I watched the BBC documentary on Wednesday night about the Lisbon Lions and I have to say that on so many counts it blew me away.

That team were nothing short of phenomenal – and I don’t know that I have always appreciated just how outstanding they were. They were a brilliant, brilliant football team with a manager at the helm who was miles ahead of his time.

I also think too, on the social element of it, that when you watch the sheer numbers of supporters who made the journey to Lisbon, just how big a deal that was. You forget that back in 1967 not only was it unheard of to jump on a plane to Europe, but also how expensive it was to an ordinary punter.

And yet, they got there by hook or by crook and I honestly believe the volume of support really encouraged Celtic to keep up the relentlessness of the way they played against Inter Milan.

I say that because, in 1970, when we played in the San Siro against Feyenoord, we were shocked when they outnumbered us. They made so much noise that they left our fans pretty silent and that did have an effect on the game, albeit that there were many reasons why we didn’t win that match.

But what really struck me about the Lions in the documentary was how fit they were, how they had to be to be able to sustain that kind of football in that heat.

I read Peter Lawwell this week say that there were parallels to be drawn between Jock Stein and Brendan Rodgers and I can see exactly where he is coming from. In both men, you see similarities not only in how they want their players to play, but in terms of the fitness levels, the way they have been able to get the best out of players.

Like Stein, Rodgers has tweaked the team that he inherited without entirely overhauling it but he has really brought the absolute best out of them. I think he will be enthused now at taking the club onto the next level and I firmly believe that Rodgers is well on his way to leaving his own legacy at Celtic.