Celtic of past and present gathered outside Celtic Park today to solemnly mark the 30th anniversary of the death of Jock Stein, with, fittingly, the great man himself peering down on proceedings from his statue, while holding aloft the European Cup.

Among those at the ceremony presided over by the broadcaster and Stein biographer, Archie Macpherson, was Stein’s son, George, who has spent much of his life in Switzerland, and is rarely seen in public. The Stein family have remained very private in the decades since the former Celtic manager’s dramatic passing on the night of September 10, 1985 in Cardiff.

A number of Lisbon Lions, including Bertie Auld and Jim Craig, spoke of their memories of working under the first manager in Britain to lift the European Cup. George Stein himself spoke for scarcely 10 seconds, thanking everyone for coming and saying it was “a special day” for his family.

A number of Celtic supporters of various ages gathered at the front of the stadium to pay their respects to Stein. Peter Lawwell, the Celtic chief executive, spoke later of his own childhood memories of Stein as a young Celtic supporter, and of the legacy the great man had bequeathed to the club today.

“I was 26 when Jock died, so unfortunately I didn’t get the chance to meet him,” said Lawwell. “I was seven when they won the European Cup, and I was there at Celtic Park on my eighth birthday to see them come home with it. It was an inspiration for me.

“Stein changed Celtic – he changed the whole outlook of this club. We were virtually the best team in the world for a four or five year period. We were the kings, and this stadium was full. And Jock inspired the community as well as the football club.”

A number of those present, including Jim Craig, reminded the audience of just how bereft and stagnated Celtic had become prior to Stein’s arrival from Hibs as manager in March, 1965. The club hadn’t won a domestic trophy in eight years – since the infamous 1957 League Cup slaying of Rangers – and a number of great Celtic players, such as Pat Crerand, had happily fled the club to find success and riches elsewhere.

In just over two years Stein transformed the Celtic team he inherited – adding a couple of names in Auld and Willie Wallace – from domestic also-rans to the champions of Europe.

“Celtic had been in the wilderness, both here in Scotland and in the fledgling European football of the time, before Jock came back as manager,” said Lawwell. “He became the creator of the modern-day Celtic. He gave us a status.

“I don’t want to personalise this, but even my own recent election to the European Clubs Association [executive board] is based on the respect that European football has for Celtic, and the status they see Celtic as having in Europe. And that is all down to Stein.

“What he achieved here remains an inspiration. Just think about what these guys achieved – within two years they became champions of Europe. Eleven guys from within 30 miles of Glasgow. It is unbelievable.”

Many remain intrigued about what Stein would make of the game today. Lawwell reminded us of the utter tyranny a manager could wield back in Stein’s day, when footballers were treated like fatstock by their clubs, and told where and when to sign, and for how long they would remain tethered. Today’s football scenario, with its freedom of movement and copious players’ rights, might cause Stein to stop in his tracks.

“The game has changed beyond all recognition,” Lawwell added. “Look at the way players’ contracts are done now – it is changed days from Jock’s time.

“The game has gone to a level now that he couldn’t have predicted. Media values and media rights have changed football. Jock’s challenge, were he coming in to work at Celtic today, would have seemed different, but in saying that, in some ways also the same – to create something from not the most advantageous position.

“Today at Celtic we need to create, we need to build, we need to innovate, because we can’t buy it, and we can’t bring it off the shelf. That is what we’ve been about the last five, six, seven years. When you can’t afford the best, shall we say, then you have to create.

“So we are bringing players here, and we hope that Ronny Deila can create a team that will punch above its weight.”

Creating from within is something that Stein and Celtic did 50 years ago, because it was the norm. Some Celtic fans will reflect ruefully on Lawwell’s words, given that the current Celtic first-time has precious few players that were reared within the club. More often than not James Forrest appears the exception in this context.

Lawwell, however, remains bullish about the modern Celtic’s attempts to “create its own” just as Stein did all those years ago, first as a reserve coach with the club in the late 1950s, and then as manager.

“We have the best academy in Scotland, by a mile,” said Lawwell. “We’ve got the best young talent – the challenge for us is in getting that talent out of the development squad into the first team. I think we now have a manager that is focused on that, and that is something that we will do. We could do better, but we haven’t done badly at it. Any indicators we’ve seen, in terms of the performance of the academies in Scotland, show that we are by miles the best. So we feel we are doing well, but we can always do better.”

Lawwell was asked if, in four years’ time, having three or four home-grown players in Celtic’s first team was his target. “Yes, that would be the target,” he replied. “But only if they are good enough. We saw the other night [Scotland v Germany] that there is a gap in quality and class, and so we have this fundamental issue in Scotland – how do you harness your talent?”

Celtic currently have a partnership between the club’s youth academy and St Ninian’s high school in Kirkintilloch.

“We’ve got the St Ninian’s project, which is a fantastic. There are 50-odd in it at the moment, and we hope to see the fruits of that. So it is not for want of trying, or a want of innovating. And we will continue to look for the under-valued talent around the world, that we don’t have here in Scotland, and bring it here and develop it.”

Much has changed since Stein’s imperious time with Celtic. He was, in a way, a giant at this football club, a fact which Celtic today is both proud of and trying to live up to.

“I think Jock would be proud that we have upheld Celtic’s values, and I think he would be proud of our performance in a very difficult market, in which we’ve seen two of our top clubs in the last five years become insolvent,” said Lawwell. “We’ve got stronger financially, though we have to do better. But we are trying to be innovators like him.”