When turning a corner and coming face-to-barrel with a tank's armament, Alan Whittle knew it was time to flee Iran. The first Englishman ever to play in the country, the Everton title winner had resisted long enough amid the bloodshed of the Iranian Revolution of 1978. Tehran was no longer safe for him, his wife and young son.
The 72-year-old has watched the news with sadness in recent weeks as violent scenes unfold with gun-sounding echoes of the uprising that forced his own departure.
Speaking to Sportsmail from the comparative safety of his Wirral home, Whittle is reliving his final days in a city he had come to love, the maverick forward having spent 17 months with Persepolis FC.