What might have been, had Wolves got Stein
FAMOUSLY, Alex Ferguson once turned down the chance to be manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers. All Wolves fans know that!
However, they may not know that a Scot, who achieved legendary status well before Britain’s most successful ever boss, might also have come to Molineux.
Early in 1965, Wolves were wooing the services of Jock Stein, then in charge of Hibernian, having cut his managerial teeth in a four-year spell
Dunfermline.
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Despite an immediate impact at Hibs, where he took over in April 1964, Stein seemed destined to one day take charge of Celtic, the club he had led to a league and cup double as a player in 1954 – but then something happened that rocked football – Wolves sacked Stan Cullis in September 1964.
Approach
There was no immediate replacement of the man who had led Wolves to three league titles and two FA Cup wins but the Molineux club made an approach to Stein before appointing another Scot, Andy Beattie, as caretaker manager.
At the same time, Celtic had decided the time had come to end the 20-year managerial reign of Jimmy Mcgrory, and suddenly Wolves’ chances of getting Stein receded.
Yet Wolves could so easily have got their man as Celtic chairman Robert Kelly almost botched the negotiations with Stein. First the Glasgow giants suggested coach Sean Fallon would be boss with Stein his assistant. That idea got an immediate “No” from Stein.
Stein told Kelly he was seriously considering Wolves’ interest and Kelly then came back with the idea of Stein and Fallon as joint managers. Again there was a quick rejection. Chances of him opening talks with Wolves were no longer remote.
It has to be remembered that there would have been a reluctance among some Celtic directors to give Stein the job as he would be the club’s first Protestant boss. There was no doubt Stein would have started negotiations with Wolves had Kelly and the Celtic board not finally agreed that antiprotestant history should not prevent them from landing their country’s outstanding young manager.
So Stein got the job at Celtic Park. He had to a large extent used the Wolves interest to force the issue but if Celtic had not agreed to his demands he would have turned his attentions to Molineux and what in those days would have been one of British football’s bestpaid jobs.
It was in March 1965 that Stein was appointed Celtic manager at a time when relegation was becoming a reality for Wolves.
They eventually turned to coach Ronnie Allen to revive their fortunes, which he did by getting them promoted back to the top flight in 1967.
Threat
Nearly 17 years after the approach to Stein, Wolves were again looking for a manager, having parted company with John Barnwell. So they again looked north of the border where a certain Alex Ferguson had made Aberdeen a threat to the Celtic-rangers monopoly of Scottish football’s honours.
Ferguson, 40 at the time, travelled to the Midlands for talks with Wolves chairman Harry Marshall.
It was reported that if he had accepted the Molineux job it would have made Ferguson the highest-paid Scot in football management.
Alas for Wolves, Ferguson rejected their offer. He told the press: “I turned them down. I’m staying at Pittodrie. Wolves are one of the best clubs in England and their tradition is unbelievable But I had to decide if I was doing the right thing – and I don’t believe I have fulfilled my capacity as manager of Aberdeen.”
Wolves had been given permission by the Dons’ board to approach Ferguson, who revealed that the previous summer he had turned down the chance to manage Sheffield United.
So Wolves lost out and instead appointed Bolton’s former Manchester United full-back Ian Greaves as boss in February
1982. As in 1965, Wolves were destined for relegation – and much more.
What if?
What might the course of football history been had they been able to land the man who became English football’s most successful manager? Would he have kept Wolves up and would he have stayed as Wolves ran
into financial troubles?
Similarly, one might ask what might Stein have done as the main man at Molineux. In his first full season as Celtic boss he made them champions of Scotland, the first of nine titles in a row, and the following season, 1966-7, they did a little better – Scottish champions, Scottish Cup winners, and Scottish League Cup winners.
Oh yes, and also champions of Europe.