Lambie was good enough to play for Scotland
Thousands of words have been written in praise of John Lambie following his passing last Tuesday.
The vast majority have been on his career as a manager at Hamilton Accies, Partick Thistle and Falkirk, and his legendary man-management techniques.
The fact he was a fantastic footballer in his own right has almost been overlooked.
Given Lambie stopped playing 44 years ago, few of today’s fans saw him in his prime for Falkirk and St Johnstone.
With his eccentric image portrayed from the dugout in later years, many people will be surprised to learn that Lambie was a highly-regarded defender, ahead of his year,s between the late 1950s and the early 1970s.
The first time I saw Lambie play was for Falkirk in a League Cup tie against Dundee United at Tannadice in 1959, the season United were promoted back to Division One for the first time in 27 years.
Still at school, I had never seen anyone play as an extra central-defender.
Yet here was a teenage Lambie, not long turned professional from Whitburn Juniors, occupying a role soon to be made famous by Franz Beckenbauer.
The best of Lambie’s playing days were reserved for St Johnstone, however.
He was a key member of what is regarded as the finest team in the Saints’ history.
Lambie was deadly serious on the park – but mad as a hatter off it.
His nickname around Muirton Park at the time was “Peabag”.
That’s what he called the beanbags Saints would use during training in their gym under the old stand at the ground.
Benny Rooney was captain of that team, and a very hard man to please. Lambie used to annoy him but never during a game.
He recalled: “John was very under-rated. I really believe he was good enough to play for Scotland around the time we reached the 1969-70 League Cup Final and played in the UEFA Cup.
“He had character in abundance, something you don’t see so much of today.
“But John was unlucky that Scotland managers around that time were spoiled for choice at right-back.
“John Greig, Davie Hay, Sandy Jardine, Danny Mcgrain and John Brownlie were around. In fact, Danny had to switch to left-back to get a game.”
Rooney also recalls manager Willie Ormond switching Lambie to play sweeper against Vasas in Budapest, where they successfully defended a two-goal lead.
It was Ormond who encouraged Lambie, and many of his Perth team-mates, to attend coaching classes at Largs during the close season.
Rooney added: “That’s where John began his love for coaching – although not many of the methods he used in later life came from coaching manuals!”