Stan.

To Loftus Road for a benefit match for Stan Bowles, my boyhood hero and the greatest footballer ever to play for Queens Park Rangers. In the 1970s, we worshipped Stan Bowles but still only 68, he’s now in the cruel grip of severe dementia. So this pre-season friendly against Bournemouth was to raise money for his long-term care. It wasn’t just his sublime skill that endeared Stan Bowles to millions, it was his devil-may-care attitude. His drinking, gambling and the fact that he rarely bothered to train made no difference. He was almost always the best player on the park. It was said that if Stan could have passed a betting shop the way he passed a ball, he’d have been the best player in the world. So in his honour, a song by another S Bowles. And if any tune sums up Stan’s attitude to life, it’s this one.