THE words which Bill Shankly greeted his good friend Jock Stein with after Celtic’s historic victory over Inter Milan in the European Cup final in the Estadio Nacional in Lisbon in 1967 have since entered Scottish football folklore.
“John, you’re immortal now,” said the charismatic Ayrshireman, who had already attained legendary status himself in the preceding years as a consequence of his remarkable feats with Liverpool.
Shankly was not wrong. Stein is rightly regarded as one of the greatest managers in the history of the game today because of that accomplishment and others. The bronze statue which stands outside the front door of Parkhead is a constant and fitting reminder of all that he achieved.
There are those, though, who are remembered forever without scaling the same giddy heights which the Scot did. In some instances, they attain near mythical status despite being bang average if not downright rotten. On occasion, they become immortals without so much as kicking a ball never mind lifting a trophy.
Rangers winger Vaclav Cerny appears set to join that exclusive club. Why? He sprayed the Celtic fans behind the away dugout with water as he ran down the touchline to celebrate Hamza Igamane’s late goal in the East End of Glasgow last Sunday.
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There are many knowledgeable observers who believe the outcry over “Skooshgate” is over the top. Fair enough. Football is, as the old saying goes, all about opinions. Personally, I thought the Czech Republic internationalist was way, way out of line.
Yes, it was unsettling to see missiles raining down on the visitors’ players from the stands after the Igamane strike. But do highly-paid professionals not, particularly in such a combustible environment, have to be held to a higher standard than those in the baying mob and set an example to the general public? What Cerny did was irresponsible.
Talk of police action is, for me, way over the top. A quiet word, a ticking off, a warning about future conduct, should suffice. However, the player can have no complaints if an SFA ban is forthcoming. It will be difficult for his paymasters to justify an appeal.
Whatever the rights and wrongs of the whole sorry affair are, though, one thing is for certain. With one flick of his wrist, one rush of blood to the head, one momentary lapse of reason, one impetuous act, the Wolfsburg loanee ensured he will be a Rangers cult hero for the rest of his days.
The shirt which Cerny had on at the weekend has sparked a bidding war since being put up for auction on matchwornshirt.com. At the time of going to press, an offer of £24,000 had been made for his top. The one worn by his captain James Tavernier is only set to bring in £633. What could the reason for the disparity possibly be?
Graham Roberts was a fine servant for Rangers who won the Premiership and Scottish Cup during his two seasons in Govan. But mention the England internationalist to any Bear and they will all instantly recall how he had conducted their lusty rendition of, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, The Sash during an infamous Old Firm game at Ibrox in 1987. To them, he will forever be known as The Conductor.
Mikael Lustig lifted no fewer than 16 major honours during his seven-and-a-half years at Celtic and was much admired and extremely popular. But the enduring image of the Swedish right-back is of him celebrating a James Forrest goal in a derby match at Parkhead in 2018 wearing the hat he had pinched off the head of a nearby police officer. He was instantly dubbed PC Lustig and it has stuck.
Graeme Souness didn’t enjoy a particularly successful spell in charge of Galatasary. He only spent a single season there before departing. But their millions of fans still go down on bended knee when his name is uttered. Planting their flag in the centre circle of the Fenerbahce pitch after a Turkish Cup win over their ancient Istanbul adversaries in 1996 very much met with their approval.
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His jaw-dropping move drew comparisons with Ulubatli Hasan, the Turkish martyr who was killed as he planted the Ottoman flag at the end of the Siege of Constantinople in 1453. He has since been christened Ulubatli Souness.
There has perhaps never been a greater wind-up merchant in football history than Jim Baxter. At times, it felt to fans and team mates that “Slim Jim” was more interested in “taking the p***” out of opponents than winning games. That was certainly the case when he played keepie-uppie with the ball at the end of the 3-2 victory over England at Wembley in 1967. It was the defining moment in his life and career.
In all seriousness, there is definitely a place for a little bit of devilment, for shushing the supporters who have been abusing you after you have scored for instance, in a modern game which has been sanitised to an alarming degree despite the hysterical reaction to last weekend’s events.
