We all saw the Inter officials being told where to go and it added to our motivation.
“We weren’t prepared to be second best – it didn’t matter who it was. It was the greatest day of our careers. And Jock’s name became known throughout world football.”
Stein and McNeill will be forever linked.
The former club captain and centre-half was responsible for signing the schoolboy internationalist and returned to Celtic in time to launch the most successful playing career in Scottish football history.
Later on McNeill was to take over from his mentor as Celtic manager.
“He was the man who made sure Celtic signed me, the man who moulded me into the player I was for club and country,” McNeill added.
“The lessons I learned from him ensured I got the perfect football education.
“How he communicated with the players, how he set his teams up, his tactics, his psychological tricks with the opposition, his media skills – all of those qualities stuck with me as a manager too.
“Jock was like a second father to me. He had been very influential in me having the opportunity to sign for Celtic at 17.
“Jock, reserve coach then, watched me play for Scotland schoolboys against England at Celtic Park and he impressed upon Sir Robert Kelly that they needed to sign me.
“When Jock left Celtic for Dunfermline it felt a bit like a death in the family. It had such a profound impact on the place. Celtic felt like a club going nowhere. I was on the verge of going to Spurs. I felt disillusioned.
“I’d been capped for Scotland in 1961 and on the face of it I was making decent progress as a player.
“But Celtic without Jock wasn’t the same and I was unhappy.
“Long before Lisbon, nine-in-a-row and the cups, we thought Jock was the best. When he came back I knew success was just around the corner.
“The influence Jock was to have on Celtic and Scottish football was absolutely incredible. I was captain anyway when Jock came back to Celtic. But he stuck with me and I was inspired by him.
“Jock had always impressed upon me the need to be like a captain, play like a captain.
“It was Jock who encouraged me to go up for corners and free-kicks – and lo and behold I got the winner in the 1965 Scottish Cup final against Dunfermline!
“It was Jock’s first trophy as Celtic manager and that made my goal all the more special.
“For many that victory was the pivotal moment in Jock’s era at Celtic Park. It ended a long run without silverware and proved we could be winners. After that we had an unbelievable period of dominance.”
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