In the space of three May weeks in 1967, Celtic Football Club achieved sporting immortality by becoming the first from Britain to win the European Cup and launched the career of a player who would go on to establish himself as one of the greatest to emerge from these isles.
The success stories of the Lisbon Lions and Kenny Dalglish are 50 years old this month and they remain indelibly linked by the foresight of one remarkable man, the legendary Sean Fallon.
As the anniversary of Lisbon looms, the date when Dalglish joined Celtic as a 15-year-old boy passed recently and though it is now half a century since it happened, the tale of how a Rangers supporting Glasgow teenager was tempted to Parkhead never grows old.
Having seen him play initially by chance after going to watch another youngster at the behest of his mother, Fallon went the extra mile to ensure Dalglish did not stray from the green and white path to stardom that he planned to lay out for him.
“He was on his way to celebrate his anniversary with his wife Myra and a couple of their kids,” Dalglish recalls of the day that Fallon put Celtic’s future ahead of his own matrimonial harmony by taking a detour to the Ibrox flat where the latest object of his football affections was to be found.
“Although my dad had taken me to watch Rangers play, in the end there was no doubt in his mind – or my mind – that Celtic was the best place for me to go. And for me, that (signing for Celtic) was the biggest thing in my career. After that, I was up and running. It’s because of him (Fallon), or with his help, I am where I am.”
If Dalglish was Fallon’s only major success, it would still be significant enough to justify his place in Celtic folklore, one that was cemented by his role as assistant to Jock Stein during the most successful period in the club’s history, but there are many, many more.
That 10 of the Lisbon Lions were born within a dozen miles of Celtic Park is now an accepted part of football knowledge, but less well known is the fact that all but one of the team which won the European Cup against Inter Milan were in place – largely as a result of Fallon’s efforts – by the time Stein arrived as manager. If British football has produced a more incredible example of scouting excellence, it is hard to recall it.
If British football has produced a more incredible example of scouting excellence, it is hard to recall it.
What Celtic achieved on that night in Portugal is now being commemorated and celebrated as it should be but the role played by Fallon remains understated, partly because as manager Stein, rightly, took most of the plaudits, and partly because his sidekick had no wish to seek the limelight. But those who know Celtic best are in no doubt about Fallon’s influence.
“If you use the word ‘immortal’ for both of them you won’t be too far away,” Dalglish said in a documentary about Fallon’s life which will be screened on Thursday.
Sir Alex Ferguson, who came under Fallon’s wing as a young coach despite his own Rangers allegiance, watched his mentor work at close quarters and is equally adamant that Stein was blessed with an understudy of peerless quality.
“Jock had loyalty from Sean and he always knew his back was covered, that was very important,” the former Manchester United manager said. “I changed a lot of my assistants simply because they wanted to become managers but Sean never wanted to leave Celtic, he was happy with his lot, being assistant to Jock Stein at the club he loved.”
Described as “a man you’d want with you in the trenches” by Lou Macari, the former Celtic and United player, Fallon’s status as a hard man was established long before he joined Celtic’s backroom staff when a chronic knee injury ended his career at the age of 35.
Before then, one of Sligo’s most celebrated exports had suffered five breaks to his left arm, broken his nose, damaged ligaments in both legs, fractured an ankle, almost lost an eye, broken his collarbone and fractured his ribs. Famously, he never failed to complete a game.
Little wonder then that the documentary makers who have produced a wonderful chronicle of his life had only one title in mind for it: Iron Man.
“You wouldn’t have wanted to play against him,” said Paddy Crerand, who watched Fallon as a Celtic supporter before joining the club as a player. “I don’t think there is anyone in the game today who would be like Sean. There were a few tough guys in English and Scottish football but not as tough as Sean was. The fans loved him because of his bravery and honesty. He wasn’t the best footballer in the world but he gave everything.”
“There are some players who are tremendously talented but don’t necessarily have the work ethic and there are some players who are completely committed and determined and who have something inside that makes them a player,” explained Ferguson.
Perhaps it was partly because making it as a footballer had not come easily to Fallon, he only joined Celtic from Glenavon at the age of 28, that he developed a deeper understanding of the game than he would have done had he been more of a natural. Whatever the reason for the development of his ability to identify and nurture talent, it became a crucial element of Celtic’s journey to glory in Lisbon where they defeated Inter 2-1 on May 25 1967.
“When Stein arrived, the only player he had to sign who went on to become a Lisbon Lion was Willie Wallace. That was mainly thanks to Sean,” said Stephen Sullivan, the author of Fallon’s acclaimed biography.
“Then there was the Quality Street gang – Lou Macari, David Hay, Kenny Dalglish, Danny McGrain and the rest – they were all Sean’s signings. He was very much the talent spotter and they considered him a father figure. Danny McGrain gave him his first Scotland cap with the message: ‘Thanks for making it all happen.’
“Sean’s personality did not lend itself to him shouting about how good he was and this, allied to force of Jock’s personality, maybe explains why he was not recognised in the manner he should have been. But he was there from the moment Jock Stein arrived and was there beside him through all his years at the club. People don’t realise how influential he was, because the Stein story has almost come to be seen as a one-man miracle at Celtic. But you see in other places there were stories of Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, or the Boot Room at Anfield, where the assistant’s role is understood and appreciated. With Sean it wasn’t, yet he was very influential.”
Sullivan’s work means Fallon, who died three years ago at the age of 90, is now being acclaimed more widely than was previously the case. But his legacy lives on at Celtic who he helped turn into European champions, Liverpool who enjoyed their greatest years with Dalglish in his prime, United who thrived under Ferguson, or at Everton who enjoyed a halcyon period with Graeme Sharp, another Fallon discovery, as their attacking focal point.
As a scout, Fallon saw things that no one else could see, none more so than when his faith in Dalglish was questioned by those who had identified a lack of speed. “Never mind his pace, his brain is working faster than anyone’s feet,” Fallon responded and out of such defiance one of football’s great careers was launched. Weeks later, Celtic conquered Europe. Fallon’s work was far from done but it achieved a standard that few have been able to match.
Iron Man: The Sean Fallon story’ premieres on BT Sport 1 at 10pm on Thursday 25 May at 10pm and will be shown at the same time on Saturday 27 May on BT Sport 2.
