There was a lovely piece of graffiti that appeared on a church poster in Liverpool in the 1960s which posed the question: "What would you do if Jesus returned amongst us?" Underneath someone had scrawled: "Move St John to inside left."
The St John in question was of course Ian, a Scottish centre-forward who played a prominent role in Liverpool's dominance in English football in the 1960s.
St John sadly died on Monday at the age of 82 and will be fondly remembered by anyone who saw him.
He was also one of the first footballers to make a successful transition from football to television punditry, co-hosting the popular Saint & Greavsie show on ITV from 1985-92 with St John the perfect foil for Jimmy Greaves' quips.
Many tributes have poured in from fans and players alike.
The club itself called him "a true Anfield legend" while Steven Gerrard said he was "an iconic figure and someone I have got incredible respect for."
There was also a touching message from his old mate Greavsie, who has been quite ill himself.
On Twitter, he recalled: "Ian and I had great fun working on Saint & Greavsie. He was a lovely man and I will never forget his laughter."
St John came from a poor background and as a kid delivered milk on a horse-drawn cart. Later he worked in a steel mill, but his football skills gave him the chance of a new life.
St John began his career at Motherwell where, despite his lack of height, he was a prolific striker, notching 80 league goals in 113 appearances.
His scoring ability, including a hat-trick in less than three minutes against Hibernian, caught the eye of top clubs in England.
It was legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly who signed him up in 1961 for a club record £37,000.
Liverpool were in the old Second Division but with St John leading the strike force with 18 goals, the Reds won promotion to the top flight that season.
In the next few years Liverpool became the dominant force in English football and, with St John in a pivotal role, won the league in 1964 and 1966 and the FA Cup in 1965.
I was fortunate enough to be with my dad amongst the 97,350 crowd at Wembley in April 1961 to see St John play for Scotland against England.
It was an extraordinary match with England winning 9-3 and Greaves notching a hat-trick. Understandably, it was a game that St John preferred to forget.
However, it was at the same stadium four years later in the Liverpool v Leeds FA Cup final, that St John had one of his finest moments.
In a really tight game and the score at 1-1 with just three minutes of extra time remaining, St John latched on to a cross by winger Ian Callaghan to head a dramatic winner.
St John recalled the goal later: "The ball looked to be going behind me but I flung myself back and managed to get my head to it and steer it over the goal-line."
Greaves once referred to St John as "an artist of a centre-forward, holding his line together with clever positional play and neat flick passes. He and Roger Hunt were dynamic together."
St John was at his best in the mid-1960s, but in 1967 Shankly signed Tony Hateley and moved St John to midfield.
The Scot still played an influential role, but age was catching up with him.
In 1969, he was dropped for a match against Newcastle and was really upset that Shankly hadn't informed him face to face.
The writing was on the wall and in 1971 St John left Liverpool after scoring 118 goals in 425 appearances.
Following brief stints with Coventry City and Tranmere Rovers, he retired in 1973. Despite his talent, he only won 21 caps with Scotland, scoring nine goals.
St John tried his hand at management and after a brief spell at Motherwell, he spent three years with Portsmouth. But a media career beckoned and after making a good impression as a pundit it paved the way for Saint & Greavsie.
In those days there was nothing like the football coverage we get now and Greaves and St John provided an excellent blend of insight and humour.
Some of the jokes might have been corny but it was refreshing to watch.
A final word from current Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp who met St John in 2019: "He was not only a football legend but a true legend as a person. It was a pure pleasure to meet him."
Well said.