Tommy Burns

Tommy Burns served the Hoops as both a faithful player and manager before returning to be a Backroom Bhoy once more under Gordon Strachan.

He always described himself as a supporter who got lucky. Yet, in truth, it was the Celtic support who considered themselves lucky enough to have seen him play. He played 463 times for Celtic, always proud to wear his beloved green and white Hoops. His passion for the club was there for all to see, and he was always viewed by fans as one of their own, someone who, if he hadn’t been blessed with such footballing talent, would have been standing in The Jungle cheering on the team.

He made his debut in 1975 but it was in the 1980s that he established himself as a vital player for the club, helping deliver a number of memorable triumphs for Celtic, not least the centenary double triumph. And he always understood what it mean to supporters, famously stating, ‘When you pull on that jersey, you’re not just playing for a football club, you’re playing for a people and a cause.’

‘When you pull on that jersey, you’re not just playing for a football club, you’re playing for a people and a cause.’

When he left in 1989, he went on to establish a great reputation at Kilmarnock, as a player and then as manager, and Kilmarnock’s continued presence in the top flight of Scottish football has its foundations in Burns’ tenure as manager.

For Tommy Burns, however, Celtic was always the great football love of his life, and he would return to Paradise in 1994, laying the foundations for the future success that Celtic enjoyed, although his team would only win one solitary trophy, the Scottish Cup in 1995.

His team played football ‘the Celtic way’, enthralling, exciting, and even sometimes infuriating supporters, but there was pride and passion in wearing the Hoops and in knowing what they represent to so many people.

Sadly, Tommy is no longer with us, gone far too soon at the age of just 51. He has left behind nothing but great memories, of a player, a manager, and a man, who epitomised everything that is great about Celtic Football Club.

PRELUDE TO PARADISE
Tommy Burns had a rather short road to Paradise as he lived not far along the road in the Calton district of Glasgow, and the draw of Celtic Park would pull him and his friends away from honing their skills in Soho Street. He featured for St Mungo’s Academy as well as St Mary’s Boys’ Guild and the famed nursery side, Eastercraigs before signing an S-form with Celtic in 1970 and turning out for Celtic Boys’ Club. He signed professionally in 1973 and was farmed out to Maryhill Juniors before making his first-team debut in the Hoops in 1975.

DEBUT BHOY
Tommy Burns managed to catch the last ever half-hour of the last ever old-style Scottish First Division match played at Celtic Park on Saturday, April 19, 1975, before league reconstruction and the new Scottish Premier Division came into being. The downside is that Celtic lost 2-1 to a Dundee side featuring Lisbon Lion, Tommy Gemmell. For the young Celtic midfielder, it represented the very first step on what turned out to be an extraordinary career with the club, though he couldn’t have known that at the time. He was just glad to have pulled on the famous green and white hooped jersey for the first time.

HIGHLIGHTS
Tommy Burns won six championship medals, the first of those being Jock Stein’s last success with the double of season 1976/77 and the last being the glorious centenary double of 1987/88. He played 22 times in the league in the first of those doubles, including 13 starts, while he was an unused substitute alongside his team-mate and friend, Johnny Doyle, in the 1977 Scottish Cup final victory over Rangers. In the centenary season, he played 27 league games, while his quote after the cup final triumph over Dundee United is an iconic moment in the club’s history.

Addressing the TV cameras, with a jubilant Celtic support behind him, celebrating the 2-1 victory over Dundee United, he said of the fans: ‘That’s what’s so special about them, right up there, that’s what’s so special about them. They’re there and they’re always there, and God bless every one of them!’

They’re there and they’re always there, and God bless every one of them!’

Burns was also part of the squad which won the league in 1979, to give Billy McNeill his first title as Celtic manager, though he missed out on the ’10 men won the league’ game through injury. There were successive championships in 1981 and ’82, with Burns scoring the winner at Tannadice to clinch the first of those two titles. And then there were the memorable triumphs of 1986 at Love Street and two years later in the club’s Centenary season. Added to that were four Scottish Cup triumphs and a League Cup win in 1982.

BOWING OUT
Tommy Burns played nine games of the 1989/90 league campaign, one of those from the bench, with the last of those being a 1-0 home defeat to Dundee United watched by a crowd of 32,350 on November 18, 1989.

He was still on the books up until December 7 when he signed for Kilmarnock and that gave him the opportunity of taking a final bow when Ajax visited for a friendly on December 6.

Before leaving the pitch, though, he threw his boots into The Jungle. It was where his heart had always belonged.

Roy Aitken scored the goal in the 1-0 win but the most memorable moment of the night came in the 29th minute when the No.11 board was held up at the side of the pitch and he was replaced by Stevie Fulton. It marked the end of Tommy Burns’ 14-year career as a first-team player at Celtic. Before leaving the pitch, though, he threw his boots into The Jungle. It was where his heart had always belonged.

RETURN TO PARADISE
Tommy moved to Kilmarnock and while still playing there he became assistant manager, caretaker manager and then manager, guiding Kilmarnock back to the top-flight of Scottish football in 1993, a position they’ve retained ever since. However, when Celtic came calling in 1994, there was no way he was going to ignore it, and he became manager in the summer of 1994.

Burns scored three derby goals, each one celebrated with the unbridled joy of a true Celtic supporter.

DERBY DELIGHT
Tommy Burns played a total of 45 competitive matches against Rangers, from his debut in April 1986 right through until his final game against the Ibrox side in November 1989. Celtic won 20 of those games, drawing 10 and losing the other 15, and Burns scored three derby goals, each one celebrated with the unbridled joy of a true Celtic supporter.

503 CELTIC CAREER APPEARANCES
League: 356, Scottish Cup: 43, League Cup: 70, Europe: 34

82 CELTIC CAREER GOALS
League: 52, Scottish Cup: 12, League Cup: 15, Europe: 3

11 CELTIC CAREER HONOURS
League: 6, Scottish Cup: 4, League Cup: 1