GREIG: OLD RIVALS AND BIG FRIENDS
You knew right away who was captain when Billy was there.. his presence was immense
I FIRST met Billy McNeill on March 29, 1961.
The date is firmly fixed in my memory as it was an important night in my own football career.
In those days Scotland’s Under-18 schoolboys side only played the one international fixture per season and that was against our perennial rivals England. In 1960, the first time I played in the match, I was in the right-back role as we were beaten 2-1 at Turf Moor, the ground of Burnley.
On the occasion of my second cap – that match against England mentioned above – I was at centre-half and wore the captain’s armband.
Just before we went out on to the field of play Billy McNeill was brought into the dressing room and introduced to all of us.
Billy had played in the corresponding fixture in 1957 when Scotland had won 3-0 and he had been brought in that night as an example of the standards we might reach, as by that time Billy was holding down the centre-half position for Celtic.
His presence that evening must have triggered off some reaction in our guys, as we won the match by the single goal.
Just under four years later I signed for Celtic and within a few months had made the breakthrough into the first team.
All the players in the squad were very nice to this newcomer but Billy in particular went out of his way to make me feel welcome and I will always be very grateful to him for that act of courtesy.
Billy was a natural leader. If you had gone into a room where a group of team-mates were gathered you would instinctively have worked out which one was the captain. He just had that aura about him.
It was never used in a big-headed fashion, it was merely he seemed to be the man capable of dealing with whatever problem had surfaced.
On the park Billy was never a shouter or screamer. He would put in a quiet word at a free-kick or corner kick and it would be relevant to the situation.
He also was one of the best headers of a ball in the game. He had the ability to time his run to perfection then place the header in the most appropriate spot.
He scored some great goals for Celtic along the way, like the winner in the 1965 Scottish Cup Final against Dunfermline, the only goal in the home leg of the World Club Championship versus Racing Club at Hampden and the opening goal in the 4-0 defeat of Rangers in the 1969 Scottish Cup Final.
His retirement in 1975 was the end of one career but soon another one opened, this time in management. After spells with Clyde and Aberdeen he arrived back at his spiritual home where he led his beloved Celts to three league titles before moving south for spells with Manchester City and Aston Villa.
To the delight of the Parkhead faithful he returned in 1987 just in time to lead Celtic to the Double of 1987-88.
The past few years must have been difficult ones for his family, as they watched this strong man being blighted by this dreadful disease. My thoughts at this time are with Billy’s wife Liz and children Susan, Libby, Carol, Paula and Martyn. Billy McNeill was above all a thoroughly nice man. May he rest in peace.