Saddened indeed to hear about the demise of the great Billy McNeill .... I think all the superlatives have been covered, so Ah'll nae repeat ... but there is one moment which sticks in my mind which is worthy of my respect for the man.
I went along to Pittodrie the day after watching our cup final defeat at Hampden ( after washing off all traces of the scum I got too close to before, during and after the game ) .... and I remember the occasion as a joyous one ... in spite of our defeat - such was the optimism and love of our team ... which, lets not forget, was that ball Ally McLeod got rolling.
Addressing the large crowd at Pittodrie - there to say 'well done' to the team for their effort in reaching the final ( bloody mediocrity accepting happy clappers
) .... McNeill said "I'm Sorry".
It's a wee thing maybe ... but, how often do we hear a manager apologise ( in this case, where there was no call ) to fans? ... a wee thing, but it take's a big man to wear it.
To me, and I suspect most others there that day, not only did his apology sound heartfelt, but along with what he followed with, gave the impression that, despite already being a Celtic legend, he was determined and personally committed to taking Aberdeen to a higher level.
As it turns out, no-one, whether any of us, alive or dead, nor Billy himself could foresee that offer he could not refuse - but we did OK
... and at least in some significant part due to Billy McNeill's contribution.
RIP Billy McNeill MBE, Player, Manager, European Cup Winning Captain, Scottish International, Father, Grandfather, Ambassador, Legend, and by all accounts, a fkn good guy .... for a Tim