Jock Stein with Alex Ferguson as Scotland manager and assistant

By Fraser Gibson

Scottish football stopped, reflected and looked deep within its soul this week as the 25th anniversary of Jock Stein's passing was commemorated.

If the exit of the majority of Scottish clubs from the Europa League before the clocks go back hadn't made supporters yearn for days of old, the national side's escape by the skin of their teeth against Liechtenstein certainly let minds wander back to the days when clubs and country were a force to be reckoned with.

Celtic fans, too, remembered an icon of our game with a minute's applause on Saturday - and the impact of his achievements are stitched into the fabric of our national game.

Stein famously won the European Cup in 1967 with a team of players born within a 30-mile radius of Glasgow and died at Ninian Park in Cardiff on 10 September 1985, just after his Scotland side had drawn against Wales to qualify for the play-offs for the 1986 World Cup finals.

"He is the greatest manager in the club's history and one of the greatest managers in football history," said current Celtic manager Neil Lennon.

Jock Stein and Gordon Strachan both managed Celtic

"He's an iconic fixture at the club and he is one that we all aspire to get even close to.

"If you look back at his record in the 1960s and 70s, it is nothing short of remarkable."

Lennon's Rangers counterpart, Walter Smith, was involved in the game during the same period as Stein.

The emotion in his voice is still one of reverence when he talks about the legendary manager.

"Well, I think anybody that's been involved in football, especially from my era onwards, held Mr Stein in the highest regard," said Smith.

"I was fortunate enough to come into contact with him when he asked me take the Under-21 team for three games. I was in awe of him.

"He was without a doubt the most successful Scottish manager - obviously Sir Alex Ferguson has gone to have the majority of his success in England - as Mr Stein taking a Scottish team and winning the European Cup was an achievement that will not be be matched by anybody else."

Today, we lament the lack of characters in the game as bland comments litter press conferences.

However, Smith is in no doubt that Stein had a strong personality that commanded instant respect.

He is without doubt the most successful Scottish manager Walter Smith

"He had an aura around him that very few people possess. He was a fantastic manager and a fantastic person," said the Ibrox manager.

"He had a fantastic effect on football in Scotland and I don't think anyone has done more to take the profile of Scottish football from where it is to as high a level as he managed to do.

"From my era of coaches and managers, there was nobody quite like him."

The modern equivalent to Stein is Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson, who was assistant to Jock with Scotland and has gone on to lead the English side to unparalleled success.

However, he believes the former Celtic manager has no equal

"He was probably the one person that turned Scottish football around," said Ferguson

"At Celtic, he transformed a club that was struggling into winning a European Cup within two-and-a-half years. It's a fairytale.

"As a man, he was never, ever self-indulgent about himself - and that's a sign of greatness … that humility that can transcend people to a different plain.

"It was a tragedy when he died, but the only thing you can say is that his life was football and he died in the quest of taking Scotland to the World Cup finals."

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