I WAS only three weeks into my Celtic first team career when I witnessed at first hand the sheer professionalism and sportsmanship of Billy McNeill. There was the utter delight from the manager at handing a seventeen-year-old rookie his first appearance in the Premier Division against a strong Aberdeen side. It was a bold decision
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hearts | 33 | 21 | 7 | 5 | 58 | 28 | 30 | 70 |
| 2 | Rangers | 33 | 19 | 12 | 2 | 66 | 31 | 35 | 69 |
| 3 | Celtic | 33 | 21 | 4 | 8 | 59 | 35 | 24 | 67 |
| 4 | Motherwell | 33 | 14 | 12 | 7 | 52 | 29 | 23 | 54 |
| 5 | Hibernian | 33 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 51 | 37 | 14 | 51 |
| 6 | Falkirk | 33 | 13 | 7 | 13 | 45 | 48 | -3 | 46 |
| 7 | Dundee United | 33 | 9 | 13 | 11 | 45 | 54 | -9 | 40 |
| 8 | Aberdeen | 33 | 9 | 6 | 18 | 33 | 48 | -15 | 33 |
| 9 | Dundee | 33 | 8 | 9 | 16 | 34 | 53 | -19 | 33 |
| 10 | St Mirren | 33 | 7 | 9 | 17 | 27 | 48 | -21 | 30 |
| 11 | Kilmarnock | 33 | 6 | 10 | 17 | 37 | 65 | -28 | 28 |
| 12 | Livingston | 33 | 1 | 13 | 19 | 35 | 66 | -31 | 16 |
