Life was no rehearsal and Neal lived it well

I knew Neal Wilkins for more than 40 years. We were both mentored by former Sporting Life chief reporter Len Thomas and the three of us would travel to the races together, putting the world to rights during a few obligatory stops on the way home.

Neal was never short of an opinion. Like me, he was a lifelong Arsenal supporter and during Arsene Wenger’s more troubled times he would regularly write to the Gunners’ boss offering advice and even on occasion going to the boardroom and suggesting Wenger should be removed and that he was the man to replace him.

His knowledge of Arsenal FC was second to none, and among his closest friends was Gunners legend Charlie George, who went to visit him in the Windsor hospice when he was approaching his final furlong.

Arsenal manager Arsene WengerCredit: Tony Marshall

However, while Neal’s short fuse sometimes let him down in those early days, behind the bravado and big cigar lay someone both genuine and generous.

He was always first to the bar and last to bed, and nobody celebrated backing a winner better, with that infectious laugh invariably being preceded by the cry in the press room: “Given to all clients!”