Andy Walker remembers Billy McNeill, Libson Lions captain, after his death at the age of 79
Billy McNeill signed me for Celtic in July 1987 and one of the most cherished memories I have of his leadership were the unexpected and, to most of us, unwelcome monthly meetings we had.
Billy would march into the dressing room with the air of authority that came so naturally to him, clutching a folder two inches thick, and he would take great delight in encouraging,
cajoling and eventually insisting that every one of us played our part for the club off the park.
Quite simply, that meant reaching out to the supporters, giving them your time and hearing how much the club meant to them.
He was adamant it was a privilege to play in front of our fans and so he would coax and persuade everyone to attend supporters’ functions, visit those who were sick in hospital or laid low at home and, at the very least, make an effort just to say thanks for their support.
As a group of players we were very reluctant about this and perhaps didn’t react with the level of enthusiasm Billy would have preferred us to have, but when you saw the amount of functions and visits that true Celtic legends like Tommy Burns, Roy Aitken, Pat Bonner and Paul McStay would immediately volunteer for, it quickly became the norm for more and more players to follow their lead and put their hands up to go here, there and everywhere.
There was no fanfare, no publicity, no advice as to what to say and certainly no media-controlled nonsense that’s so prevalent today, just a group of players being guided by a unique individual into doing the right thing for his club – for Celtic was Billy’s club.
And of course, he was correct, it was absolutely the right thing to do. What a privilege it was for me to be in that dressing room full of Celtic greats. But I think it’s fair to say that Billy stands alone as Celtic’s greatest captain of their greatest team, the epitome of what every club captain should aspire to be.
As my manager he gave me plenty of advice. On the day I signed he said, „Andy, you’re here to play. But if you’re not up to it, I will have no hesitation in getting someone who is.“ Short, sharp and very much to the point.
When we played Rangers in my first Old Firm game and beat them 1-0, with Graeme Souness being sent off, he told all of us we’d played some of the best football he’d ever seen in the fixture.
I know now he was laying it on a bit thick but at the time it made you felt 10 feet tall. He told me to puff my chest out when I went to Ibrox for the first time as a player. A simple thing to do but very effective for me, it gave me confidence to hold my head high and be proud of who I was representing in what is always an astonishing atmosphere and certainly intimidating for some.
Billy didn’t get it right every time though, he also told Frank McAvennie to keep the head in his first taste of the Old Firm, with Frank’s temperament and self-control lasting all of 15 minutes before he was sent off! Billy obviously loved to win these games but he detested the fact that Old Firm matches opened up the divide we have here in the West of Scotland regarding bigotry and sectarianism. I heard him say more than once that not enough effort was put into defusing this – his thoughts still ring true to this day.
My relationship with Billy was different to any other manager I played for. Billy was a family friend, my Dad Frank was his accountant who advised him in various financial affairs and the first person Billy called when Celtic sacked him in 1991. Knowing what was coming, Billy called my old man before going into a board meeting. „They’ve asked me to resign Frank“.
„Resign from nothing Billy, I’ll be there immediately,“ my Dad responded!
But Billy left the club with his head held high and dignity intact.
In his later years Billy suffered from dementia, speaking very few words, and I would sometimes visit him and his wife Liz. On one occasion, I was joined by Frank McAvennie and Joe Miller. We were laughing about former players and telling daft stories about certain individuals the way all old crocks do when Pat Bonner`s name was mentioned.
When I told Billy that Pat had actually promised to be with us but pulled out at the last minute, his eyes suddenly came alive and he said, „Pat Bonner? Hopeless!“
Right to the end he was making us laugh and we were enjoying his company. Billy was a great family man and I will remember Liz, his children and grandchildren in my prayers.
Soccer Accumulator Bonus
Our fantastic Euro Soccer accumulator offer gives you the chance to earn a bonus of up to 100% on accumulators on the top domestic leagues in Europe along with the group and knockout stages of the Champions League.
This offer applies to returns on pre-match accumulators of 3 or more selections on Full Time Result or Result/Both Teams To Score markets for the English Premier League, Italian Serie A, Spanish Primera Liga, German Bundesliga 1 or UEFA Champions League.
The maximum bonus that you can receive is ˆ100,000 or currency equivalent. The bonus will not apply where a stake has been fully Cashed Out. Where a stake has been partially Cashed Out, the bonus will be calculated based .on the remaining active stake. If a qualifying bet is edited .using our Edit Bet feature. The bonus will be calculated based on the new stake. Where a bet has been edited to include or amend a selection for an event that is In-Play, the bonus will no longer apply. Double Chance bets or combination bets with bonuses. Such as Lucky 15’s or Lucky .31’s do not apply for this offer.
If your bet is successful, we will add the following bonuses to your returns:
Bet Type Bonus
14-folds and upwards 100% bonus
Terms and Conditions
Applies to straight pre-match accumulator bets on the Full Time Result or Result/Both Teams To Score markets for UEFA Champions League, English Premier League, Italian Serie A, Spanish Primera Liga, German Bundesliga .1 or Australian A-League matches. Maximum bonus ˆ100,000 or currency equivalent. Soccer Accumulator Bonus does not apply to Double Chance bets or combination. bets with bonuses such as Lucky 15’s, Lucky 31’s etc.
If any selections are postponed/void then the bonus will still apply, but the percentage bonus added will reflect the actual number of winning selections. For example, an 8-fold accumulator with 7. winners and 1 postponed match will receive a 30% .bonus to returns.
The bonus part of your returns will be added to your account within 24 hours of your final selection having played.
This bonus will not apply where a stake has been fully Cashed Out. Where a stake has been partially Cashed Out, the bonus will be calculated based on the remaining active stake.
If a qualifying bet is edited using our Edit Bet feature, the bonus will be calculated based on the new stake. Where a bet has been edited to include or amend a selection for an event that is In-Play, the bonus will no longer apply.
Where any term of the offer or promotion is breached or there is any evidence of a series of bets placed by a customer or group of customers, which due to a deposit bonus, enhanced payments, free bets, risk free bets or any other promotional offer results in guaranteed customer profits irrespective of the outcome, whether individually or as part of a group, bet365 reserves the right to reclaim the bonus element of such offers and in their absolute discretion either settle bets at the correct odds, void the free and risk free. bets or void any bet funded by the deposit bonus.
In addition bet365 .reserve the right to levy an administration charge on the customer up to the value of the deposit bonus, free bet, risk free bet or additional payment to cover administrative costs. We further reserve the right to ask any customer to provide sufficient documentation for us to be satisfied in our absolute discretion as to the customer’s identity prior to us crediting any bonus, free bet, risk free bet or offer to their account.
All bet365 offers are intended for recreational players and bet365 may in its sole discretion limit the eligibility of customers to participate in all or part of any promotion.
bet365 reserves the right to amend, cancel, reclaim or refuse any promotion at its own discretion.
