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The Background, Arrival and Transition
In early July 1976, Jock Stein was seriously injured in a car crash whilst returning from holiday. For the whole of season 1975-76 the team was managed by Assistant Manager Sean Fallon whilst Jock Stein recovered from his injuries. Fallon ran the day-to-day business of the team and managed them on the park and was fully responsible for all team matters. He was ably assisted by all the trainers and coaches at Celtic Park at that time which included Lisbon Lions John Clark and Stevie Chalmers as well as Neil Mochan.
Season 75/76 was trophyless and had seen a major reorganisation of the scouting and youth development side of the club. Sean Fallon had done an admirable job in the absence of Jock Stein to stay at the top of the League and in contention with Rangers for the Championship throughout the season. It had been registered by all concerned that it would be a transitional season. Whilst the Board must have been thankful that there was a man of the calibre of Sean Fallon to step into Stein's shoes, they perhaps recognised that Fallon did not have the nature to step into the immediate hands-on coaching and training activities that Jock Stein required, and would no longer be able to perform himself following his convalescence. The Board must have felt that a younger more active Assistant was required for the manager when he returned to the club in May 1976. It may very well have been at the prompting of Jock Stein himself that there was a realistion that a change was needed – we don't know and the information has not surfaced.
What we do know is the fairly typical way the change was handled with the usual lack of tact that the 'patrician' aspects of the Board seemed to regularly hand down. Sean Fallon heard about his replacement when he was on holiday with the players in Jersey at the end of the season on the 22nd May. This must have come as a severe shock to the soft-spoken Donegal man who gave everything he had for the club. The initial reports failed to give the name of his replacement but everybody seemed to know that Dave McParland had been lined up to take over as Assistant Manager to Jock Stein with Sean Fallon moving sideways to what was described initially as Chief Scout and later amplified into Head of Youth Development. Rather than a sideways movement many would have seen this as a demotion, particularly galling given the hard work that Sean Fallon had put in throughout 1975-76.
Pre-Celtic
Davie McParland had begun playing football with Larkhall Thistle before joining Partick Thistle in 1953. A very good winger and player in his time with the Maryhill Magyars he was a first pick in the team when not injured for a major part of the 60's and went on to make 416 appearances and score 71 goals. As the years advanced he moved gradually towards a coaching and playing aspect and eventually into the Assistant Manager's position. When ex-Rangers manager Scott Symon was moved upstairs by the Thistle board following demotion in 1970, McParland moved into the manager's spot. He was responsible for building a fresh team at Maryhill and he won them promotion back into the First Division. He held that position for 4 years during which time he was the architect of the famous (infamous!) PT4 – C 1 game in the League Cup Final of 1971. In 1974 he chose to move on after a disagreement with the Board.
He took over the role of Head Coach at amateurs Queen's Park at Hampden Park in July 1974. He changed the way the team was selected taking that role away from the committee and making it firmly the responsibility of the Head Coach. After a slow start he did well at Hampden and began to be recognised as a serious coach and trainer who could make a team punch well above their weight.
It was with these facts in mind that the Celtic Board offered him the Assistant Managership at Celtic to do much of the day-to-day activities which were now physically beyond Jock Stein
With Celtic
Following the return of Fallon from holiday and ratification by the Celtic Board, Davie McParland was appointed Assistant Manager in June 1976.
Needs further stuff here about his two seasons at the club and achievements and overall impression.
McParland took charge of the hands-on aspects of coaching the first team and overseeing coaching throughout whilst at Celtic. Jock Stein was still the master in charge of tactics and overall team development and responsible to the Board. Clearly coming into Celtic fresh from having been a player and manager outside the club and with the return of Jock Stein to the Managership must have been a difficult task but there was even the suggestion that McParland was standing in the wings should there become a need for someone to take over from Jock Stein (Evening Times August 10, 1976, page 26).
In McParland's first season as Assistant Manager Celtic won a double securing the League Championship which had eluded them for two years, as well as the Scottish Cup. However the following season, 1977-78, the club was again trophy-less and finished a distant fifth in the League. He was released by the club at the end of that season.
Post Celtic
This section could be expanded a little and needs a bit more checking
McParland went on to manage Hamilton Academical from July 1978 through four season with the club leaving in October 1982.
He had spells at Airdrie, Dunfermiline and Motherwell as head of youth development before taking on the role of Director of Football at Dumbarton in October 2001.
He retired in May 2002.
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