It's rest and be thankful for kids

To the fans, asking a 19-year-old to play two matches in four days should not be a major problem.

But you do have to be careful with youngsters as their bodies are not fully developed at that stage of their career.

I did have to laugh, however, when I considered any one of the Quality Street Gang suggesting to Jock Stein we felt too tired to play.

He would have handed you a bus ticket to go home and rest - a single, not a return.

We would not have dared. That said, it never got to that stage because he was a master at taking us out for a rest - even when we felt we were still playing well.

Jock was the best sports scientist ever, and knew instinctively when a player's levels were likely to drop.

When you did get back into the side, you were all the more determined to show him he was wrong to drop you - even though, deep down, you knew he was right.

In the current Celtic side, young Callum McGregor was asked to play in all of the first 15 games until a virus ruled him out.

I reckon the signs were already there he was starting to struggle.

He'll benefit from having had a few weeks out and will be ready to go again, which is important because Celtic are about to embark on a crucial series of matches.

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