Peter Grant was a highly appreciated player at Celtic and one of the most underrated players of his time.
In the modern game, Scotland might find it hard to lure some of the top players to the Premiership, especially from the English Premier League, because of the money.
But once upon a time, Celtic could financially match teams in England, and have some top performers donning their famous green and white colours.
One man, who is now proving to be a record-breaker as an international manager, was constantly talked about joining Celtic, according to Grant, and that’s a certain Steve Clarke.
Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty ImagesScotland coach Steve Clarke was ‘always’ talked about joining Celtic
Clarke might be boring Scotland fans now as the national manager, because his football is pretty diabolical to watch.
But he was a serious player during his days on the pitch, and Grant told Go Radio he was ‘always’ talked about joining Celtic.
Grant explained that Celtic were looking for a replacement for the ‘great Danny McGrain’, but a move for Clarke didn’t materialise, as he went on to have a ‘great’ career elsewhere.
“When I was at Celtic, Steve Clarke was one who was always mentioned to come and play for Celtic,” said Grant.
“He would have been a terrific player, at the moment in time. After the great Danny McGrain, we struggled a little bit to get someone for that position. Stevie was one who was mentioned all the time with Celtic.
“But then, all of a sudden, he had a fantastic career. Even in his coaching, he has worked under some fantastic managers.”
Billy Dodds: “Quite strong and aggressive. You worry as a player. See the guy who is booting you; he just doesn’t say a word to you.
“But Clarkey, zilch. Nothing. Right, okay, he is coming again.”
Clarke’s career stats
In the modern game, it’s the norm for players to represent several clubs across the board, as Clarke only played for St Mirren and Chelsea during his playing days.
This was during a time before the money was thrown into Stamford Bridge and the crazy trophy success of the Roman Abramovich era.
Despite Clarke hanging up his boots in 1998, he still picked up three trophies at Chelsea and made over 400 appearances for the London club.
Games for Chelsea: 405Trophies: European Cup Winners’ Cup, FA Cup, and League CupScotland caps: 6