The alarm was set for five minutes to seven o'clock of a spring morning 42 years ago. There was a call of high importance to be made precisely on the hour.
There were two periods in a day when Shanks preferred speaking on the telephone. At 7am or shortly before midnight. Times when he could be sure of being at home with his beloved Nessie. Unless of course he was on an away trip with that other abiding passion of his life.
Sir Matt Busby and Don Revie were accustomed to being kept chatting long into the wee small hours.