With
the passing of former Killie player and manager, Tommy Burns, long time
Killie fan, Davie Ross (webmaster of
www.scottishleague.net )
shared his memories of "TB"...................
"Such very sad news. My heartfelt condolences go
out to Tommy's family and his many, many friends both in and out of
football.
Tommy Burns was first, foremost and last a Celtic man and it is only
right and proper that his lifelong dedication to Celtic takes pride of
place in the many tributes being paid to him today. But he was also a
Kilmarnock player for four and a half seasons and manager for over two
years and it is his time at Rugby Park that will bring back many fond
memories for Killie fans as they absorb this dreadful news.
When
Tommy left Celtic in December 1989 he had offers from several Premier
Division clubs but he opted instead for Kilmarnock, then in the Second
Division. It was a move which surprised most. But the persuasive powers
of new Killie chairman Bobby Fleeting, coupled with
the opportunity to move into coaching while continuing to play,
convinced Tommy it was the right move to take.
For both player and club it turned out to be a wise choice. By signing
Tommy Burns, Fleeting was sending out a signal that the long decline of
Kilmarnock FC was at an end. Tommy's signing was the catalyst which
launched Kilmarnock back towards the big time in Scottish football and
convinced others to join him at
Rugby Park.
After all, if Kilmarnock was good enough for Tommy Burns then it was
good enough for anyone.
At the time it was a move far away from the European and Premier scene
Tommy was used to. His first game for Killie was at Bayview, an occasion
in which the team bus broke down, the players changed into their strips
in taxis, the match was played in monsoon conditions and was abandoned
with several players at risk of hypothermia.
It wasn't much better the first time I saw him in blue-and-white stripes
at a rainy, bitterly cold Shielfield in February 1990. Berwick's stand
roof had been condemned as unsafe and removed, leaving the away
supporters to stand between the soaking wet seats. Tommy orchestrated
proceedings throughout and it was clear to all watching that this was a
player whose abilities were still well beyond the level at which he was
now playing.
Kilmarnock
won promotion that season and two years later when manager Jim Fleeting
left the club Tommy took over as caretaker boss. A successful run at the
end of the 1991-92 season convinced Killie to give him the job
permanently while still retaining his services as a player.
The next two seasons were among the most momentous in Killie's recent
history. On an emotional afternoon in 1993 Burns led Kilmarnock back to
the top division after an absence of a decade. And the next season he
kept them there despite three clubs being relegated that term. With two
games to go Killie were in a relegation spot but a home
victory over Rangers sent them to Easter Road for the final match in
good heart.
Ninety
nail-biting minutes ended in a
0-0
draw and survival. At that time Tommy was a more famous and more
popular Burns in Ayrshire than Rabbie.
Within a few weeks he had departed in circumstances which - in all
honesty - were not the best. But now is not the time to dwell on that.
Suffice to say that Tommy Burns was still held in such high regard at
Rugby Park that he was the first person approached to take over as
manager when
Bobby Williamson left for Hibs in 2002. It didn't work out and Tommy
remained at Celtic, doing a job he loved at a club he adored.
Often when people die we hear and read tributes which verge on the
platitudinous about how nice or how good they were. With Tommy Burns
such tributes not only ring true, they ARE true. Tommy was one of
nature's genuinely nice guys. He was a loving husband and father, a
talented footballer, coach and manager and an all-round good person.
He
was also a man of genuine modesty and humility. I recall interviewing
Tommy for my 125th anniversary history of Killie in 1993-94. Firstly, I
was taken aback by the generous amount of time he was prepared to give
me at a time when the very survival of Kilmarnock FC as a full-time club
depended on his ability to keep them in the top flight. Secondly, I was
struck by his straightforward and modest approach. There was none of the
'great I am' about Tommy Burns. We were the same age but I was just a
humble hack, struggling to write my first book while he was the manager
of a Premier Division side, a player with a medal-strewn career and a
former Scotland international to boot.
Yet throughout our time together he insisted on calling me Mister.
Eventually I had to ask him not to. I was embarrassed to be addressed in
what was almost a deferential manner by this icon of Scottish football.
But
that was Tommy Burns - a gentleman of the game. Yes, a Celtic legend but
thousands of Kilmarnock supporters are grateful not just for his
achievements at Rugby Park but for the opportunity to have seen such a
talented player play for Killie for so long. Ayrshire eyes will well up
with tears today at your passing, Tommy, but our sadness will be mixed
with fond remembrance too as we recall everything you did for our club
and the talent, dedication and ability we were privileged to have
watched.
And at this time of their deepest sorrow, may your family and friends
find some solace in the knowledge that football supporters in Scotland
and beyond are thinking of them and remembering the towering talent we
have lost far, far too soon.
RIP Tommy. You will be missed but never forgotten. "
Do
You Remember Tommy Burns
Here
