Tommy had died. For the staff, it was too much for us.

There was a profound poignancy rather than exhilaration because Tommy Burns had died a week earlier, with the funeral taking place two days before the game.  After the title had been won, the Celtic squad re-emerged in T-shirts bearing his image.

Strachan had a cuppa.  ‘I am a tea addict,’ he says.  ‘I’ll only drink on special occasions.  After that I thought, “Right.  It’s been a real hard year.”  I wanted to make sure my family were all right because they were at the game.  The woman who is always there offered me a cup of tea.  Tommy had died.  I had to celebrate but I didn’t feel like celebrating.  For the staff, it was too much for us.

Strachan would also say that ‘being Tommy’s mate was the best part of joining Celtic’.

From Celtic: A biography in Nine Lives, by Kevin McCarra.

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