Wolves for Sir Jack Hayward wasn't a business, it was a love - Steve Clamp remembers the former owner
By Steve Clamp
I last met with Sir Jack Hayward in May 2014. He was in the country and had agreed to an interview with me for ITV News. It was probably the eighth or ninth time I'd had the pleasure of speaking to him since I began covering sport in the Midlands in 2002.
To be honest in those years he'd hardly changed, a little slower physically, of course, but still sharp in mind and a complete joy to be around. And, of course, passionate about the club he'd given so much time, and indeed money to.
He loved Wolves, I mean he really really cared. He wanted the club he supported as a boy to be the best in the country. Perhaps those dreams had, in his time as owner, led to him spending far more money than he ever should have. But Wolves for him wasn't a business, it was a love.
When I spoke to him I asked if he had any regrets, the biggest one, perhaps strangely for a man who had given so much to his club, was that he hadn't done more! During his 17 years as owner, the club spent just one year in the top-flight. He regretted not spending more money that season, taking bigger risks, to try to ensure his club stayed in the place he wanted it: the top.
There are few like Sir Jack in football, most 'big' clubs are now very much about business, be it backed by huge foreign investment as symbols of success, or at the other end of the scale, run with the need to balance the books before chasing dreams.
But Sir Jack was a dreamer, and I for one will miss speaking with him, because being around him reminded me of the magic of football, of the excitement of the game and of the hope it can bring.
Rest in peace Sir Jack.
Steve Clamp.