Billy set up Dons dazzle
BILLY McNEILL laid down a legacy that allowed Sir Alex Ferguson to take Aberdeen to the top of Scottish and European football.
That is the view of Dons legend and his former captain Willie Miller.
McNeill had a season in charge of the Dons when they took him from Clyde to replace Ally MacLeod for the 1977-78 campaign.
He led Aberdeen to second place in the league and they also finished runners-up to Rangers in the Scottish Cup Final before he returned to take charge of his beloved Celtic.
Miller said: “My memories were of working under him as a player. The thing about Billy is he had an aura about him and when he walked into a roof he commanded respect.
“That wasn’t just down to his playing career. It was how he handled himself, how he spoke.
“That year was a very progressive one for me and the club. We didn’t win anything but we got very close, finishing second to Rangers in the league and in the Scottish Cup Final.
“We only had Billy for just under a year but he still left a legacy at the club and brought some top players, like Steve Archibald and Gordon Strachan, who went on to have great Aberdeen careers and on top of that he helped develop some of our youngsters as well.
“He will be fondly remembered in the north east by all the Aberdeen fans and myself.”
Miller always knew McNeill was destined to become Celtic manager.
The former defender said: “There was a bit of disappointment when Billy left. We all knew he’d only be at Aberdeen until the Celtic job came up. We didn’t think he would be there long-term but it still happened sooner
than we hoped.”