As a youngster I had the considerable privilege of meeting the great Liverpool manager Bill Shankly.
I was about 10 years old at the time and was standing by myself in a corridor at Melwood, Liverpool's training ground.
'Shanks' walked towards me, the metal tips on his shoe heels clicking on the stone floor.
My throat went dry and my heart pounded.
I was all a quiver.
"You must be Geoff's boy?" he asked, referring to my dad, in his inimitable Scottish brogue.
Before I could confirm he ruffled my hair and added: "You've got a fine head of hair, son."
I tried to respond but nothing more than a feint "yeah" came out of my arid mouth.
It was all very incidental I suppose but he walked away leaving me to recover from meeting the biggest character in English football at the time.
I mention Shankly as he was revered for many things.
He was a great football manager who laid the foundations for the considerable successes enjoyed by Liverpool for decades, but the Scotsman was also a great orator and delivered some memorable lines and phrases.
Shankly's words were delivered with the right intention but if I could some how bump into 'Shanks' now as someone in my late 40s I would try and convince him otherwise
Geoff Twentyman
"Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I'm very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that," is perhaps his most famous offering.
But this week several Bristol football fans have come to seriously test that theory for me.
Rovers fan Robin Schols is one.
He is recovering from an operation to have a tumour the size of a golf ball removed from his head.
Amazingly Robin called into Radio Bristol's Saturday Sport last weekend from his bed in Frenchay Hospital.
We chatted on the radio for several minutes which was quite amazing. Robin's biggest concern was when he would next see his beloved team in action.
The great news is that the tumour is benign and Robin should make a complete recovery.
Another Rovers fan, Terry Rashleigh, has this week donated a kidney to his wife.
His other half, Colleen, has been on dialysis for nearly two years after having her kidneys removed.
They hope the transplant will save her life.
Speaking with Terry on the radio before the operation his biggest concern was when he would next see his beloved football team in action. Priceless.
Of course Shankly's words were delivered with the right intention but if I could somehow bump into 'Shanks' now as someone in my late 40's I would try and convince him otherwise.
Football remains a fantastic sport. It wrestles with the emotions and affects so many people in so many different ways.
It remains the "people's sport" but I firmly believe Terry and Robin's experiences put football and life into a sharp perspective.
Geoff presents the 'Twentyman Talks Back' football phone-in at 1900 GMT on Fridays on BBC Radio Bristol and BBC Radio Somerset. If you missed the latest programme, listen to it now.
What's your view on Geoff's article ....
There are times when it feels as though football is more important than life or death; when embarking on the journey home after an ignominious thrashing by a team based on the other side of the country, or when involved in 'banter' with a supporter of the other Bristol club for example.
However, I've seen enough life in my 53 years on this earth to realise that, in the words of 'Rick' (the character played by Humphrey Bogart in the film 'Casablanca'):
"It ain't worth a hill of beans in this crazy world".
Peter, Bristol
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