[ritchiebaby]

He was a relic of a byegone age and, as Amelia says, not a lifestyle to be celebrated anymore. Still, that doesn't detract from his unquestionable footballing talent, a showman on and off the pitch.

Different era Ritchie, but for those of us who grew up then its hard not to feel a little nostalgia for when the players had a bit of character and weren't so bland and commercialised.

I belong to that era, jim, and I agree with your comments about nostalgia and character. But we've moved on a bit since then in many aspects of our social life and what might have been acceptable then, will not be acceptable now. I remember Willie Hamilton and George Best when they played for Hibs and I'm sure alcohol played a positive part in their styles of play. But they played for enjoyment and not just for their bank balance like many do now.