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'I could be hundred per cent more supportive if I had better deal'
Scotland on Sunday 25/04/1999
By Jock Brown
ON the morning of Tuesday, 24 June, I discussed with Davie Hay the coaching situation and the handling of pre-season training. We agreed to make contact with Murdo MacLeod and offer him the post of reserve-team coach with immediate responsibility for the training due to start the following day.
We met Murdo, and Davie and I sold the job to him. Murdo agreed to accept, but expressed unhappiness with the salary on offer. I should have read the signs. Nevertheless, he duly signed his contract and commenced work the following morning, taking charge of pre-season training.
Around this time, what I thought was required at Celtic was an overall development system dealing with players outwith the first team under the control of one manager. I discussed this at some length with the head youth coach, Willie McStay.
Willie's coaching credentials were excellent. He took a big chance after his playing career in taking over as manager of Sligo Rovers in Ireland, and, on the back of his success there, was brought to Celtic Park by Tommy Burns. He is very highly respected in coaching circles, particularly for his work on the training ground. He was certainly the man I had in mind to be our development manager.
However, all this meant nothing unless the overall proposal had the blessing of the head coach. I discussed the matter with Wim and Murdo since it was virtually impossible to discuss anything with Wim without Murdo's presence. They both sanctioned the overall plan and, indeed, expressed enthusiasm.
When I indicated that I had Willie McStay in mind for the post, though, Murdo gave that idea the thumbs-down. Murdo made some reference to Willie being "an empire-builder". I reflected carefully on the matter and remembered a conversation I had had with my brother, Craig, the previous season. By way of conversation, I had asked him who he considered to be the best of the up-and-coming coaches. He mentioned several names, but indicated that the one he thought might go as far as any was Eric Black at the SFA.
I put that name to Murdo and Wim. "Yes, he is a good man," said Murdo. "You'd like him, Wim."
I later arranged for Murdo and Wim to meet Eric one evening for interview purposes, and the following morning they confirmed that they would be happy to have Eric as development manager. This was done and Eric came on board at the end of August, 1998. Fortunately, he was delighted to have the opportunity to work with Willie McStay, who would remain in his capacity as head youth coach.
Willie had read the script. He realised that an outside factor had prevented his appointment as development manager, and, while I remained silent on the issue, I was aware that he had identified Murdo as his likely saboteur. He confirmed this to me much later.
Sadly for Eric, Willie and the others in the development department, the honeymoon with the head coach and assistant head coach never actually took place. Virtually from day one Eric and Willie were ostracised by Murdo and, hence, by Wim.
The lives of Eric and Willie became a misery. The reasons are, for me, still not totally clear. The only possible explanation I can think of for Murdo reacting to the arrival of Eric in such a fashion became apparent a little later. It appears that Murdo formed the view – wrongly – that Eric was receiving a better salary than him. A fateful meeting between Murdo and me in October made all of this much clearer.
By mid-October, Murdo had clearly established himself as Wim's right-hand man. So he sought a meeting with me and told me that he thought he should receive a better salary. He told me that he had one of the top four jobs in Scottish football and was not being paid accordingly. It was then that Murdo made the statement which has haunted me ever since.
In support of his request for more money, he said: "I could be 100% more supportive of you if I had a better deal." I stopped in my tracks. I could not believe that I had heard correctly. Our relationship never recovered from that exchange.
Much later, after Wim had announced he was leaving Celtic Park, Murdo arrived to see me. "What's happening?" he asked. "What are the club's plans with regard to a new head coach? I would like to put my hat in the ring for the job."
To be honest, I found myself in some difficulty here in that I have no doubt whatsoever that his chances were nil. I concluded by indicating to him that I did not think he had a realistic chance, although I would convey the terms of our discussion to the directors.
Murdo duly arrived back from his summer holiday and arrived unannounced in my office. I told him the decision reached was that he would not be appointed head coach and, indeed, that his continuation as assistant head coach was not appropriate. Neither I nor the board of directors could readily forget his "I could be one hundred per cent more supportive of you if I had a better deal" remark.
Murdo was not a happy man. He insisted that the players would be furious to find that he was leaving the club. I knew that to be entirely wrong. Indeed, one player said to me after his departure that some of the players had been concerned that he might remain in place at the elbow of the new head coach. To most of the players at least, Murdo's departure would present no difficulty.
I guessed that Murdo would sell his story to the Sunday Mail. Duly doing so, Murdo stooped to depths which surprised even someone who had become totally disenchanted with his modus operandi.