If anyone ever dares to complain about tiny niggles under Brendan Rodgers, please share this article with them.

Some younger Celtic fans may be used to success but it wasn’t always a given that Celtic would be there or thereabouts.

Case and point.

Billy Dodds spoke recently about his career and let it be known that Celtic tried to sign him not once but twice! Now, if you’re a Celtic fan of a certain age the very thought will send a cold shiver up your spine.

The first time Celtic tried to sign Billy, it was when the late Tommy Burns was in charge. Celtic were in the middle of rebuilding after almost having the doors closed for good and money was not there for major investment in the squad. Tommy Burns seen the player as a cost-effective signing who could do a job. Billy spoke fondly of his encounters with Tommy as most people who met the great man did.

“When I was leaving St Johnstone after we had been relegated Aberdeen and Celtic both came in for me.

“Tommy Burns was the manager and he phoned me saying if he could get a couple of players out he’d like to bring me in.

“I had to tell Tommy I couldn’t wait to see what happened and he was great.

“I met him a few times on holiday in the years after that and he was a great, lovely man.

That wasn’t the end of Celtic’s interest though. Flop manager John Barnes once tried to sign Billy as a replacement for the injured Henrik Larsson – let that sink in. When Henrik Larsson went down, the coaching staff at Celtic thought Billy Dodds would be a suitable replacement. No disrespect to the player but the very thought melts the brain.

Billy spoke about Barnes’ interest.

“Years later Celtic were interested again when John Barnes was manager.

“Henrik Larsson broke his leg and they needed another striker and it was between me and Ian Wright.

“I had the same agent as John Barnes and it was a possibility.”

Eventually, the player would sign for Rangers and make 65 league appearances for the now liquidated club. One of those appearances was Martin O’Neill’s Glasgow Derby debut where Celtic ran out 6-2 winners.

 

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