It’s been a crappy year. If you don’t believe me, look at the two lists below this piece – full of people who have left us since Jan 1 2016. Some might say in a post Brexit/Trump world they are all better off, but that is neither here nor there.
In addition we have witnessed yet another year of the “black is white – new is old” suspension of disbelief argument from the football authorities. The same dysfunctional crew who gave us the 5-way agreement and whose cerebral CPU cycles are dominated by a strategy to choose the correct term to use for various concepts like; liquidation, Rangers FC, pitch invasion, independent inquiry, (to name just a few).
They now think we will be satisfied with what their crack investigation into child sex abuse – and its no doubt cherry-picked and narrow terms of reference – will come up with.
Still in place at Hampden, is a Press Officer who thinks he IS the SFA, and a chief executive who should BE the SFA, but who prefers, in his own words to do “nothing”. These are the people who, in the midst of a public debate over concerns for racism and homophobia in the game, have given a coaching job involving young people to a man who has been proven a racist and a homophobe.
These are the people who constantly have their hands out for public funds, including one to fund a grade-A bonkers facial recognition scheme to root out sectarianism (and all the other ISMS that they have just endorsed by appointing Malky Mackay).
Yet we complain about the Americans when they elect an insane man to power?
All is however not lost. Within living memory, and since it is Christmas, I’d like to relate a warm, cuddly, sentimental and very true story about the late Jock Stein. It is proof that there was a time before the madness that has enveloped Scottish Football when real people of quality, blessed with empathy for fans, roamed these lands.
Rewind to 13th May 1975. Myself and three great friends, two teenagers from each half of the Old Firm, decided to walk over to Hampden Park to see Scotland playing a friendly match against Portugal. Two of the guys – ironically the Rangers ones – lived in a wee street right across the road from Celtic Park, and we set out from ‘their bit’, walking through Strathie’s Park and down Springfield Road into Dalmarnock Road. We were a bit behind schedule and of course we were all skint so we had to walk. As my mates dithered, I walked on ahead shouting at them something like ‘hurry up!’ (although a tad less politely).
As I approached the junction of Dalmarnock Road and Adelphi Street, I absent-mindedly did a bit of jay-walking and was nearly hit on the backside by a ton of German tin making a left turn. The passenger window of the car was rolled down, and I prepared an impetuous come-back to what I was sure was going to be a rollicking.
Instead, a strangely familiar man in a thick Irish brogue poked his head out of the window and said; “Where you going?”
As my brain registered “Sean Fallon”, I made a quick connection, turned to the driver and saw that it was Big Jock. Thoughts of “what an honour to be knocked down by Jock Stein” flashed through my befuddled between-ear mass.
Recovering quickly; “To the game” I said.
“Jump in!” shouted Mr Stein
“My pals are just behind me”
“Tell them to jump in as well”
I never asked the guys when they realised it was the greatest living Scotsman driving the car, but we didn’t know many folk with a Merc, so I suppose they knew it wasn’t a relative who had stopped me.
The four of us climbed into the spacious big bench seat in the back of the car for the fifteen minute journey. Immediate questions.
Yes Jock (we were pals by now 🙂 ) was going to the game and so was Sean, but they were going home for something to eat first. Yes, it was a great perk of being a manager that you didn’t have to queue, but what did we think of the team?
The chat at the time was that Kenny Dalglish hadn’t hit it off with Scotland because Bremner was cramping his style. Bremner was injured that night, so my pal Gerry Connor (permission to use his name has been granted!) told The Boss (we were really close by now) that we expected KD fireworks.
What did we think of Hutchinson? Since it definitely appeared to be posed in rhetorical fashion we chose “not very much”.
The Gaffer concurred.
One of the Rangers guys (Big Jimmy) wondered aloud why Alfie Conn, by then of Spurs, was not selected. It was a ridiculous situation said my mate. Probably keeping him for the U-23s he thought out loud, before realising that Jock was the then Under 23 manager.
