John Hughes lifts lid on run-ins with Celtic great Jock Stein......

[ian1964 10,720]

........and tells how boss kept his wife's miscarriage from him.

 

HUGHES admitted his relationship with Big Jock was strained as he unveiled his autobiography at their spiritual home of Celtic Park.

 

JOCK STEIN is a legend to Celtic and Scotland fans.

 

The former boss is held in reverence at Celtic Park and his statue towers over the stadium’s

main approach.

 

But one of Stein’s own players, John Hughes, has launched a bitter attack on the dugout giant.

 

Hughes claims:

 

* Stein kept news of Yogi’s wife’s miscarriage a secret from him.

 

* Forced him out of Celtic at the peak of his career.

 

* Responded to the striker’s pay rise request by threatening to cut his wages.

 

Hughes yesterday opened up about the legendary gaffer as he unveiled his autobiography at their spiritual home of Celtic Park. There are plenty of golden memories from his time at the club he still holds close to his heart after netting 116 goals in 255 appearances for the Hoops.

 

But he admits his relationship with Big Jock was strained.

 

Hughes said: “He was a fox. We were on a post-season tour to America in 1966 and my first wife Mary was pregnant at the time. I used to phone home every five or six days.

 

“Then I bumped into the sports reporter Ken Gallacher one morning and he said, ‘Sorry to hear your news’. I didn’t know what he was talking about and he was the one who told me Mary had had a miscarriage four days earlier.

 

“Jock knew but he hadn’t told me so make your own mind up about that.”

 

In the book he talks in depth about the secret, saying: “I met up with Jock to confront him about it and he didn’t even blink. He replied, ‘Ach, what could you do about it anyway? You’re here and she’s there’.

 

“I was stunned, speechless. I waited for my head to clear before I said, ‘You knew and you didn’t think it was right to me let me know? My wife losing a baby? Didn’t you think that was

important?’

 

“He said, ‘Oh sort it out when you get home’. It was such a flippant throwaway remark.

 

“I glared at him before saying, ‘Listen boss that’s ridiculous. You’re bang out of order’. I could see it wasn’t any of his concern.”

 

Hughes claims it wasn’t the only time he was kept in the dark by the manager.

 

He is aggrieved about his exit from Celtic in 1971 and claims Stein railroaded him into signing for Crystal Palace.

 

He added: “I’m a Celtic guy and didn’t want to leave Celtic.

 

“Ken Gallacher had asked why I signed for Crystal Palace when Everton and Sheffield Wednesday were in for me as well. But I didn’t know, Jock didn’t tell me.

 

“I was negotiating with the Crystal Palace chairman and Jock came in and took me outside. He said, ‘You get in there and f*****g sign or I’ll sit you in the stand for nine months’. So that was that.

 

“It would never happen nowadays as you’ve got agents and some sort of say. With Jock you didn’t have a say.

 

“Don’t get me wrong, I had some great times under him. When he came I played most of the time. It was only latterly things went wrong.”

 

Hughes reckons missing a chance in the 1970 European Cup Final loss to Feyenoord prompted his departure. But he feels Celtic would have won that trophy for the second time in three years if Big Jock hadn’t been complacent about facing the Dutch side.

 

He said: “I missed a chance in the game and feel that is one of the reasons why Stein got rid of me. Why else would he have done it? I was 28 and the sixth highest scorer in the club’s history.

 

“Three months later I got a bad knee injury and never played again.

 

“Jock thought we’d won the trophy after we’d beaten Leeds in the semi-final. We didn’t think that but he did and the atmosphere permeates down from the top.

 

“He thought it’ll be a doddle – we only need to turn up.”

 

Injury had ruled Hughes out of Celtic’s European Cup-winning team of 1967 but he bounced back to form the next season.

 

His stock was high and he was convinced he deserved a pay rise – but Big Jock’s response left him stunned.

 

Yogi said: “I’d had a good season so I went to ask Jock for a wage rise. He said, ‘I know how you feel – you’ve had a terrific season. But I think, just to keep your feet on the ground, we should cut your wages’.

 

“I’d just scored for Scotland against England at Hampden and there I was wondering how I could get back to what I’d been earning when I walked into his office.”

 

Stein died in September 1985 after suffering a heart attack at Cardiff’s Ninian Park seconds after Scotland had drawn 1-1 with Wales to book a World Cup qualifying play-off.

 

Hughes though didn’t go to pay his last respects.

 

He said: “I didn’t go to his funeral. I would have been a hypocrite if I had gone.

 

“He got rid of me when I was in my prime and three months later I was finished at 28. People say to me, ‘Are you bitter?’ Yes.

 

“In the book we’ve tried not to comment. We’ve told people what happened and left them to make their own minds up.

 

“I think I’m the seventh highest goalscorer but had I stayed until I was 32 and kept scoring at the same rate I’d have been third.”

 

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/john-hughes-lifts-lid-run-ins-3515962

[Super Cooper 0]

Big Jock was banging half his teams wives. No one likes bringing up the truth about the kind of person he was.

[Scott7 6,002]

Hughes was never the brightest of fellows.

 

Looked good for a while until Kai got his act together.