EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY: Lisbon Lion John Clark


FROM groundstaff boy to European Cup-winning hero - that was the Parkhead career path of John Clark.

The defensive hero was the man charged with locking the back door while the great Celtic team of the late 1960s put the opposition to the sword with their breathtaking attacking play.

He did that job so effectively that the club enjoyed the most successful spell in their history, with the victory over Inter Milan in Lisbon the all-time highlight.

He left to spend brief spells at Morton and Aberdeen among others, but is now back at the club where it all began for him.


The early days


MY family moved around a lot when I was growing up, staying in Airdrie, Chapel-hall, and even Ireland, where my mother came from.

I had lost my father while I was very young. He was a railway engineer and was killed in an accident while on duty.

I started playing football while at Chapelhall School, under a teacher called Bill Loughran. He was a real character and instilled discipline in his players from an early age. It was a good start in the game.

People won´t believe it now, but I actually started off as a centre forward.
I played in different age groups and would change position from front to back depending on which team I was playing for.

Basically, I just played football because I loved the game.

After that I went to play for a local boys´ guild team under a couple of great coaches called Frank McGuire and Ben Lafferty. I remember I also played with Dan Grant - the father of former Celtic player Peter - in that side.

I left school when I was 15 as I had to start earning to help support my family. I worked in the local mine, but refused to go below ground and worked at the pithead. Still, it fairly toughened me up. I had to do it as I was the main breadwinner in the family.

I played for junior side Larkhall Thistle and went for trials at Birmingham City with another player called Jim Grant.

We did well down there and signed forms to join them. However, when I got back home they contacted me to tell me there was a problem and the deal fell through.

I signed for Celtic shortly afterwards, aged 17, in 1958. I was a full-time player and the first groundstaff boy the club ever had.

This picture was taken at my house in Chapelhall after I joined and proves that, at one point in my life, I actually had wavy hair.


In Paradise


WHEN I first went to Celtic they had some great players. Charlie Tully, Bertie Peacock, Neil Mochan, Bobby Evans and Willie Fernie were all still involved on the playing side and Jock Stein had just started as a coach.
They were all big heroes of mine.

I made my debut for the first team in 1959 in a game against Arbroath. We won 5-0. Celtic tried out a few youngsters in that game. I played in one or two games after that, but not many. I flitted in and out of the side.

This first picture shows me in action against Kilmarnock early in my career. (Sorry no pics)
The opposition players are Jackie McInally, father of ex-Celt Alan, and Hugh Brown, who is behind me.

Bertie Peacock played in my position at the back and he picked up an injury in a Scottish Cup tie against Hibs in 1960. I played in the replay and, believe it or not, actually scored the winning goal. I think it was the only time I ever did anything important in terms of scoring.

This second picture shows me with the young lads - what was called a Celtic B team - back in 1960.

The players are, back row, from left to right: Curran, Upton, Fallon, McNamee, Kurilla and myself. The front row shows, from left to right: Carmichael, Gallagher, Byrne, O´Hara and Conway.


Near miss


WE went on a great run in the European Cup Winners´ Cup in the 1963-64 season and reached the semi-finals. We beat MTK 3-0 at Parkhead in the first leg, but lost 4-0 in the return. That was an absolute disaster, but we had got to within a whisker of a major European final.

After that one or two key players were added to an already-strong squad and things started to click. Jock Stein, of course, came in as manager and changed things around and we started to be successful. This picture shows us at training in Seamill on Jock´s first day in charge.

We are, from left to right: John Hughes, Jock, Bobby Lennox, Stevie Chalmers, Tommy Gemmell, Bertie Auld, Ian Young, Bobby Murdoch, Billy McNeill, John Fallon, and myself. In the background are Bob Rooney, Neil Mochan, and Sean Fallon.


Winning ways


JOCK would tell us what he wanted, saying: "You should be doing this" or "you should be playing there" or "have a go at this".

Training and tactics were fine before Jock came in, but he took things to a new level and we all felt the benefit. He tried things out that were simply beyond other teams´ capabilities.

Jock loved us to go out and express ourselves, but that was always within a formation that was solid. As a player, people used to say to me that I didn´t need to run about during games because I read the game so well.

The 3-2 Scottish Cup victory over Dunfermline - Jock´s old team - in 1965 was the start of the stunning success we enjoyed. It is a long time ago now, but I can remember Billy McNeill heading that brilliant winning goal from a Charlie Gallagher corner.

It was the first trophy we had won in a long time, since 1957, in fact. But when you are a player, you never think about those things.

After that win, Jock took the team bus through the Gorbals and the streets were lined with our fans celebrating.

This picture shows us at the Central Hotel afterwards, showing the trophy off to the crowds. If you look closely, you can see Billy McNeill, myself and Tommy Gemmell at the window.


