Driving through the Midlands countryside to Andy Gray’s house, I suddenly have a terrifying flashback. It’s Andy in the opponent’s box at the height of his Everton career, hard as nails, flying in with his head where other players wouldn’t put their boot. Bloody hell, there’s no denying the bloke was tough. No wonder team-mate Kevin Ratcliffe used to say Gray’s real vocation was a kamikaze pilot.

Next, my mind flits nervously to the Andy Gray of today: television’s ultimate football analyst, the suited master of The Boot Room, Monday Night Football, the chalk board, the telestrator pen and live match commentary.