The Day Billy McNeill was sacked by Celtic Chief Executive Terry Cassidy

[Winning Captains]

The Day Billy McNeill was sacked by Celtic Chief Executive Terry Cassidy...latest in his series on Celtic in the early 1990s from Niall J...

The Day Billy McNeill was sacked by Celtic Chief Executive Terry Cassidy | The Celtic Star

In the previous instalment of The Celtic Star's look at the forgotten years of the 1990's we covered Celtic semi-final exit from the Scottish Cup after a replay to Motherwell by four goals t

thecelticstar.com

 

[Spherical Planet]

The Day Billy McNeill was sacked by Celtic Chief Executive Terry Cassidy...latest in his series on Celtic in the early 1990s from Niall J...

The Day Billy McNeill was sacked by Celtic Chief Executive Terry Cassidy | The Celtic Star

In the previous instalment of The Celtic Star's look at the forgotten years of the 1990's we covered Celtic semi-final exit from the Scottish Cup after a replay to Motherwell by four goals t

thecelticstar.com

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Goes to show that having an Irish name should never be a credential for getting a job at Celtic.

No doubt he was crippled by an incompetent board, but that shouldn't detract from the fact that he was a useful (but ultimately useless) tool for them.

There's still a part of me that thinks that the Kellys and the Whytes wanted to make an example of Billy and publicly humiliate him after how he left the club in the 80's, but not one of The Lions should have been treated with that level of contempt, never mind the fact that every Lion was treated poorly by that board.

 

[The Shamrock]

Goes to show that having an Irish name should never be a credential for getting a job at Celtic.

No doubt he was crippled by an incompetent board, but that shouldn't detract from the fact that he was a useful (but ultimately useless) tool for them.

There's still a part of me that thinks that the Kellys and the Whytes wanted to make an example of Billy and publicly humiliate him after how he left the club in the 80's, but not one of The Lions should have been treated with that level of contempt, never mind the fact that every Lion was treated poorly by that board.

 

[boab1916]

Karma visited them when the bunnet landed on Scottish soil.

 

[Niall J]

Goes to show that having an Irish name should never be a credential for getting a job at Celtic.

No doubt he was crippled by an incompetent board, but that shouldn't detract from the fact that he was a useful (but ultimately useless) tool for them.

There's still a part of me that thinks that the Kellys and the Whytes wanted to make an example of Billy and publicly humiliate him after how he left the club in the 80's, but not one of The Lions should have been treated with that level of contempt, never mind the fact that every Lion was treated poorly by that board.

I was a bit young to really realise just what an odious individual he actually was. Was already thinking about writing something up on him. Court case against his dismissal etc. Been an interesting read today. Any anectodes you have most welcome!
As for McNeill you can't argue results were poor but strikes me it was way too easy to blame Billy. By that season it was all unravelling off the field. The inconsistency on the park mirrored the mess at boardroom level. Kinda glad I was young at the time and only interested on the guys on the park on a Saturday.

 

[Spherical Planet]

I was a bit young to really realise just what an odious individual he actually was. Was already thinking about writing something up on him. Court case against his dismissal etc. Been an interesting read today. Any anectodes you have most welcome!
As for McNeill you can't argue results were poor but strikes me it was way too easy to blame Billy. By that season it was all unravelling off the field. The inconsistency on the park mirrored the mess at boardroom level. Kinda glad I was young at the time and only interested on the guys on the park on a Saturday.

Billy achieved the mission objective in 88. He knew the game was up when we were having to selling Frankie Mac and they were outbidding us for Judas.

Think that whole episode completely shattered Billy and that the game had changed for the worse.

A man who played for glory (and by God, did he earn it) watching cold-hard cash become king of everything

 

[kelly]

Met him in shell garage on the London rd day after and he chatted away a real gentleman felt for him that was the begining of the end for the shysters that ran us Cassiday was an arrogant bastard

 

[Niall J]

Billy achieved the mission objective in 88. He knew the game was up when we were having to selling Frankie Mac and they were outbidding us for Judas.

Think that whole episode completely shattered Billy and that the game had changed for the worse.

A man who played for glory (and by God, did he earn it) watching cold-hard cash become king of everything

That's interesting as obviously i'm looking into Brady's first season at the moment. Cascarino, Slater, Payton, McAvennie comes back. Suddenly the money returns (despite how it was spent). Gives weight to your argument I must say, and I hadn't considered it-Cesar was hung out to dry

 

[Niall J]

Met him in shell garage on the London rd day after and he chatted away a real gentleman felt for him that was the begining of the end for the shysters that ran us Cassiday was an arrogant bastard

Can you remember how the fans felt at the time? Billy had to go or anger at the sacking?

 

[boab1916]

Billy achieved the mission objective in 88. He knew the game was up when we were having to selling Frankie Mac and they were outbidding us for Judas.

Think that whole episode completely shattered Billy and that the game had changed for the worse.

