Fairbairn Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 (edited) Not seen it reported anywhere else but The Sun are reporting that Billy McNeill has passed away. Edited April 23, 2019 by Fairbairn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tartan_McCole Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 Official club twitter just announced it. Sad news indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chripper Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 R.I.P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParisInAKilt Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 Dementia really is a cunt of an illness Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandydunn Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 7 minutes ago, ParisInAKilt said: Dementia really is a cunt of an illness This Proper legend taken away Hail Ceaser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaid Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 I was lucky enough to meet him a few times and he always had time for everyone. A really humble man despite all his many achievements. An absolute gent and one of the good guys. Really sad to hear of his passing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanderark14 Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 10 minutes ago, dandydunn said: This Proper legend taken away Hail Ceaser Often credit with the laying the foundations at Aberdeen for the glory years, he brought in Strachan & Archibald and gave McLiesh his first team slot. RIP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMcoolJ Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 4 minutes ago, vanderark14 said: Often credit with the laying the foundations at Aberdeen for the glory years, he brought in Strachan & Archibald and gave McLiesh his first team slot. RIP Was just going to post the same. Aside from his numerous fantastic playing accolades, many credit Billy with handing Alex Ferguson one of the best young teams in Scotland. McNeill's win percentage as manager of Aberdeen remains the highest ever. Met him once, absolute gent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Och Aye Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 21 minutes ago, vanderark14 said: Often credit with the laying the foundations at Aberdeen for the glory years, he brought in Strachan & Archibald and gave McLiesh his first team slot. RIP Wow wasn't aware of this at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catchart Circle Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 An absolute gentleman who always had time for the fans. Half a dozen of us were in the team hotel bar in Zagreb in 1989 (Yugoslavia then) around midnight and Billy was having a drink on his own. He was co-commentator with STV for the game the following night. There was no-one else in the bar and after a wee discussion among ourselves - none of whom incidentally were Celtic fans - we decided to respect his privacy and not pester him for photographs etc,. Within a couple of minutes he came over with a friendly smile and introduced himself with "Is this the troops?" He was then quite happy to chat with us and pose for those pictures. From what I gather he was like this all the time. The respect that he and John Greig had for each other when rivals both as Old Firm captains and managers is from an age gone by, a respect which no longer exists. A true gentleman and legend of Scottish football. RIP big man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ElChris04 Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 Celtic and football lost a true great. A one club legend who won 31 major trophies including the European cup back in 1967 now known as the champions league, the first ever British player to captain a team and win the European cup aswell. Although I wasn’t alive to watch billy play like most Celtic fans who where born after, I was told the great stories of a true legend. RIP Cesar YNWA 💚🍀🏴 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redz Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 Very sad news indeed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RenfrewBlue Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 Sad news indeed. Absolute legend of our game and will always be remembered as the first Scotsman to lift the European Cup and quite frankly a superb on field general. Beckenbauer was just the German Billy McNeill. As many have said, he was also an absolute gentleman and remember vividly meeting him and Danny McGrain in the WH smiths in Glasgow at a book signing. Both gave me a good natured ribbing for being a bluenose but they took it easy on me as I was just an awestruck 18 year old. I wanted to be a player like Ceasar or John Greig when I was a boy. True football royalty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandydunn Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 1 hour ago, vanderark14 said: Often credit with the laying the foundations at Aberdeen for the glory years, he brought in Strachan & Archibald and gave McLiesh his first team slot. RIP Very true, this was said by my older pals earlier too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitre Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 A giant of the Scottish game gone RIP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toepoke Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 A sad day, one of the all time greats. RIP Billy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orraloon Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 Fantastic player, fantastic captain and an excellent manager. His managerial record is much better that a lot of folk realise. He got 29 caps for Scotland. In those days that was a decent number of caps, but he could have had a lot more if it hadn't been for an unfortunate set of circumstances. He was captain the night we lost our first ever WC qualifier at home, where we lost to Poland. Back then losing a home game (even to some of the best teams in the world) was seen as a huge disaster. Changed days when now we can't even beat the likes of Lithuania. Although he played OK that night, and scored our goal, he was made a bit of a scapegoat for that defeat. In the next game Ronnie McKinnon came in for his first cap and we beat Italy. McKinnon then became our first choice centre half. The manager at the time was Jock Stein. Billy went onto get a few more caps but he was always competing against McKinnon for that centre half spot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ormond Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 True Scottish footballing royalty. Did things that no other Scot will do again. To be captain of the side you idolised as a boy lifting the top prize in World football with your pals who were all just like you. From the same area, same accents, etc. RIP Billy. 😞 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ONeils4oyarder Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 R.I.P. Billy McNeill...a Bellshill legend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irnbruman Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 7 hours ago, Catchart Circle said: An absolute gentleman who always had time for the fans. Half a dozen of us were in the team hotel bar in Zagreb in 1989 (Yugoslavia then) around midnight and Billy was having a drink on his own. He was co-commentator with STV for the game the following night. There was no-one else in the bar and after a wee discussion among ourselves - none of whom incidentally were Celtic fans - we decided to respect his privacy and not pester him for photographs etc,. Within a couple of minutes he came over with a friendly smile and introduced himself with "Is this the troops?" He was then quite happy to chat with us and pose for those pictures. From what I gather he was like this all the time. The respect that he and John Greig had for each other when rivals both as Old Firm captains and managers is from an age gone by, a respect which no longer exists. A true gentleman and legend of Scottish football. RIP big man Great story ..just adds to what anyone who met him has said. Even though there will be tributes galore at Celtic..he must be remembered at tje Scotland Cyprus game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RenfrewBlue Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 5 minutes ago, irnbruman said: Great story ..just adds to what anyone who met him has said. Even though there will be tributes galore at Celtic..he must be remembered at tje Scotland Cyprus game. Great idea. I'd love it if there was a proper tribute to him at the final OF game. I know it's at Ibrox and there are enough rockets going to celebrate Fireworks night again, but surely to goodness the halfwits could shut the fuck up long enough for the football fans to celebrate a truly great Scottish player. If John Greig led a group of ex players on something on the pitch it should be a positive thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark frae Crieff Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 BBC Scotland channel have their Lisbon 1967 docu on tonight as a remembrance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ally Bongo Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toepoke Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 Fascinating listening to the tributes on the radio, over 820 appearances for Celtic and he played the full game in every one, incredible! Hugh Keevins gave a great insight into the biscuit tin days at Parkhead, when he left to manage Man City in 1983 he was only the 6th highest paid boss in Scotland, on 15 grand a year. A labour of love indeed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ally Bongo Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 (edited) It's all relative i guess The average house price in London circa 1983 was £36000 Edit - however that does seem quite stingy Im sure when i started work in 85 i was on something like £7-8 grand a year Edited April 23, 2019 by Ally Bongo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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