Jock Stein was renowned for the thoroughness of his preparations, for the meticulousness of his approach to every match that one of his teams played in regardless of what was at stake or who the opposition was.
That trait was never more evident than during the build-up to the World Cup finals in Spain in 1982 when he was the Scotland manager.
Stein flew over to New Zealand – an even more arduous undertaking at that time than it is today - to watch his side’s Group 6 rivals in action in a friendly against a touring League of Ireland XI the month before the tournament.
When he touched down in San Francisco on that marathon journey, he was greeted by a local Celtic supporter who had volunteered to show him around the city during his brief stopover.
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But Archie Macpherson, the BBC Scotland commentator who was among the media contingent accompanying him on the reconnaissance trip, recalls the meet-up did not go well.
“We were obviously very weary after the long flight,” said Macpherson, who later authored an acclaimed biography of a legendary figure who he forged a close working relationship and friendship with.
“I always remember the fan asking Jock how he had felt when his Dunfermline side had beaten Celtic in the Scottish Cup final in 1961. Stein really went through him. He told him, ‘I was the manager of a club! That was all that mattered to me! I was trying to win the trophy for the town!’”
The response was understandable. It was absurd to suggest that such a competitive and professional individual might have experienced conflicting emotions leading the East End Park outfit to victory at Hampden due his previous affiliation with the Parkhead giants.
Yet, it was a particularly ridiculous given the unfortunate circumstances which had led to him moving to Fife in the first place and the positive impact which the historic triumph would subsequently have on his coaching career.
During his stint in charge of the reserve team in the East End of Glasgow in the late 1950s, Stein was told by Celtic chairman Robert Kelly that he had risen as far as he could at the club, that he would never go on to become the manager because he was a Protestant and not a Catholic.
He quickly departed and showed the hierarchy what they were missing out on by steering Dunfermline to the first Scottish Cup win in their 76 year history at the end of his first full season in charge.
His side were held to a 0-0 draw by a team which comprised, among others, Pat Crerand, Billy McNeill, John Clark, Charlie Gallagher, Willie Fernie, John Hughes and Stevie Chalmers in front of an attendance of 113,618 in the final in Mount Florida on Saturday, April 22, 1961.
In the replay four days later, Stein was forced to rejig his starting line-up. His first choice centre-half Jackie Williamson was unavailable for selection due to the knee injury he had struggled with during the initial encounter. He had to move George Miller from wing-half to deputise for his team mate.
John Sweeney came in and took over from Miller in a position he had never been deployed in before and Davie Thomson replaced youngster Dan McLindon, who had only been involved in the first match because experienced outside right Tommy McDonald had been taken in to hospital with appendicitis, at centre-forward.
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The underdogs withstood relentless pressure during the first-half and had their goalkeeper Eddie Connachan, who denied Hughes with a series of superb saves, to thank for keeping them level.
However, they broke the deadlock on the counter attack in the second half when Thomson headed beyond Franky Haffey. A mistake by the goalkeeper, who had denied Dunfermline victory in the first game with a vital late save, with two minutes remaining allowed Charlie Dickson to nip in and seal the upset.
That goal prompted a number of distraught Celtic fans in the 87,866-strong crowd to launch a volley of bottles onto the trackside.
That, though, did not deter Stein from rushing onto the park at the final whistle, embracing his captain Ron Mailer and urging his jubilant charges to lift the inspired Connachan onto their shoulders.
But there was, Macpherson is at pains to point out, no malice in his celebrations.
“Yes, winning the Scottish Cup with Dunfermline was important to Jock,” he said. “Ultimately, he had to leave Celtic because there were some people who felt that, despite all of the great triumphs he had been involved in, he was just too rough company and who had issues with his background. But it was in no way vengeful.
“It was important to him because, like so many former miners who had worked in the dark, he wanted to get the hell out of the pits and never go back. He had broken his leg down a mine, quite close to where I live now actually. He wanted to succeed as a manager.
“I think that determination gave him, and other managers who had been miners like Sir Matt Busby and Bill Shankly, a certain audacity. He had that element to his character. He was always willing to try things out. He didn’t just know the game well and understand the opposition, he had the ability to inspire people to give more than they perhaps thought they could.”
But the win highlighted what a shrewd tactician Stein – who had settled on a system and devised a game plan which nullified the considerable threat posed by the Celtic wingers Alec Byrne and Fernie – was as well. It led to approaches from both Hibernian and Newcastle United.
He turned those advances down and remained loyal to the club which had given him his break in management. He led Dunfermline through to the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners’ Cup the following season.
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Macpherson believes those successes and others which followed ultimately convinced Celtic to change their attitude to their former centre-half and make him their manager in 1965.
“It was just too much for them to ignore,” he said. “Jock became irresistible to them.
“Bob Kelly spoke about that 1961 Scottish Cup final a lot. He said, ‘You can’t despair when a good friend wins something’. That victory would prove to be momentous for Jock.
“Celtic were up and down at that time. They were managed by one of the nicest men I’ve ever met in football. Jimmy McGrory was an absolute gentleman. But they weren’t really managed properly.
“McGrory could be too easily pushed about by people above him. Some incredible things happened with Celtic at that time and Rangers beat them at will.
“I can remember watching Jim Baxter sitting on the ball in an Old Firm cup final at Hampden. It wasn’t a very palatable gesture, but it underlined how easy it was for his side. But when Stein took over everything somersaulted.”
Macpherson feels Neil Lennon and his Dunfermline players can draw inspiration from the 1961 triumph when they take on Celtic in this year's Scottish Gas Scottish Cup final even though it is 65 years ago.
“They have a tradition,” he said. “You might think it's a flimsy tradition now, but at least in the dressing room before they go out they can say, ‘We've been here before and we've done it before’. Hopefully that gives them some form of resistance. It is something they should cling on to.”