Lisbon glory


EVERYBODY asks me whether or not we knew that we were going to win the European Cup in 1967. Well, I think we all thought we could do well in the competition. All the players had confidence in themselves and their own abilities.

This picture shows the team that played in the final in Lisbon with, back row from left to right: Jim Craig, Tommy Gemmell, Billy McNeill, Ronnie Simpson, Bobby Murdoch and myself.

And, front row from left to right: Jimmy Johnstone, Willie Wallace, Stevie Chalmers, Bobby Lennox, and Bertie Auld.

The final in Lisbon against Inter Milan was a difficult match, but we knew it would take something exceptional from the Italians to beat us. We were all so up for it. It was one of those games where the longer we played the more confident we became.

Inter were the best team in the world then and they scored with a penalty early on. They played with a defensive system that had brought them great success, but when we equalised through Tommy Gemmell we knew the trophy would be ours.


Return to Paradise


PARKHEAD was being renovated at that time and there were only certain sections open. But there were still thousands of people waiting to greet us when we returned to Glasgow with the trophy. I think that´s when it sunk in what we had achieved.

This first picture shows Billy McNeill and Bobby Murdoch coming out of the tunnel with the trophy and Bobby Lennox, Jimmy Johnstone and myself all looking pretty pleased with ourselves in the background. It was a great occasion.

We all got on the back of a truck and went round the ground four or five times. This second picture shows the thousands of people who jammed into the ground that day. We got a tremendous reception and Celtic fans remind me about it to this day.


Cap call


MY first game for my country was quite an experience - it was against Brazil at Hampden in 1966. I had been brought into the squad for a game against Portugal two or three days before and sat on the bench, but I got the nod for that game.

Pele was playing that night and I suppose there was no bigger inter-national game at that time as Brazil were world champions.

To play against the best team in the world and the best player was something else. We drew 1-1 - Stevie Chalmers had scored our goal to put us in front - which was an achievement in itself.

I had a few tussles with Pele and the thing I remember about him was how solid he was. He was a skilful player, obviously, but he was strong physically also. It is an occasion I will treasure very highly all my life.

Some years later I remember walking into a lift in a hotel in Glasgow and Pele was in it as well. He turned to me and said: "Hampden, 1966."

I also recall that in that game Jim Baxter was out of this world. He was doing stuff that even the Brazilians were not capable of. He had a tremendous left foot.

Jim and Jimmy Johnstone played a different game from the rest of us. They both really needed a ball of their own.

The year after we won the European Cup my career started to be disrupted by cartilage trouble and I think that pretty much ended my international career.

I had suffered ligament damage before, then came this new problem. In those days cartilage trouble was an absolute nightmare. At one stage I spent nine months out - almost an entire season.


I only won four caps in total. But, as with everything I did in football, I was delighted with it because there are a lot of very good players out there who did not enjoy half as much success and win as much as I did.

This portrait shows me in a Scot-land strip before a game against Wales in one of my international appearances.

There is no white strip around the neck because it was too tight and we ripped it off. I think that has to be the only national strip ever with no white on it.


Into coaching


I LEFT Parkhead and joined Morton in 1970 and played there for a year. Then Willie Fernie left the coaching staff at Celtic to become manager at Kilmarnock and I came back and took his place. I stayed for about six years
and learned a great deal.

I helped out with the reserves and youths and used to go to watch a lot of games in England with Jock Stein. We travelled to the likes of Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester United and Sunderland. It was very demanding and I was seldom in the house.

After that I went to Aberdeen with Billy McNeill as his assistant manager and then came back to Celtic in 1980. This picture shows me with some of the players, left to right: Andy Ritchie, Kevan McCool, Tom O´Hara, Jim Davidson, Jackie McNamara senior, Frank Welsh, Roddy McDonald, and Bobby
Lennox, when I went back to Parkhead again.

I moved into management with clubs like Cowdenbeath and Clyde after that - I went for all the top jobs - and experienced the harsh realities of the football world.

I can understand why so many clubs like Airdrie, Clydebank and Morton are experiencing such great difficulties at the moment.

I understood the financial problems that clubs faced and the merit of selling players on for profit. But, I have to admit, it could be soul-destroying at times.


Happy days again


I THINK the Lisbon Lions are as close a group of players as there have ever been at any club in the world. We meet regularly and this picture shows us all at the opening of the Lisbon Lions stand at Celtic Park last year.

I work at Parkhead as the kit man today and it is great to see the club enjoying such success again. Martin O´Neill is what you call a hands-on manager. He knows everything that is happening at the club.

He has got the enthusiasm and determination to succeed that is infectious. All the players share that and want to achieve the same success as he does.
Hopefully, Celtic can go on and qualify for the Champions League.