A gentleman to the end
The job of the next Celtic manager is a simple one.
He must equal nine league titles in a row and match the achievement of Jock Stein, the originator, and Walter Smith, the equaliser.
And then Brendan Rodgers' full-time successor must create history by winning ten titles in a row for the first time since Scottish football began.
If the man appointed by Celtic should fail in this task he will go down in infamy because we don't do in-betweens in this part of the world.
Immortality or oblivion, famine or feast. The choice is yours.
All of which is easy enough for me to say, of course, but at least I am now doing so in the full and certain knowledge that some people prefer plain speaking that is free of worry over any critical consequences.
Never in a professional lifetime spanning almost half a century have I been humbled more than I was last week when a lady called Tricia wrote a letter to me following the death of her father.
Joe was 99 years old and a devoted listener to Superscoreboard.
His favourite team was Celtic but he was apparently un-afraid to criticise them and praise the opposition if that was what was warranted, according to Tricia.
It was Joe's last wish that my work on Radio Clyde should be mentioned during his funeral service, which is the greatest compliment I have ever been paid by a listener.
But I could not possibly have been more touched than I was when Tricia wrote on Joe's behalf, "I want to thank you for being a big part of his life, although you did not know him.
"He was a great man who loved his Scottish football and you gave him so much pleasure."
I should actually retire now because I'll never top that statement as a compliment.
Joe was laid to rest on March 21 and Tricia says she lost the greatest father anyone could have wished for.
I'll go on doing what I do now fortified by the knowledge that there are people out there who listen without prejudice and derive satisfaction from immersing themselves in lively debate every weekday night on Superscoreboard.
It'll help me put all the other forms of madness into context.
I tipped Rangers to beat Celtic 2 - 1 on Sunday afternoon and for a time during the match I thought I was actually going to be proved correct.
And there's no need for everyone to rush at once and add "for once" at the end of that sentence.
Celtic's close relationship with resilience meant the forecast was ultimately proved to be wrong with four minutes of the match remaining.
Joe would have said it was a close run thing and stayed tuned for the phone-in where the more excitable are catered for as well as the less agitated.
There are some, for example, who believe implicitly that when I say it'll be 2 -1 for Rangers I do so with absolute certainty that the same scoreline will come up in Celtic's favour.
They actually believe I have the power to manipulate fate.
That is why they contact me on social media and beg me to forecast one team or another in the hope that they can bet money on the other one.
If I had these super-natural powers would I not have the National Lottery numbers come out in the order I wrote them down and go off and live in luxuriant splendour somewhere nice and warm?
I don't know with certainty who will win football matches any more than I can give you five random numbers and a bonus ball for next Saturday night.
But I'm paid to give an opinion in as forthright and entertaining a fashion as I can possibly manage, the way Joe liked it to be.
He could agree, disagree or mock my efforts as the ramblings of a deluded pundit. Joe was old school.
In case you're listening upstairs tonight, Joe, I think Alfredo Morelos is now a waste of space for Rangers and they should get rid of him before his transfer value goes up in smoke faster than his temperament.
I think Ryan Kent should get a retrospective ban for strong-arming Scott Brown.
And I think there were enough Celtic supporters in the ground for the Celtic captain to celebrate victory with rather than taking his delight to the Rangers end and prompting mayhem.
That would have been the classier option to take.
I think the title's over and done with for the season and the jury's still out on whether a series of wins for Neil Lennon signifies sound management or masks misgivings over the football his side plays.
We'll talk about it on Superscoreboard.
In the meantime, rest in peace, Joe, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for the kind words.
It means an awful lot