Episode 10 - Bill Leckie

It's just been constant every

week.

Do you find it hard when you're writing a column if it's somebody who you've known through the years and you know that they're a right good guy or a right good woman and you need to be a wee bit critical? Do you find that difficult? I think, do

you know, it's changed for me over the years.

I used to think... my job made me invincible and I could say what I liked right and then something we talk about as it comes along I got very involved in kind of mental health stuff and firstly on my own mental health and then on other people's mental health and I realised that that's not the case you're not invincible you have to be aware of your responsibilities when you're saying things and writing things and doing things you've got to be aware of what comes next and what comes after that down the line you know if you're seeing a pass when you're playing football it's not just that pass it's what happens where am I going after that pass so and I started to realise that you can't just hammer people and think it's okay right and you come to a stage where you say right I'm only going to do this same as you right and I'm right he's getting it right he's been stinking for weeks he's getting it if I met you in the street When I cross the road, I could have faced you and say, and you'd say,

oh, well, okay.

Fair enough.

I'll take it.

And unless I could face the guy, I don't think it's right to do it.

Now, there are still people who you do it for the right reasons and they don't want to talk to you.

And that's absolutely fine.

I've had people fall out.

Absolutely.

Fall out big time.

I've got one or two managers that don't want to do it.

Yes, of course.

Yeah, that's it.

I mean, I was once... remember the night Scotland lost 6-0 in Holland in the World Cup qualifier that's a bad night a bad night and I gave Rab Douglas honestly I was very you know you're watching Scotland you're getting emotional and I did

do you regret that a wee bit then

well he phoned me about two days later and he said yeah you've probably you've probably ruined my career and I says Rab I don't have that influence I says you're a better goalkeeper than I'll ever be a journalist probably so just let's be calm and we'll be alright and perhaps then he goes on to go to Seville and win Seville's and whatever he does and we're fine now when I see him he's up but he was really angry and I can see why he was really angry of course and you get that because ours is an emotional game football's an emotional you know so sometimes you But I try now really hard not to just...

You like to think you can justify what you're saying.

So even if you're being...

And it is harder if you know someone.

Of course.

No doubt.