Baillie’s Dad Roger played for the Ibrox club in the 1960s before going on to be a sports prominent journalist at the Sunday Post.
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Lex Baillie recalled lengthy discussions between his father and then-Celtic manager Billy McNeill before the move was completed. Speaking on the Let’s Be Frank podcast he e said: “I think there were a lot of discussions between him and Billy McNeill at the time about whether it was the right thing to do Baillie told former teammate Frank McAvennie on his podcast Let me be Frank.
“There was a lot of head scratching going on. I had no doubt in my mind; I was wanting to play for Celtic.
“If Celtic come looking for you, then there’s not a question.”
Baillie who played his part in the club’s iconic centenary winning side explained that his family members were more concerned about the reaction from others than he was himself. “But they were concerned about how it would land,”he said.
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“It actually wasn’t an issue for me, and rather than online abuse you just got letters. My dad worked for the Sunday Post at the time and they had to field a number of calls.”
The former defender also confirmed stories that some of his father’s Rangers-minded friends distanced themselves after the move. “Absolutely. And that was their loss,”he said.
Despite the initial controversy, Baillie said the issue gradually faded as he established himself at Celtic. He said: “It was fine for me; I was looked after. And I didn’t step straight into the first team or anything like that.
“It was a long time before I got into the first team and played, so everybody was used to me by that stage and knew where my loyalties were.”
5th April 2026; Dens Park, Dundee, Scottish Premiership, Dundee versus Celtic; Celtic interim manager Martin O’Neill and Dundee Manager Steven Pressley greet each other before the match. Photo Vagelis Georgariou
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This isn’t an isolated incident as many similar accounts have been made by several well known individuals before, including Former Ibrox defender Steven Pressley who was on record as saying that he himself was shunned by Ibrox ‘acquaintances’ when he joined Gordon Strachan’s Celtic in 2007.
25/5/1967 European Cup Final Football. Celtic v Internazionale Willie Wallace. Photo: Offside / L’Equipe.
Further back and Lisbon Lion Willie Wallace experienced the same thing back after making his move to Celtic from Hearts in December 1966 when Jock Stein brought the striker in to play alongside Joe McBride.
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Just an Ordinary Bhoy
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Celtic in the Fifties by Matt Corr, in two volumes, both published on 4th September 2026 by Celtic Star Books. Click on image to order.
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