Ray showed his class after a traffic jam
The world of football is mourning because it has lost a legend in Ray Wilkins.
But I’m grieving because I’ve lost a friend. I’m not going to lie – it has been a tough old week.
My phone hasn’t stopped ringing since the news broke of Ray’s passing.
That’s because everybody in football loved the guy and had a tale to tell about him.
I’m no different.
Right from the start, Butch was an absolute gentleman.
I met him for the first time when I was getting started at Ipswich Town in the late 1970s.
We were on our way up at the time, while Chelsea, who Ray was starring for, were on their way down.
We were heading to a game at Stamford Bridge when our bus got stuck in traffic on the King’s Road.
Sir Bobby Robson, our manager at the time, said: “Right, get the kit out!” So we had to undress on the bus and get our football gear on before carrying on our journey.
We were so late that when we eventually got to Stamford Bridge, we had to run straight out onto the pitch from the bus for the kick-off!
The Chelsea players were taking the mick, big style.
They had guys like Ian Britton, from Dundee – who sadly died a couple of years back – plus the likes of Gary Stanley, Kenny Swain, Micky Droy and Chopper Harris.
Yet despite all the experience in their team, Ray Wilkins was their captain.
He was only young at the time, as I was, but I remember admiring him on the ball.
He was a great player, with great awareness. He was elegant – that’s the best word. While the other Chelsea players were laughing at us for running off the team bus with our kit on, Ray never did.
Afterwards, he came up to me and started chatting.
“Who are you, son?” he asked. “Where are you from? You’ve got a great left foot.”
He was genuinely interested in me, and genuinely friendly. I never forgot that.
Over the years, we played against each other loads of times.
When I went to Spurs, I remember facing him when we played Manchester United, then we were like ships in the night when I moved to Old Trafford, just weeks after he had left for AC Milan.
I think United used half his transfer fee to pay for me!
God, there are so many memories . . . We played against each other when England came to Hampden in 1982, and my Ipswich Town team-mate Paul Mariner scored to secure a 1-0 win over us.
Then there are the countless times we were on the radio together, where he was such a great guest.
When we spoke about his time at Rangers, there was none of the condescension you sometimes get from English guys about the Scottish game.
He loved it in Glasgow, he loved it at Ibrox, and he loved talking about it.
He knew who I supported, and there was banter between us. But it was always goodnatured, and well-informed.
His knowledge of the game was second to none – and his manner was just the same.
My radio show starts at 6am and I’m notorious for rolling in every morning with five minutes to spare.
Ray was different.
He would always be there at five, and he’d buy coffee and breakfast for all of the backroom guys.
When asked how he was – sadly ironic as it sounds now – he’d always say: “Dangerously well.”
That’s the guy I’ll always remember – and always love to bits.
His knowledge of the game was second to none – and his manner was just the same