Billy McNeill

Wife in Daily Record saying he has had dementia for 7 years, has lost his speech for 18 months and not sure how much he now remembers of his life and career.

Was only our manager for a year and I was just a young loon at the time so memories are a bit sketchy but from what i do remember he was very much a part of signing or bringing through a fair whack of the players who would win the first league title of Fergie's reign.

As a general nurse of over 25 years I am also acutely aware of the savage nature of this terrible group of diseases and its impact on the sufferer and their loved ones. I'd rather have any type of cancer than this cruel disease.

Best wishes to Billy and all his family.

Very sad news, laid a lot of the groundwork for Fergie.  Signed Strachan and Archibald.  Apparently his wife was well hacked off when he took the sellick job. 

Sad to hear.

  Went to my first game during his tenure,and we were unlucky not to win a trophy in the short time he was with us.Think he felt 'obliged' to take the Celtic job rather than wanting to leave,....his wife certainly didnt want to.

  Best wishes to him and family

There was some recent noise about the correlation between heading the ball and dementia etc.

I know McNeill's brother-in-law who lives in Stonehaven. That's where Billy and his family lived and they all loved their time in the North East. The chapter on Scotland in the book I'm reading just now by "the secret footballer" was a first hand account of the effects of living in Glasgow as an OF player. I can just imagine the ugliness that a Celtic legend would've had to endure from the knuckle-dragging blue half of the city.

I know McNeill's brother-in-law who lives in Stonehaven. That's where Billy and his family lived and they all loved their time in the North East.

He's a character DC, and nae mistake.

Good pal of mine, though I've seen less and less of him last few years living oop North.

How did you have the dubious privilege of making his acquaintance?

Got to know Billy a wee bit through the aforementioned bro-in-law, and hung with him at a few social functions (as well as enjoying a hungover breakfast at his house after a wedding in Dumbarton many, many moons ago but that's a long story) and he's a genuine toff of a guy.

Sad to hear of his health trevails, hope he can get the better of it and have some sort of decent quality of life in his twilight years.

He's a character DC, and nae mistake.

Good pal of mine, though I've seen less and less of him last few years living oop North.

 

How did you have the dubious privilege of making his acquaintance?

Last seen him in the Station hotel bar a year or so back. Must've first met him 20-25 years ago. Can't remember how we first met but as we lived in Stoney when we first came back from overseas, it may have been through the golf as we had a mutual acquaintance. Have been a customer and a supplier to him and his wife's business back in the day. Good guy. Genuine.

Last seen him in the Station hotel bar a year or so back. Must've first met him 20-25 years ago. Can't remember how we first met but as we lived in Stoney when we first came back from overseas, it may have been through the golf as we had a mutual acquaintance. Have been a customer and a supplier to him and his wife's business back in the day. Good guy. Genuine.

It'll be 25 years this October since I left the St Tropez of the North East for the Highlands (being a Stoney loon born and raised) so I doubt our paths would've crossed therein?

Oddly, the last time I crossed paths with him would've been in the Station (I used to be a stalwart for the Station darts team many, many moons ago) on a visit hame about a year ago (a pattern emerges.......).

He got in touch with me since then asking me to compere one of his "Smokers" (I'm nae sure if him and Mr Beat are still doing as many?)  he was doing for Cowie Thistle (my auld fitba team) but sadly I couldnae make it.

It'll be 25 years this October since I left the St Tropez of the North East for the Highlands (being a Stoney loon born and raised) so I doubt our paths would've crossed therein?

 

Oddly, the last time I crossed paths with him would've been in the Station (I used to be a stalwart for the Station darts team many, many moons ago) on a visit hame about a year ago (a pattern emerges.......).

 

He got in touch with me since then asking me to compere one of his "Smokers" (I'm nae sure if him and Mr Beat are still doing as many?)  he was doing for Cowie Thistle (my auld fitba team) but sadly I couldnae make it.

Roddy? Yeah I know him an a. Yeah they two were thick as thieves.

May know you to look at and our paths may have crossed. I was 94 to 99 in Stoney then back for a few years until 4 years ago when we moved to a more civilised environment

Don't like Stoney. Soft but crazy. Too parochial e.g. Hamilton Accies / niggers etc. but the school was good and did our kids very well.

Roddy? Yeah I know him an a. Yeah they two were thick as thieves.

 

May know you to look at and our paths may have crossed. I was 94 to 99 in Stoney then back for a few years until 4 years ago when we moved to a more civilised environment

 

Don't like Stoney. Soft but crazy. Too parochial e.g. Hamilton Accies / niggers etc. but the school was good and did our kids very well.

There is a chance our paths crossed, I was a more regular visitor back in the early/mid 90s.

Deeply saddened by this news.

Had the pleasure of playing with Bily in a licensed trade golf outing in the late 90's at Kilmarnock Barassie.

A nice gentleman you'd struggle to meet.

Once he found out I was a Dandy we had a great blether about his time there.

He thinks back on his time in the North with great fondness and spoke with real affection about Dick Donald and Chris Anderson. He felt bad about cutting his time so short in Aberdeen but in his words the lure of Celtic was just too great and as has already been said his wife wasn't happy about leaving the North East. Certainly played in part in our future glories with some of his signings.

A couple of years later I was shopping in Glasgow with the missus and got a tap on the shoulder. Turned round and there was Billy & Liz. Must have stood for about fifteen minutes having a blether with us.

Wishing them all the best with what is just a horrible disease. 

As good a place as any to post this.

Mcneill's former team mate Tommy Gemmell passed away.

I got into a bit of trouble over on AbMad for pointing out that the Celtic team of original 9 in a row fame

wasn't particularly hated.

They were a great team and deserved respect.

Not that any of that respect carried over past the mid seventies.

McNeill himself was very respected and having met the man I can understand why.

As has been said before he is a gentleman.

RIP

Sad news

As good a place as any to post this.

Mcneill's former team mate Tommy Gemmell passed away.

Sorry Al, i never sawthis before starting the other thread.

Billy McNeill's birthday today also

Sorry Al, i never sawthis before starting the other thread.

 

Billy McNeill's birthday today also

No neecto apologise. Was going ot start a new topic myself but did'nt want the board full of Celtic related threads.

Will merge them together. 

No neecto apologise. Was going ot start a new topic myself but did'nt want the board full of Celtic related threads.

Will merge them together. 

Aye min, but its times like these colours don't matter! 

Aye min, but its times like these colours don't matter! 

Agree with that also.