Robert Shankly
When Stirling succeeded in tempting Bob Shankly out of retirement in March 1971, it was seen as a major achievement for Chairman Frank Smith and his fellow Directors. Shankly was a legendary name in Scottish football. As a player he had served Falkirk with great distinction, and later managed the Brockville club. He led Third Lanark through one of their best spells in the 1950s. Later, he managed Dundee to the First Division Championship in 1962, with a team based around star names such as Gilzean and Ure. With Hibs in the late 1960s he had enjoyed European glamour, with a memorable victory over Italian giants Naples. Latterly Shankly had been scouting for Nottingham Forrest, then managed y his old friend Matt Gillies. However, the call of management was too strong for him, and when given the opportunity to move to Stirling he jumped at the chance. Shanks was in charge for two seasons – on both occasions Stirling came close to Promotion without actually making it. He stepped up to become General Manager in 1973, and shortly afterwards took a seat on the board. Although he resigned the post of General Manager in the late 1970s he remained a director until his death in 1982 – indeed Bob died while representing the club at a SFA meeting in Glasgow. |