LAST WEEK we started a new series. We asked club Historian and author of countless Celtic books, David Potter to select The Celtic Star of the Decade for each and every decade since 1888.

Starting at the very beginning during Celtic’s early years, David opted for SANDY  McMAHON and you can read his Celtic story below.

Moving into the first decade of the 20th Century there really only could be one name that David Potter could opt for and that’s JIMMY QUINN who David named as The Celtic Star of the Decade for 1900-1909 Here’s why…

And David’s next pick for The Celtic Star for the club’s third decade running from 1910-1919 is none other that PATSY GALLACHER. You can read about The Mighty Atom here…

Then David Potter’s selection for the Celtic Star of the club’s fourth decade running from 1920-1929, who else could he go for but the one and only JIMMY McGRORY Read about Celtic 550 goal legend below…

Now the brief to David Potter was clear, select The Celtic Star of each decade. That means he doesn’t necessarily have to opt for a PLAYER for that decade, although it could quite easily be a former player that the Celtic historian opts for. For instance he may well opt for Jock Stein as The Celtic Star of the 1960s but he doesn’t. The ONLY decade that David has opted for a non-playing winner of The Celtic Star of the decade was the one we featured yesterday for the decade 1930-39.

Read David’s logic in choosing JIMMY McMENEMY as The Celtic Star of the Decade 1930-39 below…

And for David Potter’s selection for the Celtic Star of the club’s sixth decade running from 1940-1949, is the one and only CHARLES PATRICK TULLY.…

Yesterday David selected The Celtic Star of the 1950s and he opted for Celtic’s Forgotten Hero BOBBY EVANS, here’s why…

And today the Celtic Historian probably had his most difficult decision yet, choosing just one Celtic man from the 1960s? Who could he choose, maybe the manager Jock Stein or any one of Simpson, Craig, Gemmell, Clark, Murdoch, Auld, Johnstone, Chalmers, Wallace, Lennox or maybe John Hughes, Joe McBride or John Fallon? Any of the above would have been a fine choice, but David has gone for the one Lisbon Lion we haven’t mentioned – the captain Billy McNeill.

And David reveals that the decision wasn’t that tough as we’d thought. It was rather easy actually. Find out why on the next page…

The Celtic Star of the Decade

8. The Celtic Star of the Decade – 1960-1969 – Billy McNeill..

There can only be one candidate for Player of the Decade in the 1960s. This was, of course, Billy McNeill who played 486 games for the club and won an astonishing total of 23 major medals, one of them being, of course, the European Cup of 1967.

But his medals are less than half of it. Born 1940 died 2019, his playing ability was legendary. An outstanding centre half, particularly in the air, he was also an outstanding leader, and like most great leaders, he was there on the occasions which mattered, notably the goal that he scored at the start of it all against Dunfermline in 1965, or the early goal that laid the marker for the 1969 Scottish Cup final against Rangers.

But he was also a great ambassador for the club. Good looking, articulate, gentlemanly, photogenic he was everything that the club would have wanted. He was a perfect conduit between Jock Stein and the players, and in some ways he was an extension of Jock Stein on the field.

His first game had been back in 1958, and he soon was able to command a place at centre half. His first few years were not happy ones for the club but they were for McNeill who soon earned Scotland caps and became Celtic’s captain in 1963. When Stein came back to the club in 1965, things really took off, and McNeill became a worldwide icon, almost the personification of Celtic FC – something that continues to this day with his statue at Celtic Park.

He was twice badly injured in seasons 1964/65 and 1965/66, but he recovered and from them on was seldom out of the Celtic team. His announcement of his retiral was aptly timed after the 1975 Scottish Cup final.

As with everything else, his timing was impeccable. Words often fail a historian when he tries to quantify the contribution of Billy McNeill to Celtic FC. A brief article on a website cannot do it. It would require a set of encyclopedias to do him justice. And even then, there would be a lot missed out…

David Potter

Some additional reading about Billy McNeill on The Celtic Star…

Celtic 4 Rangers 0 – Billy McNeill opened the scoring with a magnificent header…see HERE.

Farewell Cesar – a wonderful footballer, inspirational captain, fine manager, perfect ambassador and proud Celtic supporter…see HERE.

‘He is more than a Celtic legend. He is a Celtic God,’ David Potter’s tribute to Cesar…see HERE.

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