PAUL McSTAY captained Celtic throughout the club's most miserable years during which the bank closed in, the fans stayed away and Rangers roared towards Nine-in-a-Row.
But during the boycotts, humiliations on the park and having to play alongside some of the worst to ever wear the hoops, Wayne Biggins springs to mind, at least the club, even back then, avoided one pitfall.
In the darkest days, and no matter who the Celtic manager happened to be, the team always went with two strikers. Changed days.
McStay has lived in Sydney for the past six years but has kept a close eye on what has been going on during the Ronny Deila reign.
The now 52-year-old, who has a long-awaited autobiography out later this year, has been left as frustrated as any other supporter with the Norwegian's refusal to change his system of having only one striker in the starting eleven.
“It’s not the Celtic way. I agree with you,” said McStay who played 678 times for the club. “When I got into the game it was the 4-4-2, or 4-3-3 with Davie Provan or wee Joe Miller playing wide.
"There was always two through the middle and I think that is one of the most exciting things about Celtic over many years.
“The dynamic of the two up-front, be it Frank McAvennie and Andy Walker, Charlie Nicholas and George McCluskey or Frank McGarvey, people like that. I found that one of the exciting things about playing for Celtic was those partnerships.
“Why Ronny goes with one up front, I am not sure. Maybe that is how the game is progressed and that is what is required.
"But on Sunday if he had played with two up-front, or at least two wide men pressing a bit more up the park, then Rangers would not have been as comfortable on the ball.
“It has worked this year, at least domestically, in that they are top of the league, but as for the entertainment side, do the fans like to see that? Probably not.
“In days gone by Charlie had about 50 goals by Christmas and Murdo McLeod would have scored a lot as well. Part of the disappointment of Celtic fans is that aspect. They have not been at entertaining as Celtic teams of the past."
McStay's words will ring a bell with his fellow fans, he was keen to claim that is all he is these days, and what the support would give to watch someone of this Celtic legend's elegance.
Those who say he wasn't much of a player know nothing of football. The guy was brilliant. It was his bad luck, and bad choices, which meant he spent too many years at Celtic Park when he should have joined Sampdoria in 1992.
In today's team, however, another teenager from Lanarkshire, a supporter who came through the ranks, is making a name for himself just as McStay did in 1981.
Kieran Tierney has been a revelation. He was Celtic's best player against Rangers, great for him but his more senior team-mate should be ashamed of this fact, and he caught the eye of McStay who was at the match.
He said: "His performance on Sunday suggested he had been playing there for a few years. In terms of pressing Kieran is probably the only one who led the team that way, pressing and closing down.
“I was sitting with my Dad and my brothers Willie and Raymond in the stand close to where Kieran was playing in the first half and sometimes he had two or three players round about him.
“But he was working so hard to close down and I didn’t see much communication round about him.
“He was left to do it himself on Sunday but he handled it very well. He looked to be tiring but he still found that energy to get up and create that goal in extra time."
McStay knows better than anyone what Tierney is going through right now. His advice? To live for the moment.
He said: "I just think Kieran should enjoy his development at Celtic. There are a lot of similar things because he is in the team early, he travelled to watch Celtic with his family and he’s a Celtic supporter.
“So I’m sure he wants to enjoy as many years there as he can – enjoy success and win trophies. I think that will be foremost in his mind.
“He is living the dream so I hope he does that for as long as he wants to do it.
“If he moves down the line then that’s the way football is. That’s a decision he will make.
“He just has to learn the game. He’s young and done great. He has also made his international debut which is fantastic and that’s great for the Scottish game, not just Celtic, that there is a young talent like that coming through."
The McStay name is the most famous in Celtic history and even now that family is making a huge contribution to the club.
“It was my Dad, John, who identified Kieran at a very young age so for us from a family point of view it’s great to see him progressing the way he is," revealed McStay.
“Keiran was playing over at Wishaw as an eight-year-old. It was the usual flat cap on the sidelines. He’s not got a bad eye for players, has he?"
At that point, McStay senior said: "I only stayed 10 minutes and then went home." It was all he needed
Paul McStay’s autobiography ‘The Maestro’ is available at www.kickstarter.com/projects/maestrosports/1540733687?token=e20d109d
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