July 1994, Fergus McCann had not long taken over Celtic, and the cloud that been hanging over our club for so long started to clear. The future was looking brighter than it had been for a good while. Good times were on the horizon, and we were allowed to dream once again.

Tommy Burns Glasgow Celtic FC Manager 15 September 1996 : Photo Mary Evans Allstar

A new stadium was also in the making and all that needed to be tended to was the appointment of a new manager. Lou Macari having of course departed after a short and unsuccessful reign.

As you’d expect there were a few names in the running but there was only one man the supporters wanted and that was Tommy Burns. Tommy was manager of Kilmarnock and had worked wonders for the Ayrshire side. He was also as we all know a true Celtic man, so he was the perfect choice. It made sense.

Mandatory Credit: Photo by David Crump/ANL/Shutterstock 3435530a Football Manager Tommy Burns – Peter Grant Paul Mcstay And Manager Tommy Burns Are Delighted Celtic Fans Have Responded In Telephone Numbers To The Club s Vital Share Issue. Photo David Crump/ANL/Shutterstock

Wee Fergus did just that and Tommy was appointed as manager of Celtic Football Club.

Tommy was back at his spiritual home (although we had to spend the first frustrating year at Hampden) and we now had a vision for the future. Tommy was a Celtic supporter like the rest of us, he had his sides playing good football and the turbulent times of the early 1990s were now behind us. It was a wonderful time to be a Celtic supporter.

Tommy’s first season certainly had its teething problems, playing at Hampden was one of them, a lot of supporters refused to attend due to the SFA’s treatment of our club. The atmosphere was dire to say the least, Hampden is an underwhelming stadium at the best of times.

It should in our league form as we finished in a disappointing fourth place. The Scottish Cup was a different story though as Tommy led us to success in May 1995 as we beat Airdrie to lift the trophy, our first in six long years. The pressure on the team was monumental especially after we lost the League Cup final to Raith Rovers six months earlier.

The next couple of seasons saw us win nothing in terms of honours, but we did win our belief back. Thanks to Tommy, who had us playing some of the best football I have seen in my time as a Celtic supporter. Players like Pierre Van Hoojidonk, Andy Thom, Paolo Di Canio and Jorge Cadete were a joy to watch and an upgrade in what we had been watching over the previous years of the decade.

We were now in a position to challenge for the League title, we had a packed stadium week in week out enjoying the football. Times were a changing. The winds of change were sweeping through Paradise.

Tommy Burns Glasgow Celtic FC Manager 02 November 1994. Photo Mary Evans Allstar

Tommy Burns however was dismissed towards the end of the season in 1997. He and Fergus McCann never really got on and apparently when Fergus asked him to leave by the back door he famously said “I came in thought the front door and I’ve sure as god not done anything to make me want to walk out the back door.”

Tommy was right, he could walk away with his head held high, he ended our trophy drought. He had us enjoying our football once more, and most of all he made us believe. God bless you Tommy.

JustAnOrdinaryBhoy – follow on Twitter @ordinarybhoy

HUGE SAVINGS IN THE CELTIC STAR’S SUMMER SALE!

The Celtic Star’s book promotion has been so successful, with hundreds of books at great prices being posted to Celtic fans all over the world, that we’ve decided to continue with the sale until the end of July. We’ve reduced all six books currently available from their usual retail price of £20 and prices are as low as £6 (see below).

All books are high quality hardback, with some signed by the author. And it’s also worth noting that you only pay postage on one book, so it’s free for the second, third and so on. ORDER HERE or click on The Celtic Star image above…this is how it feels to be Celtic!