A man who played for glory (and by God, did he earn it) watching cold-hard cash become king of everything

I was young and went up to the front of Celtic park one day hoping to get an autograph as the players returned from Barrowfield, it was cold and i moved up to the main entrance to the side, Billy McNeil appeared, he was wearing his training gear and flip flops obviously back before the squad and he beckoned me to the door and said they are on their way son, the guy was bigger than any of the players i was waiting on and to me i thought he must have been some size when sparring for the ball, great guy and a giant. He took a moment of his time and the fact he spoke to me and acknowledged me, that to me meant more than any of autographs that day.

 

[boab1916]

That's interesting as obviously i'm looking into Brady's first season at the moment. Cascarino, Slater, Payton, McAvennie comes back. Suddenly the money returns (despite how it was spent). Gives weight to your argument I must say, and I hadn't considered it-Cesar was hung out to dry

Or the knife in Cesar's back.

 

[Spherical Planet]

Can you remember how the fans felt at the time? Billy had to go or anger at the sacking?

That Motherwell game was a shocker, Niall. It's not necessarily the fact that the change took place, it was the way the change took place that was the issue.

Billy could have been offered a senior role 'upstairs', but that was a public execution he got that day. True to his manner though, Billy walked out the front door and faced the crowd after a shitty season and a particularly shitty result. The fact that there was a crowd there will let you know the contempt that the board held for Billy, as word obviously spread from the inside before he was axed.

 

[Niall J]

I was young and went up to the front of Celtic park one day hoping to get an autograph as the players returned from Barrowfield, it was cold and i moved up to the main entrance to the side, Billy McNeil appeared, he was wearing his training gear and flip flops obviously back before the squad and he beckoned me to the door and said they are on their way son, the guy was bigger than any of the players i was waiting on and to me i thought he must have been some size when sparring for the ball, great guy and a giant. He took a moment of his time and the fact he spoke to me and acknowledged me, that to me meant more than any of autographs that day.

That's the memories that stick Boab not a scrawled autograph. HH

 

[Niall J]

That Motherwell game was a shocker, Niall. It's not necessarily the fact that the change took place, it was the way the change took place that was the issue.

Billy could have been offered a senior role 'upstairs', but that was a public execution he got that day. True to his manner though, Billy walked out the front door and faced the crowd after a shitty season and a particularly shitty result. The fact that there was a crowd there will let you know the contempt that the board held for Billy, as word obviously spread from the inside before he was axed.

Sounds like a job amongst that nest of vipers would have been a worse fate SP. Shameful way to treat a true legend. Mind you thre was previous wasn't there? Stein and Celtic Pools job etc. Imagine how much those families creamed from Celtic?

 

[kelly]

Can you remember how the fans felt at the time? Billy had to go or anger at the sacking?

The anger was more towards the board and Cassiday in particular (who was like doncastor and Reagan rolled into one )fans were starting to take a closer look at how Celtic were operating and how the board were operating , i would say from that day on

Fans had to much respect for Billy and it was more in the way he was treated than anything else , he deserved respect he got none that day

we laugh at sevcos banter years but during that time we stumbled from one disaster to another ,old fella on our bus used to say when you see the parkhead fox bailing out ,you know were in the shit

 

[kelly]

Sounds like a job amongst that nest of vipers would have been a worse fate SP. Shameful way to treat a true legend. Mind you thre was previous wasn't there? Stein and Celtic Pools job etc. Imagine how much those families creamed from Celtic?

Kellys PR company was at the bottom of bothwell street at the time my mate was delivering his mail and had the balls to ask if there was any chance of getting a ticket for a game
he got short shrift from then on

 

[kelly]

Or the knife in Cesar's back.

No better description

 

[michael duffy]

Whites,kelly's Cassidy, bastaaarts the lot of them,when they did that to Billy that day, they're cards were marked,they came under scrutiny big time from the fan's, resultin in the arrival of the "bunnet" karma's a bitch! Hail Cesar! ☘

 

[Niall J]

The anger was more towards the board and Cassiday in particular (who was like doncastor and Reagan rolled into one )fans were starting to take a closer look at how Celtic were operating and how the board were operating , i would say from that day on

Fans had to much respect for Billy and it was more in the way he was treated than anything else , he deserved respect he got none that day

we laugh at sevcos banter years but during that time we stumbled from one disaster to another ,old fella on our bus used to see when you see the parkhead fox bailing out ,you know were in the shit

Sounds very much like they brought scrutiny on themselves. A rod for their own back.

 

[kelly]

Sounds very much like they brought scrutiny on themselves. A rod for their own back.

They showed there hand that day it was the best self move they ever made because it woke a support up from that day on they showed utter contemp from that day on
Sure their will be old videos on you tube of old interviews the board new best what was for Celtic and these fans were only causing trouble these people had no place at Celtic ffs for questioning how the club was run we were to stupid as a support to scrutinize Celtic football club


Remember going to the clyde halls after work one night with a mate to a celts for change rally thinking just be a group of fans no more than maybe 16-20 , we could hardly get in it was rammed full , the arrogance of Michael Kelly and Cassidy was a major factor i beleive in bringing about change at the club and bringing the support together to make a stand , that in itself was met with resistance by twats in the trough but thats another story