Scottish football lost one of its true greats this week with the passing of Walter Smith.
His death came as a devastating blow to everyone connected with Rangers, but the news had a wider effect, touching all of us who knew him, and it was no surprise to hear and read the tributes which poured in from across the globe.
We knew Walter had been ill for some time, but that did not make it any easier to digest.
Having been brought up at a time when the world of professional football was a very different place, he emerged from the school of hard knocks, and possessed the steely side you needed to survive back then.
I always felt Walter had an air of indestructibility about him; this week was a poignant reminder of one of life’s few certainties.
When I started at the BBC media access to clubs was better, and much less restricted than it is now. Instead of weekly news conferences staged in front of boards plastered with sponsors’ logos, interviews were done on a one-to-one basis over a cuppa in the manager’s office, and it was during those years that I built up what was, overall I think, a relationship borne of mutual respect.
You never got an easy interview with Walter though. Unlike others in the profession, he listened keenly to every question, fixing you with his unwavering gaze, and he could be quite intimidating when he chose to be. But he never shirked any issue and answered every question.
He also had a superb, dry sense of humour, and was excellent company. I loved listening to him talking about the game, the occasions, and the individuals he had encountered during his success-strewn career. He knew everyone, and he seemed to have a story about all of them!
Back in 1998 when Rangers were attempting to close out 10 In A Row they lost 1-0 to Aberdeen one Sunday afternoon thanks to a glancing header from current Dons boss, Stephen Glass. With just three matches remaining, it essentially ended their dream, Wim Jansen leading Celtic to the title.
At the time, I was working with Walter and an independent filmmaker, producing an official video covering his life and career. The morning after the loss at Pittodrie, I was standing at his front door with some trepidation. I rang the bell, he answered, looked me up and down, and said: “I can’t believe they’ve sent a f**king sheepy today of all days” and promptly slammed it shut.
He quickly reopened it with a wry smile on his face, welcomed me in, and spent the next few hours wallowing in nostalgia. It was one of the most enjoyable interviews of my career.
There is no point in me running through his many triumphs in this column, they have been fully detailed elsewhere, and though I greatly admired his professional attributes and talents, I will remember him more for his personal qualities.
He could be a hard man, no doubt about that, but he also had a heart of gold, and there was a warmth in Walter that many will not have had the chance to appreciate.
He was a lovely guy, and he will be greatly missed, but certainly never forgotten.
Embarrassing penalty decision didn’t dampen positivity of Aberdeen revival
The Dons’ revival continued in midweek and would have looked even stronger had they not been cheated out of victory at Ibrox.
The game swung on an embarrassing, but hardly unexpected, decision by referee John Beaton to award Rangers another controversial penalty, and hand them the opportunity to snatch a point.
Only the official, and inexplicably, the Sportscene pundits, thought it was a spot-kick, and the frustration of Stephen Glass and his players was entirely understandable.
That should, however, take nothing away from what was another encouraging performance, and the sight of Scott Brown scoring and celebrating, was a joy to behold.
The team is still taking small steps towards recovery and the defence will again be patched-up today, but there are good signs, and reasons to believe they can end Hearts’ unbeaten run.
If they do, it will cap off a highly impressive week, one in which the manager and players have risen to the massive challenge they were facing.