“Oh, eh, um, sorry! I forgot that was you!” said Big Jimmy. “No worries, he’s a very good player” said Big John (by now we felt we had known him forever).
Truth is, we were scared shitless; totally in awe of the man driving, DRIVING US, to the match. He really wanted to know what we thought, who we liked to see play, who we would pick who wasn’t in the squad.
Another thing was that despite it being huge for us all, we all wanted it it over with as quickly as possible so we could talk about it. But it wasn’t over yet. The final flourish was when we got dropped off at the Beechwood. We got out of the car as the crowds were descending on Hampden. Stein’s car was noticed right away, but who were these young scallywags emerging fro the back?
“Thanks Boss, thanks Sean!” we all shouted so the bystanders could ear. Stein smiled, waved at us and sped off to Kings Park for his dinner.
“See you in the morning Gaffer!”
Chests puffed out, we all assumed the pose of Scotland Under-23 starlets. Scotland won 1-0, but I can honestly say I don’t remember a bloody thing about that match. I do remember being on the Scotland U-23 bench though 🙂
The moral of the story is clear to me. In the background of Dave Scott’s claim in our podcast that the SFA needed to get its act together, and to engage more with the fans, the men of the Stein mould, our greatest football generation, are perhaps the last generation to possess the ability to do that.
He could have just beeped loudly in frustration and went off home for his dinner that evening, but he saw four young fans – guys who loved the game anyway – and made us love it a bit more after that fifteen minute ride. For a few minutes out of his time, Jock Stein gave us all a lifetime of a cherished memory, which I have dined out on, and will continue to dine out on, forever.
Many years later, footballers of that era told me that it was commonplace for the likes of Billy McNeill and John Grieg to do the same in Glasgow, for Pat Stanton and Davie Holt in Edinburgh, and for Alex Hamilton and Jerry Kerr in Dundee.
Sadly, three decades later, I regularly witnessed footballers go to extraordinary lengths to avoid autograph hunters, ducking out of back doors and having stewards deliver their cars to remote places away from the public gaze.
Of the four lucky boys who chanced upon Jock Stein that night, I am still in touch with two. Big Jimmy has fallen of the radar, last heard of in England somewhere – as is Gerry, condemned to a purgatory of watching Blackburn Rovers!
Despite that, we will always share the bond of the night we were on the Under-23 bench seat in the back of Big Jock’s Merc.
We should remember that the game in this country prospered when it was more in tune with the people who followed it. Perhaps market equilibrium will one day bring it back, who knows, but for now, football is an industry where no-one in control at the clubs gives a flying doo-doo what we think.
At least we still have our memories. Of the great Jock Stein, to whom I was briefly related, of his assistant Sean Fallon, who I got to know a bit in later years, and of many football folk I was privileged enough to know, and who are no longer with us.
Just like the class of 2016 below, we miss them all.
