As I lived at Cumbernauld, only 30 minutes from Parkhead. I waited until 3.50pm before I left, hoping Olive might arrive and I could let her know what was going on. But there was no sign of her by the time I had to go, so I left for the meeting as the only person in my family knowing that anything was happening that afternoon, let alone that what might occur could well be the biggest move in my football career.
On the road, my mind was in turmoil thinking about all the practicalities. What terms should I ask for? What length of contract would be best? Was I really up to the move? These and many other thoughts kept me fully occupied during the drive into the east end of Glasgow. Then another thought struck me: what would the rest of the family think? They were all Rangers’ supporters, like my uncle Jim Brown – my mother’s brother – who was president of the Kirkintilloch Rangers Supporters’ Club. Then I thought to myself that Uncle Jim had taken an interest throughout my career so far and his advice had always been the same: “Do what you feel is best for you and your immediate family”. So I took comfort from that as I pulled into the car park next to the stadium they called “Paradise”.
There was no one at the door when I approached the main entrance but I noticed a little, square window, so I knocked on it. A young girl opened the window and asked who I was looking for. I said “Mr Stein” and the gentleman behind her, with his back to us, turned and said: “Wispy – come in. The Boss will be with you in a few minutes”.
This man was Sean Fallon, assistant manager to Jock Stein. Sean took me through the front door and into the main entrance hall, where I sat down on a bench, beneath a picture of John Thomson, to wait for Mr Stein. John Thomson, as everyone who follows Celtic knows, was a famous Celtic goalkeeper, sometimes known as “the prince of goalkeepers”, who died tragically in an on-field accident during a match against Rangers at Parkhead in 1931.
As I sat there, I reflected on what I knew of the man who, in a few minutes, might be my new boss. He had been a player with Celtic before his career came to a halt through injury, then moved into a coaching role with the Parkhead reserves. He had become manager of Dunfermline Athletic at the start of the 1960s and led them to a Scottish Cup win in 1961, plus the bonus of European competition. He then switched to Hibs in 1964, his new team soon winning the newly-introduced Summer Cup. It had been a good start to a managerial career.
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