TOMMY BURNS sold Celtic to Tommy Johnson so well the striker didn’t even consider his wages before committing to a move.
The late great Burns was the number one factor for the Geordie in heading to Parkhead from Aston Villa in a stunning £2.3 million deal in 1997.
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Now Johnston believes Brendan Rodgers will prove just as persuasive an attraction for Celtic’s summer transfer targets as the Hoops set out for five-in-a-row and Champions League qualification.
The 54-year-old – 23 goals in 50 games for the Celts between 1997-2001 – has been dazzled for long enough by his former club’s recruitment success.
Johnson used to be a respected talent-spotter before moving to Northern Ireland for a role with the IFA’s coaching education set-up.
But while the size of Celtic, its illustrious history, huge fan-base and fabled stadium are all sizeable carrots for signing targets, Johnson reckons who the manager is can prove to be the decisive element.
Celtic are still coming to terms with the crushing Scottish Cup final defeat to Aberdeen that denied them a sixth Treble in nine seasons.
But Rodgers is even more determined to strengthen his squad with top quality captures.
And Johnson, talking before Saturday’s showpiece, is backing him to be a major lure.
He said: “The manager is huge.
“I was Tommy Burns’ last signing and after he spoke to me I was coming to Celtic. He was unbelievable.
“One, because he wanted you in the first place.
“When I did sign I was told they’d been keeping an eye on me for a few years. They’d seen me at Derby and kept an eye on me.
“I remember flying up to speak to the club and while I had nothing to do with the finances, I was going to sign anyway.
“The agents, they sorted that.
“Me? I was sat in the first team dressing room with the gaffer for an hour, two hours. Just talking about what he wanted me to do and how they planned to progress the club.
“Tommy was a massive, massive pull for me to join Celtic.
“Yes, when you know Celtic want you then you want to sign. But, the manager’s also very important, it’s what they say to you.
“I was so excited when I came up to Celtic and met the gaffer. It was frightening, I couldn’t wait to get it all done and dusted.
“I just wanted to sign and get playing for Celtic.
“It’s incredible how many trophies they’ve won over recent years.
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“We did the Treble in 2001 and that was amazing. It was the first one in a long time.
“But now Celtic are EXPECTED to win it.
“Rangers are obviously going to come back at some stage, but we don’t know when.
“And that will be good for the Premier League.
“But for Celtic, the selling point is obviously the manager, the fans, the stadium and winning trophies and playing in the Champions League.
“Their recruitment’s been unbelievable.
“Obviously, you get some wrong, which we all do.
“But, I think what’s happened with Celtic and then you look at Rangers’ recruitment, I don’t think they’re too happy over there.
“But Celtic have just nailed it so many times. They never break the bank to get players but they always sell them for a profit.
“It’s been very good for Celtic for long enough now.”
The business of sourcing new players and tracking them has changed incredibly – Tony Bloom’s world-renowned Jamestown Analytics one of the highest profile examples of data technology driving the intense search for tomorrow’s big stars.
It’s proved transformational at Brighton – creating breathtaking transfer sales revenue while establishing them in the Premier League – plus even more spectacularly at Belgian outfit Union Saint-Gilloise who have just clinched their first top flight title for 90-years, only four years after promotion.
Bloom has a controlling stake at the Seagulls while he has a shareholding in USG and, fascinatingly, looks poised to have a £10 million investment in Hearts rubber-stamped by fans.
Johnson, though, is still a firm believer in good old fashioned scouting methods.
He said: “The recruitment scene has changed dramatically in a short period of time; it’s all analysis, video, scouts, AI is massive now and I think that’s just going to take over.
“I was in an era where you had to have eyes on a player, you simply had to go and watch them. Not just during games but even in the warm-up where you still picked up little details.
“I think you need to watch them in games. You’ve got to do proper due diligence.
“It was a lot of money when I played, but it’s gone even further now.
“What you’ve got to do now behind the scenes, there’s the need to make sure they’re good characters first and foremost.
“Everyone’s different.
“Martin O’Neill – the gaffer – had first class man-management. He knew when you needed a b* and he knew when you needed an arm round your shoulder.
“It’s about knowing your players. Have they got family, are they married, have they got kids, are they on their own, what are they doing off the pitch?
“You have to take all of that into account because there’s so much money involved.
“Celtic were brilliant in the Champions League this season but every year it becomes more difficult and expectations now have risen. The fans will be expecting it.
“I suppose it depends on the summer, who they sign and who leaves.
“Can they keep sustaining it, can they keep doing it on a regular basis, can they go to the next stage?”
Johnson – who netted two hat-tricks for Celtic and got the goal that won Martin O’Neill’s first title here – declared another key trait for any Hoops capture.
He said: “The mental side of it, yes, you have to be prepared for everything that comes with being a player for one of the big two in the city.
“You’ve got to be able to handle it.
“You’re playing in front of 60,000 who, while not baying for blood, are demanding you win every week.
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“There’s a lot to cope with.”
*TOMMY JOHNSON was speaking at John Hartson’s foundation’s annual golf event at Trump Turnberry. John has been raising awareness about testicular cancer with his ‘Grab Life By the Balls’ campaign.
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