Non Football Deaths in 2016
Date | Name | Age | |
04 Jan | Robert Stigwood | Producer | 81 |
08 Jan | David Bowie | Musician | 69 |
14 Jan | Alan Rickman | Actor | 69 |
15 Jan | DanHaggerty | Grizzly Adams Actor | 74 |
18 Jan | Glen Frey | Musician | 67 |
28 Jan | Paul Kantner | Musician | 74 |
19 Feb | Harper Lee | Author | 89 |
28 Feb | George Kennedy | Actor | 91 |
08 Mar | George Martin | Producer | 90 |
09 Mar | Robert Horton | Wagon Train Actor | 91 |
10 Mar | Keith Emerson | Musician | 71 |
17 Mar | Larry Drake | LA Law Actor | 66 |
18 Mar | Joe Santos | Rockford Files Actor | 84 |
22 Mar | Richard Bradford | Man in a Suitcase Actor | 81 |
24 Mar | Garry Shandling | Comedian | 66 |
06 Apr | Merle Haggard | Musician | 79 |
21 Apr | Prince | Musician | 57 |
24 Apr | Billy Paul | Musician | 81 |
19 May | Alan Young | Mr Ed Actor | 96 |
03 Jun | Muhammad Ali | Boxer | 74 |
14 Jun | Ronnie-Claire Edwards | Waltons Actor | 83 |
28 Jun | Scotty Moore | Musician | 84 |
19 Jul | Garry Marshall | Actor/Producer | 81 |
13 Aug | Kenny Baker | Star Wars Actor | 81 |
20 Aug | Gene Wilder | Actor | 83 |
06 Sep | Hugh O’Brian | Wyatt Earp Actor | 91 |
25 Sep | Arnold Palmer | Golfer | 87 |
28 Sep | Shimon Peres | Politician | 93 |
14 Oct | Jean Alexander | Coronation St Actor | 90 |
24 Oct | Bobby Vee | Singer | 73 |
24 Oct | Pete Burns | Musician | 57 |
03 Nov | Kaye Starr | Singer | 94 |
07 Nov | Leonard Cohen | Musician | 82 |
11 Nov | Robert Vaughan | Actor | 83 |
13 Nov | Leon Russell | Musician | 74 |
25 Nov | Fidel Castro | Politician | 90 |
06 Dec | Peter Vaughan | Porridge Actor | 93 |
07 Dec | Greg Lake | Musician | 69 |
08 Dec | John Glenn | Astronaut | 95 |
18 Dec | Zsa-Zsa Gabor | Actor | 99 |
24 Dec | Rick Parfitt | Musician | 67 |
24 Dec | Liz Smith | Royle Family Actor | 95 |
25 Dec | George Michael | Musician | 53 |
27 Dec | Carrie Fisher | Actor | 60 |
28 Dec | Debbie Reynolds | Actor | 84 |
Football Deaths in 2016
Date | Name | Club | Age |
22 Jan | Tommy Bryceland | St Mirren | 76 |
22 Jan | John Dowie | Celtic | 60 |
04 Feb | Harry Glasgow | Clyde | 76 |
24 Feb | Jim McFadzean | Kilmarnock & Hearts | 77 |
11 Mar | Billy Ritchie | Rangers Goalkeeper | 79 |
20 Mar | Alan Cousin | Dundee, Hibs & Falkirk | 78 |
24 Mar | Johan Cruyff | Ajax, Barcelona | 68 |
31 Mar | Jimmy Toner | Dundee | 92 |
06 May | Chris Mitchell | Queen of the South | 27 |
11 May | Bobby Carroll | Celtic | 77 |
14 May | John Coyle | Dundee United | 83 |
20 Jun | Willie Logie | Rangers, Aberdeen | 83 |
03 Jul | Jimmy Frizzell | Morton | 79 |
06 Jul | Davie Nicol | Falkirk | 80 |
08 Jul | Jackie McInally | Kilmarnock | 79 |
21 Jul | Dick Donnelly | East Fife Goalkeper/Journalist | 74 |
05 Aug | Joe Davis | Hibs Captain | 75 |
21 Aug | Rab Stewart | Dunfermline | 54 |
05 Sep | Max Murray | Rangers | 80 |
13 Sep | Matt Gray | Third Lanark | 80 |
01 Oct | David Herd | Man United & Scotland | 82 |
10 Oct | Eddie O’Hara | Falkirk & Everton | 80 |
16 Oct | George Peebles | Dunfermline | 80 |
18 Oct | Gary Sprake | Leeds United | 71 |
08 Nov | Ian Cowan | Partick Thistle, Falkirk & DAFC | 71 |
16 Nov | Daniel Prodan | Rangers | 44 |
25 Nov | Jim Gillespie | Dunfermline | 69 |
26 Nov | Davie Provan | Rangers | 75 |
10 Dec | Tommy McCulloch | Clyde Goalkeeper | 82 |
11 Dec | Charlie McNeil | Stirling Albion | 53 |