By Graeme Murty, Club Captain
It seems many moons ago Tommy signed me for Reading.

He was such a genuine person and he was always the same through good times and bad times. He never felt the need to change and that gave me an indication of how I wanted to live my life.

Everybody who knew him said he was a nice guy and he was also a real football man. Everything he did showed the character and the integrity of the man.

I remember the day he was let go. He called me into his office and I had hardly played for him because I had been injured so often.

Other people might have been looking for someone else to blame but he just said, "Murts, I'm leaving and I want you to show every day in training what a good player you are."

My dad is a Celtic fan, and when Reading made an offer, my dad didn't want to know about the money or anything else, he just told me to sign because Tommy Burns would see me right.

It is a massive loss to the football world. The last time I saw him was with the Scotland squad and he was giving me loads of grief! But he was always the first to ask about my family. He always took an interest in you as a person.

I have been fortunate to work under some very good managers, including Steve Coppell as well as Tommy, and if I can't learn valuable lessons from people like that then it will be my own fault.

Tommy's passing puts everything in perspective.