My great friend, Sam Williams is 40 today. There is only one thing for that. A list of the fourty reasons I like – no, love – this extraordinary, unique man.

He loves sport – really loves it

He has been my Cheltenham Festival companion for over ten years

He loves his friends and family

He can play football – sorry, could play football – even after a fry-up

He is  a very proud welshman

He loves unbelievable scenes

He loves a bet

He is a news junkie

He would do anything for you

He would go home after a night out or a day at school and immediately put 150 and 350 into Ceefax

He trained for the London Marathon like a pro and ran it like a legend – I will never forget his tears on Whitehall

He lived and breathed every minute of the 2002 Commonwealth Games

He has great nicknames; Blanco and Sumo

He embellishes the Paul Capper – Steve Gibson story

He wore a Katuo Star scarf at Cheltenham

He loves a good podcast

He is genuine and honest

He loves a bit of Pricewise

He got drunk on pink champagne on the train back from Royal Ascot (at York) and was sick on the train

He met my wife (then girlfriend) for the first time and downed a class of champagne

He can cook

He phoned me once when I worked at the GMC and said to my PA that he was “Dr Williams”

He helped me put together Capper’s box

He is full of integrity and strong values

He wore black socks with his shorts and white trainers in Porto at Adam Gumbley’s pre-wedding day drinks

He never complains – except about important stuff like Lewis Hamilton being a clown

He has great friends

He does a brilliant impression of Mike Reid

He doesn’t lie

He was the mastermind behind “the big sting”

He is from Manchester – which despite not being Liverpool is a magnificent city

He is brilliant, brilliant company – I have never been bored when I’ve been with him

He loves a ROCU

He love the radio

He loves Radio 5 but hates radio phone-ins

When he got our Cheltenham tickets he would give a different title each year – he was once Brigadier Williams

He has never met a single friend or relation of mine who haven’t liked him

He once rang me from Vegas for me to commentate on the King George from Kempton down the phone

He loves the Racing Post – aka the Trade Newspaper

He loves Test Match Special

He made me feel welcome when I moved to Manchester, even in The Wardorf on Manchester derby day (at 9am!)

He introduced me to The Circus Tavern and George in Manchester

He text me at half time during Liverpool’s European Cup win in Istanbul with a load of abuse……not at full time though…….

He has never let me down

He once got in a taxi in Amsterdam and agreed to speak to the driver in the style of Bernard Manning for the whole journey – I was nearly sick laughing

He makes me smile, he makes me laugh, he makes my day when I speak to him

He is Sam. There is only one Sam Williams. Thank god. God bless you Mr Williams.

BTW, that was 46. I could have written 400.

#ben2b40