Say the name Tommy Burns, and there is one memory which jumps from the heart.

I was going through a tough time in my personal life. I was separating from my family, and anyone who has been through a divorce will tell you it’s never easy. It can be very difficult.

Tommy could see it in my demeanour. He knew something just wasn’t right. To be honest a blind man may have been able to see that it was effecting me. Ultimately I think it was one of the reasons I left Celtic in the end because it was difficult.

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But on this day, Tommy pulled me aside and he said ‘Are you alright?’ and I just said I was fine. He then probed again, saying ‘Come on big man, it’s me you’re talking to.’

We went off and had a little stroll around the whole of Barrowfield after training one day. He said ‘let’s go for a walk’ and we spoke about what felt like everything. Our personal lives, his time at Celtic, Reading and Kilmarnock, and he asked me about my early career.

The football chat was only a small part of it, though. It was really about life and dignity. It was a wonderful couple of hours I had with him.

He was just a really calming soul. He had a great influence.

He was just different class, he was such a great man. He was revered by all the fans, and it’s still hard to think it was 10 years ago this very day we lost him.

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Tommy was a special person to so many across football. But he was a fan of Celtic who went on to play for Celtic, manage Celtic. He lived for Celtic and his family, and he epitomised Celtic and everything that it stands for. The badge, the support.

Everyone who came through the gates at the club he expected that commitment. Not everybody can be a Tommy Burns or a Henrik Larsson or a Chris Sutton, but every single one who signed he expected to learn about what it means to wear that shirt. You have to be fitting to wear it, to live the Celtic way and take your fans to your heart.

He played a big part when Gordon Strachan was there. It wasn’t like that when Martin was there, then he was dealing more with the academy and the youngsters.

But under Gordon he worked very close to him.

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I actually played in his tribute game when he passed away and I think the tributes paid to him at his funeral spoke a lot about what people thought of him.

You ask any Celtic fans who their favourite Celt is and they will talk a lot about the Lisbon Lions to the team under Martin and right up to the side Brendan Rodgers is now working with. But every single Celtic fans will have nice things to say about Tommy because he was really one of them.

A Celtic fan who lived the dream and who wore that jersey with such immense pride. You don’t come across a great man like him every day. There’s only every going to be one Tommy Burns.

The 10 year anniversary of his passing comes at a really poignant moment. Last week the club honoured his memory with a special programme, while supporters displayed a banner at the weekend as the club lifted its seventh league title in a row. Now, they have the chance to make history on Saturday if they claim a double treble. And what a fitting tribute to the great man it would be if they did it.

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There’s no doubt that Brendan will mention Tommy to the players this week as I know he was a massive fan of his. I’ve heard Brendan speak about Tommy, and he’s not the only one.

This weekend against Motherwell the boys have the chance to create their own little bit of history in the Scottish Cup final as another memorable season comes to a close.

If the team in green and white triumph at Hampden, there will be many who will surely have Tommy on their mind.