New boss was never called Big Man again
BILLY McNEILL had a rare evening off when I made my first appearance for Celtic in a League Cup tie against Dundee United at Tannadice.
I came on as a sub for Harry Hood in a 2–2 draw on Wednesday, August 26, 1970. I was 19 and got 25 minutes. The result was academic as Celtic had already qualified from their section.
So the captain got a rest while George Connelly played in his place. But Billy returned three days later when I was given the nod for my full debut against Morton in a league game at Parkhead which we won 2–0.
Billy was to remain a teammate all the way through to his last game, the 3–1 Scottish Cup Final win over Airdrie at Hampden in 1975.
I almost always referred to my colleague and captain as “Big Man”. That stopped the day Billy walked back into Parkhead as manager on May 28, 1978. Billy knew a lot of the players and had been in the same cup-winning side as myself, Peter Latchford, Andy Lynch, Ronnie Glavin and Paul Wilson.
On the first morning he took training Billy gathered the players around him and said: “You can call me boss, manager or gaffer.” Fair enough, I thought. I never called him Big Man again, not even when out socially.
He was putting down a marker immediately. Things had changed in the three years he had been away from the club. He was no longer a team-mate. He was now in charge and wanted total respect from the players right from day one.
Billy always had that commanding presence and aura about him on or off the park. He was a born leader so it was easy to gain the esteem of everyone right away.