IN case it has escaped anyone’s notice, it was 50 years ago this month that the greatest performance in Scottish football history took place.

Celtic and their fans are already well advanced with their plans to celebrate the Golden Anniversary of the victory in the European Cup final on May 25, 1967. It was the fifth tournament out of five that Celtic won in their greatest ever season.

Legends were born that evening in Lisbon and although their numbers are diminished, sadly more so with the recent death of Tommy Gemmell, there are still enough of the Lions with us for the celebrations.

I would argue that there should be a few days set aside for contemplation of not just Celtic’s achievement but for what all of Scottish football did that year.

There are only fools who do not think that 1967 was the greatest year in the history of Scottish football, for not only did Jock Stein’s Celtic win the European Cup – the first non-Latin side to do so – but Rangers reached the final of the Cup Winners’ Cup and were only beaten by a single goal in extra time by Bayern Munich who were playing a virtual home tie in Nuremberg, about 100 miles from their home stadium.

Rangers had also beaten the defending Cup-holders Borussia Dortmund in the second round, so it was a terrific achievement all round for the Ibrox club.

Kilmarnock also reached the semi-final of the Fairs Cities’ cup, and Dundee United put out Barcelona, no less, in the same tournament, and of course on April 15, Scotland had beaten 1966 World Cup winners England at Wembley to become the world champions, as we all maintained back then. I have to say I was somewhat disappointed that more was not made of the 50th anniversary of that magnificent triumph at Wembley – perhaps the current powers-that-be at the Scottish Football Association could not stand being reminded of the fact that Scotland once was a proud footballing nation that could beat world champions and take part in World Cups and European Championships.

Anyone comparing 1967 with 2017 would have to conclude that Scottish football has not just lost its status but has practically evaporated off the world scene. Nevertheless there should have been a celebration or two if only to remind us just what an amazing team Scotland put out on the Wembley pitch that wonderful April day.

The astonishing thing was that not every player in the XI was from Celtic or Rangers who at that time were dominating the European scene, playing a brand of football that the Continentals struggled to keep up with, and that goes for Rangers as well as Celtic.

Jim McCalliog of Sheffield Wednesday was the new boy, and Denis Law, Jim Baxter, Billy Bremner and Eddie McCreadie of Chelsea made up the ‘Anglo’ contingent that combined with the Old Firm representatives to put England to Baxter’s keepie-uppie sword.

Yes, it did not last long and the fact is that Scotland did not make either the European Championships of 1968 of the World Cup of 1970, but the ground had been laid by that 1967 team for the future achievements of the Scotland squad, and surely that was worth celebrating.

It is very difficult to convey to any young Scottish person now just what it was I like to be alive and young in those days. I was eight-years-old when my team won the European Cup and yes, I vividly recall Rangers and Celtic fans alike out in the streets rejoicing that a Scottish team had won Europe’s biggest competition. I know, too, that had Rangers won the Cup Winners’ Cup final a week later, we Celtic fans would have joined our neighbours who supported Rangers in celebrating what would have been a unique achievement, the first time that one city provided the winners of both the major tournaments of Europe. To this day I remain sad that it didn’t happen.

I never saw them play, but I am told that Kilmarnock of that year were also very exciting to watch and Eddie Turnbull had made Aberdeen into a force that reached the Scottish Cup final.

The real key to that year of brilliance was the fact that while we had a host of excellent footballers, we also had some wonderful Scottish coaches like Stein and Turnbull. Down south we had Matt Busby still in his pomp at Manchester United, and Bill Shankly bringing Liverpool to a real boiling point, and Tommy Docherty ruling the roost at Chelsea. In short, Scotland ruled!

Of course, Celtic’s achievement was the greatest, and they did it by beating the masters of defensive football, Inter Milan under Helenio Herrera, the man who devised and promulgated catenaccio – a blot on football. Stein and Celtic blew Milan and catenaccio away playing “pure beautiful football” in Stein’s immortal phrase.

Once again I say the celebrations of Celtic’s 50th anniversary should be augmented by a marking of all that was good and true about Scottish football at that time.

Yes, it will be very much more difficult now to emulate their feat, but there is no reason why the class of 1967 cannot be repeated successfully in the years ahead.

We should remember 67, and start looking for ways of devising a new Scottish game so that football in Scotland can prosper again.