The first mourners arrived before 9am, after a flurry of text messages passed between the Celtic faithful, alerting them to the passing of one of the club's most revered figures.

By lunchtime, the railings outside the front entrance to Celtic Park were decked with flowers, scarfs, flags and football shirts signed with personal tributes to the man described as a "perfect ambassador for the game".

Among the hundreds of Celtic fans who travelled to Parkhead yesterday to pay their respects to Tommy Burns was comedian Billy Connolly. The lifelong Celtic fan who is patron of the Celtic Foundation, the club's charitable arm, said he was "quite desolate", adding: "I know it was happening, but it doesn't make it much easier.

"I'm here because he was a nice man. He will be missed."

Burns's widespread popularity was marked by the number of fans from other clubs who took the time to pay their own personal tributes at the club's grounds.

Those who left them were greeted with applause by the Hoops fans, many of whom described the usual Old Firm rivalries as suddenly irrelevant.

Steven Boyle, 41, a member of the Govan Emerald supporters' club, said: "At times like this, we all stick together. Tommy was a legend.

"Don't get me wrong, during the 90 minutes of an Old Firm game it's World War Three. But afterwards, Glasgow sticks together, whether it's Celtic or Rangers."

One of the many tributes written on the shirts laid outside the club read: "There was a space in heaven's huddle and God called Tommy Burns."

Many outside Parkhead recounted anecdotes of personal encounters with the man.

Jim Mulholland, 31, a company director from Rutherglen, has at home a letter that Burns wrote to him 12 years ago, in response to a letter of support he penned to the then Celtic manager when Rangers were threatening to win the league for the ninth year in a row.

"You'd expect a lot of managers not to write back but I got a handwritten letter from Tommy Burns. In it, he said he thanked me for my fantastic support and kind words," Mr Mulholland said. "He was the perfect gentleman, he never had a bad word to say about anybody. He was a perfect ambassador for the club."

Over at Ibrox, where around 1000 fans had gathered to see the Rangers team return from their Uefa cup final loss at Manchester on Wednesday night, there were similar expressions of admiration for the Hoops legend.

Douglas McArthur, 45, a construction company owner, recalled one of the many times he met Burns. "He was with another, younger, Celtic player who had just walked past a young boy who was asking for his autograph and ignored him. Tommy hauled the player outside and made him apologise to the boy and sign his shirt. That was the kind of guy he was."

Burns's funeral will be held on Tuesday at St Mary's Church in Calton, Glasgow.