Tommy Burns deserved more as Celtic manager.
During his tenure as Celtic manager, Tommy Burns was entitled to so much more. A decent center back and goalie would have been very beneficial.
One of the best periods of my Celtic supporting career was the one Tommy Burns managed. Even if we weren’t all that successful, the football we saw was amazing to see, especially after such a difficult time in the club’s history. It was incredibly encouraging.
Although we faced a respectable, well-funded Rangers team, Tommy assembled a team that was not only exceptional but also executed the game in the proper manner.
It was ultimately insufficient because Tommy’s three years as manager came to nothing except winning one Scottish Cup.
The talents of Paolo Di Canio, Andreas Thom, Jorge Cadete, and Pierre Van Hoojidonk were very amazing. For my generation, between them, they produced some of the best football we had ever seen inside Celtic Park.
But even with that formidable arsenal, we were still unable to win the league title—though not for lack of effort.
Our issue, in my opinion, was the deficiency in the goalkeeping and center defensive positions. During Tommy’s tenure, we were forced to depend on
Stewart Kerr and Gordon Marshall alternated in goal, but neither was good enough. Strangely, Shay Given departed the same summer Tommy’s appointment as manager was announced.
Despite their complete commitment, none of the center of defense players—Malky McKay, John Hughes, Brian O’Neil, and Alan Stubbs—were considered elite.
A superior defense and goalie would have made all the difference in securing the championship. The season following Tommy’s departure, Wim Jansen brought in Marc Rieper and Jonathan Gould, and we all know how that worked out.
He also signed a Swedish guy, whose name I can’t remember.
Tommy’s tenure as Celtic’s manager left us wondering what would have happened if we had a dependable goalkeeper and center back to go along with our potent forward line.
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