In 1967 Celtic manager Jock Stein stepped from the tunnel of Lisbon's Estadio Nacional and took up a position pitch-side as his team of home-grown players ran out to face the might of Inter Milan, the charismatic superstars of Italian football, in the European Cup final. Celtic were a team forged in Stein's own image, steeled with a relentless industry and integrity by their inspirational manager whose character had, in turn, been honed by the horrors of the deep dark of the Lanarkshire coalfields. Martin Greig and Charles McGarry's extraordinary novel delves to the very heart of that incredible season, telling the story through the eyes of Stein - as he plots and plans and drags his team to the pinnacle of European club football - and those of Tim, an idealistic young fan from the south side of Glasgow, whose dreams of life beyond the decaying slums of the Gorbals are inextricably tied to those of his heroes. The Road to Lisbon is a novel of hopes and dreams, of self-discovery and triumph over adversity ...and of an unerring love with an institution that represents so much more than just a football club.
We did it by playing football. Pure, beautiful, inventive football. May 1967: The summer of love. Anything seems possible. Sex, drugs, rock 'n’ roll... and football. Celtic FC’s home-grown team travel to Lisbon, to face the mighty Inter Milan in a bid to become champions of Europe. For their manager, Jock Stein, it is the culmination of a long personal journey which began in the darkness of the Lanarkshire coalmines. After years of hardship, despair and rejection, he has created an irresistible attacking force who are out to free European football from the stranglehold of defensive tactics. For Tim, a Celtic fanatic, the road trip to Portugal with his four friends marks a coming of age. Sixties London - and the love of a beautiful woman - is calling him, but can he leave behind his family and friends for a heady new world? The Road to Lisbon intertwines Jock and Tim’s personal accounts of the seven days up to and including that legendary night in the Estádio Nacional. It is about the underdog’s quest for identity against the odds, of hopes and dreams, of self-discovery, courage and of triumph over adversity.
