"I USED to say to the pupils that I would treat them with respect and dignity. It was important for me to do that, as you would always get so much back in return. Pupils and staff would trust you."

The profound words of John Murphy.

Who is he, I hear you ask? Well John is one of the most respected football scouts on the professional circuit, having represented Celtic during the last decade.

As fathers are forever asking what qualities are needed for their kids to be good players, who better to ask than someone who is greatly admired within the game?

"What I am looking for in all players, whether they are juniors or seniors, is good technique, fitness, the ability to pass the ball accurately, make the right decisions, have good vision and awareness and be able to make the right option on the pitch in terms of when to hold the ball, when to release it and when to play safe.

"And of course, to play at a high level, pace is vital.

"For different positions I am looking for different qualities and maybe different physiques as well. For example, there is no point in looking at a defender if he can't defend properly.

"He might be very good on the ball and distribute it well but the prerequisites for any defender are the ability to win the ball, be able to tackle, read the game, close opponents down quickly and not to get drawn out of position.

"It's no good if he has the ability to play the ball out of defence, if he is giving the strikers too much room to work in and doesn't mark them tightly enough in certain situations."

John's background in teaching has helped him in assessing individual strengths and weaknesses.

He said: "Having spent all my life in a teaching and coaching environment, you are always looking for good habits. Some younger players will take responsibility and thrive on it, whereas others don't want to be captain; they just want to concentrate and develop their own game. As a coach, you respect that decision. You must also realise which players may need a shoulder to cry on, whereas others need the hard word."

As a headteacher for many years, John reckoned the most important people in his working environment were his staff. Valuing, nurturing and appreciating their efforts and supporting them with their problems was essential.

"It is my experience, however, some people in management positions treat people differently depending on the job they do. To me, you must treat everybody the same. The lady who used to clean my office was just as important as the deputy head or the senior teacher.

"I did not discriminate at all. It's the same working with children in football. If you are honest and up front with them and treat them with respect and dignity then you earn that respect and it comes back indifferent ways. These principles have stayed with me, so when I'm assessing a player I am not only looking at their ability, which of course is very important, but also their attitude and personality and how they will react to difficult situations"

Like most lads, growing up in Glasgow (at least on the green side) my ambition was to play for Celtic. Unfortunately, I didn't realise that dream but by being a PE instructor, gaining my coaching badges and playing at a decent amateur level, I was still involved with sport, which I have always loved.

I gained my full badge in the early 1970s and Dario Gradi (now Crewe Manager) and Alan Wade (FA Director of Coaching) were around at the time - I learnt a lot from both of them.

In fact, when I did my first preliminary badge, it was Bobby Robson who assessed me.

During that period John regularly watched matches in the north west - Everton, Liverpool, Tranmere, Preston Burnley - and would send up reports to Scotland if anything caught his eye.

When Tommy Burns was appointed manager of Celtic and David Hay became his chief scout, they invited John to meet up at Ian Rush's testimonial- the Celtic v Liverpool match. Initially, they offered him a 6 months trial period but he's been with them ever since.

John added: "I have been associated with Celtic ever since I was a ball boy and when I recently had an opportunity to buy shares in the club I felt very privileged, such is my commitment to the club.

"It's always nice when your recommendations are brought to fruition. I had seen both Alan Thompson and Alan Stubbs at Bolton, for instance, on many occasions and my reports reflected the high opinion I had for these players.

"It was a disappointment when Alan moved to Aston Villa but within four or five months he came on board at Celtic Park. So perhaps I may have played a small part in bringing these two fine players to the club."