THE living room door bursts open and in walks one of Scotland’s greatest sporting sons. And he’s singing.

Bobby Lennox, Lisbon Lion, Celtic legend and all-round good bloke is in fine form. He’s 75 now but looks and sounds younger. The eyes remain filled with his mischief. A joke and story, some tales will have to stay in the room, are rapidly fired at you. He was never known to be slow.

I am in rainy Saltcoats just three days before this proud Ayrshire town honours it’s most famous son, and most popular resident by some distance, by unveiling a statue of one of their own. The rain stayed away yesterday even if it was seriously chilly.

“And I’m still alive to see it,” says Bobby. I tell him that he’ll outlive us all. “You better believe it, son,” is the answer. I believe him.

This has been two years in the making.

The way I understand it is that like many great ideas it began in a pub in Saltcoats itself when someone mentioned that the town synonymous with the Lion who lived farthest away from Glasgow – a whole 30 miles - should do something in honour of the local lad who, apart from a spell when he played in Houston, lived all his days in the town.

The statue, and it is magnificent, stands in Countess Street where Bobby was born “just 50 yards down the road” and where he and beloved wife Kath owned and ran a pub for 30 years.

Caroline McKenna, a member of the Statue for Bobby committee, kindly invited me to her home to meet the great man. Mark McClure, who was involved from the start, picked me up from the station and they are joined by Stewart Nixon and Dean McMillan.

These are nice people, good people, who together through many ways including standing in the rain for a bucket collection before games raised £50,000 and fought through some amount of red tape – they could now write a PHD on talking to the council about statues – but it was worth it.

Although the man himself took a bit of nudging which will not come as a surprise to anyone fortunate enough to know this Celtic great who is modest, quiet (most of the time) and utterly without ego.

Bobby said: “It’s a great honour for the family. I don’t know how I’m going feel walking past myself every day. When it was first brought up, I said ‘no, we’ll no bother with this’. But I was ignored, ha. This mob decided to carry on.

“That is a fact. I thought it was a bit much. However, it is a magnificent honour. The first time we saw the statue, Kath thought it was really smart. But the problem is that it’s no really me, it’s Steven McQueen. We are awfy alike.”

The record books show that Robert Lennox MBE played 586 times for Celtic, scored 277 goals, second in the club’s history, won 25 medals including the European Cup and then became a coach and reserve team manager.

Few have done more for that football club. And he is the nicest guy in the world.

That is why so many gathered yesterday to see the statue, sculptor John McKenna did a fantastic job. John Clark was there and many Celtic fans had travelled to the coast. But this was really a day, at least I felt, for the town.

“I’m just Bobby from Saltcoats,” says Bobby from Saltcoats. “I never wanted to be anywhere else, didn’t want to be anyone else. I was quite happy where we were. Kath is a Saltcoats girl so we were never going to leave.

“This is a smashing wee town. Kath and I would walk the dogs down at the shore. It’s been a great place to bring up our family. When people see me walking about, I honestly don’t think they see me as some football player and that’s the way I like it. I was just going to my work – and it was a great job.

“I would drive to training in the morning at 9.15pm and there would be guys outside working on the roads. Then when I was going back to the house for an afternoon kip, they would still be there.

“Kath was 15 and I was 18 when we first met. I was lucky. And that was it. I never wanted to be treated differently. All I wanted was to play for Celtic, my club, and then go home.

“Saltcoats was known as a Rangers town but I’ve never had any bother. The Rangers boys were great with me. It did help that I scored against England in 1967. After that, they liked me a bit more. The town took to me then.”

Events such as yesterday are always of course tinged with sadness. His best pal Jimmy Johnstone and, alas, too many former team-maers, brothers really, are no longer with us. However, what that bunch of rascals got up to will live forever.

“I still work at Celtic Park at the home games, going about and meeting folkk” said Bobby. “I love it. George McCluskey, Tam Callaghan, wee Berti, Dixie Deans and Evan Williams are there. The great thing about it is that all the goals we scored from ten yards, they are now 30 yards.

“Ach, we’re all still pals. I love it. We had great camaraderie and we won a few things as well.”

Bobby was a world class players. No doubt about that. However, his legacy is that he will be forever known as being one of the good guys.

“That’s all you want to be. I’ve had a great life, I really have.”

Let’s hope Bobby Lennox has a lot more living to be done and he walks past himself every day for many years to come. Nobody deserves it more than this world class human being.