Tommy Burns was never far away from Celtic.
As a player, manager and a coach, Burns was affiliated with Celtic for over a quarter of a decade, until his untimely passing in 2008.
After being player-manager at Kilmarnock, Burns managed Celtic for three years in the 1990s before being sacked by Fergus McCann.
He then linked up with Kenny Dalglish at Newcastle United before spending 15 months at the helm of Reading in England.
He spent the rest of his life coaching at Celtic Park after that, but not without offers to work elsewhere.
Green Brigade quote Tommy Burns in banner at Celtic vs Dundee
Paul Hartley on Tommy Burns’ offer to leave Celtic
Paul Hartley was in the Celtic team that secured the 2008 SPL title in the name of Burns.
It was a successful move to St Johnstone earlier in his career that paved the way for this, and he has now revealed that the Saints wanted to have Burns in the dugout.
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In the end, it was Billy Stark, who played with Burns at Celtic and later assisted him in the Parkhead dugout, who got the job at the Perth club in 2001.
At the time, Burns had just taken a youth development job under Martin O’Neill.
Speaking to the Scottish Sun, Hartley recalled: “I’ve got so much to thank Starky for, but when Sandy [Clark] left St Johnstone, they wanted to bring Tommy Burns in.
“We thought Tommy was getting that, it was all the talk. And then Tommy backed off. I think he backed off at the last minute and said, ‘Go for Billy Stark.’
“I was [very excited about Burns], definitely, we knew the reputation. I think they watched me, when Tommy was the manager at Celtic. Him and Starky.
“I remember Starky telling me, they watched me when I was Hamilton breaking through, and they maybe just felt I was a wee bit too slight at seventeen at that time, and rightly so.”
Hartley didn’t look back after that, going on to establish himself for Hearts, Scotland and eventually Celtic, his boyhood club.
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Tommy Burns’ Celtic influence, today
You don’t need to look far to see the people touched by people who were influenced by Burns at Celtic, and how they still contribute to Celtic.
It was O’Neill’s call in 2000 which led to Burns taking the full-time role in the Celtic academy; one of the first of many great calls he has made across his spells in the Parkhead hotseat.
On O’Neill’s current backroom staff are Shaun Maloney, Mark Fotheringham and Stephen McManus, who all graduated from the Hoops academy during Burns’ time there.
Celtic’s previous management team was fronted by Brendan Rodgers and John Kennedy, two more figures whose paths have crossed with Burns’.
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