![\"John](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/3840\/cpsprodpb\/2775\/live\/ca9c4170-5027-11f0-a466-d54f65b60deb.jpg\")
<\/p>\nJohn Clark, one of the Lisbon Lions, who together broke the mould of Latin style football in Europe back in 1967, passed away yesterday.<\/p>\n
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May he rest in peace.<\/p>\n
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His passing means now only four of the squad from that triumphant run are still with us. John Fallon, Willie Wallace, Jim Craig and Bobby Lennox.<\/p>\n
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Born in 1941, in Chapelhall, near Airdrie, Clark joined Celtic in 1958, serving as a player, assistant manager and latterly as kit manager.<\/p>\n
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Over eight different decades, he worked for the club for fifty years, a record that surely will never be surpassed.<\/p>\n
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As a manager in his own right he was at Stranraer, Cowdenbeath and then Clyde, where he spent six seasons, keeping the club in the first division for five of them.<\/p>\n
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There was also a period with alongside Billy McNeill as assistant at Aberdeen, before he moved to Celtic with his former defensive partner to replace Jock Stein, who had become far too popular with the fans and so was shunted out of the way as he was interfering with the clubs growth plan, which was not to have a period of growth.<\/p>\n
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He took on the role of kit manager in 1997, and although that was his title, he was more of a father figure to players, an ever present who was there for anyone who wanted a bit of advice.<\/p>\n
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Only Willie Maley was at Celtic for longer.<\/p>\n
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In 2017, he was inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n
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He only played four times for Scotland, which seems ridiculous these days, especially given that one of those games was against Brazil, in 1966, where he managed to keep the legendary Pele quiet. Brazil were world champions at the time.<\/p>\n
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Scotland hadn.t even qualified for the World Cup that year, but won it unofficially by beating England at Wembley, where they had played all their games to secure their only international triumph.<\/p>\n
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We often criticise the English for their constant reminders of their triumph in the sixties, yet hold our own sixties legends in high esteem.<\/p>\n
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There is a reason for that, of course.<\/p>\n
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Celtic were a club that fashioned it’s own style, it’s own mentality and played it’s own game to succeed. That’s unique in football.<\/p>\n
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We all know the stories, sometimes embellished a wee bit, and rightly so, about the success the squad had, and the unshakeable bond between them, a bond that stretched as far as to supporters who had never even seen them play, or indeed been around when they were.<\/p>\n
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What they had as a unit can never be repeated, the modern footballer is all about ego, about money and about fame.<\/p>\n
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Which is the very antihesis of everything John Clark was.<\/p>\n
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He was the quiet man in a team packed with characters. The dependable chap who covered for the mavericks when they made mistakes.<\/p>\n
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In defence, McNeill would be first to clear the danger, Clark would be there in case he couldn’t.<\/p>\n
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An oversimplification, but without him around, McNeill wouldn’t have been able to launch himself to head the ball, at both ends, Jim Craig and Tommy Gemmell wouldn’t have been able to tear down the flanks, and the midfield combination of Auld and Murdoch wouldn;t have had the audacity to try some of the things they did.<\/p>\n
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They all knew “Luggy ” had their back.<\/p>\n
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That’s what made these guys unique, they had each others back. On the field and off it..<\/p>\n
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The man who had their backs on the field was John Clark.<\/p>\n
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In the comments section today, let’s talk about him.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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