Great on Jimmy:
He once agreed to speak to me (Frank Keogh BBC Sport) over the phone at an agreed time (it was the fourth time we’d arranged the chat).When I called, Jimmy said he was getting on a plane. Yet I later learned he was in Brixton.Others tell of the Whirlwind answering his mobile, and then changing his accent and pretending to be someone else.He was once set to finally sign a contract for a biography of his life, went to the toilet, and climbed out of the window and disappeared.Whether it is an air of mischief, a reluctance to commit, or just the need to be his own man, he has been a colourful character.Despite his eccentricities, he is an eloquent and polite interviewee once pinned down, saying more of substance in a minute than some do in an hour.He also has respect.On a night with the wayward former world champion Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins a couple of years ago, Higgins was asked to name his top three players of all-time.“Three – Ronnie. Two – Jimmy. One – The Hurricane,” said Higgins, without a trace of irony.