The former Rangers owner is said to be so disreputable and discredited – cited as such in more than one court in the land – that his status is supposed to be in dust.

Yet Whyte has not proved so lame and powerless that he has been unable to remove Charles Green from his post.

I'd like to be able to fast-forward five years and find out what this apparently talented Queen of the South manager is doing, and where. Tomorrow Johnston leads his Irn-Bru Second Division champions into the Ramsdens Cup final against Partick Thistle at Livingston, but the greater intrigue concerns this gifted former winger's managerial flight path. So far he appears to be soaring upwards.

Scorned by the critics (this writer among them) over his Dundee appointment, he then stood accused of suggesting on a radio programme that Scotland should attempt to hack off Gareth Bale's legs in last night's World Cup qualifier at Hampden Park.

When I met up with Brown to discuss all this and more, he was blunt and beaming with smiles and thoroughly engaging company. "I'm no hot-head," he told me. "A few people have the wrong idea about me. I'm as happy these days looking after my new, wee grandson as doing anything else."

Back then, in relative terms, Dunfermline Athletic seemed to have a large and boisterous support, and the old stadium would reverberate to these Fifers' passion for their club.

Inside East End Park, a bit like the ghosts that line the walls inside Pittodrie, were pictures of misty 1960s nights, when the club were in Europe and boasting terrific players like Charlie Dickson, Alex Edwards and Alex Smith.

We can get overly lyrical about all this, but I used to stand and stare at these images, being reminded again of the rich heritage of Scottish football.

First, and not least, there was stepping into the shoes of his old man, Eddie, a figure adored by the Tannadice faithful, and then along came Charles Green.

In recent weeks, after a bit of a contretemps, Thompson has returned to the board of the Scottish Premier League, having stepped down just three months ago. He appears to have his father's combative instincts and nose for a challenge, despite being different in other ways.

It is a grim anniversary to note, given the sadness, anger, bile and bitterness that have fanned out as a result of this slaying of a once-impervious Scottish sporting giant.

Today, Rangers play Queen's Park at Ibrox in the Irn-Bru Third Division. A 45,000-plus crowd will attend, a testament to the loyalty, determination and defiance of the Rangers support. But this is not where these fans want to be. Few of them could have envisaged a bleaker year than this.

Every morning the Inverness Caledonian Thistle manager wakes up, fetches Fritz his breakfast, and then the two of them take some air around the village of Abriachan, right at the head of the Great Glen, where Butcher has made his Highland home.

"I can't describe to you how beautiful I find it up here – it is fantastic," he says. "The views are amazing where we live, unless the mist has come down. I love it here, I'm extremely happy."

No wonder this Northern Irishman is viewed as one of the most refreshing things to happen to Scottish football. For a man raised on a South Derry chicken farm, Shiels possesses a fine polemic that goes way beyond poultry.