Generations cross as West Brom owner Shilen Patel meets ‘The Skipper’

There was one photo of two men, side-by-side, separated by age, nationality and background, but with beaming smiles.

One was Shilen Patel and one was Graham Williams. The new owner meets The Skipper.

Patel was not even born Stateside when Williams was in his pomp at The Hawthorns, but both came together arm-in-arm with the warmest of embraces as some sort of symbol of Albion's glorious past meeting the prosperous future.

FA Cup and League Cup-winning captain Williams, now 86, was at The Hawthorns to mark the opening of the new Graham Williams Suite, the former Premier Lounge unveiled in his honour last Friday. Denbighshire-born Williams lives in Weymouth but will be a regular in his suite this season.

Owner and chairman Patel was at The Hawthorns as the club's "new custodian", as he declared himself in February. He came from even further afield than Dorset, from his Tampa Bay home, and has already shown – unlike his absent, faceless predecessor – a proper willingness to act as a custodian.

Patel, who met with supporter group the Albion Assembly on Thursday after jetting into the United Kingdom, shared a picture of himself with former full-back Williams from the balcony overlooking the pitch the latter used to grace.

"It was an honor to meet The Skipper as we celebrated the debut of our new Graham Williams suite. It means a lot to be able to connect with and honor @WBA history." Patel posted.

Albion's Bilkul Football head honcho has wasted no time in the six months since the confirmation of his takeover to show he has every intention of delivering on his word of "commitment" from earlier this year.

Patel said at the time: “I am in awe of the opportunity to help write the next chapter in Baggies history and am committed to being a responsible, respectful, and effective steward of the club.”

The owner inherited, when it comes to the finances, a mess. There are so many pieces to put back together and as the investor himself said "success does not occur overnight" – financial fair play will make sure of that – but what cannot be bought with endless millions is respect, empathy and understanding.

Patel has a strong connection to philanthropy, a belief instilled in him by his father, Dr Kiran Patel, Albion's co-owner. One of the pillars of their belief is to build a future for tomorrow.

That will unquestionably in time serve Albion well through its academy set-up, as well as charity work through the excellent Albion Foundation.

But on this occasion it was yet another nod to the background, history and culture of the club, the town and the wider region.

Patel met with who many consider the greatest, Bomber Brown, shortly into his tenure and while photocalls with legends could be perceived as easy PR opportunities, with Albion's owner it feels more real.

Only earlier this summer did he and his Bilkul team take an away day trip to the Black Country Living Museum to further study and immerse themselves in the culture of our region.

This is lightyears away from where the club's ownership has been previously.

Williams admitted seeing his name above a suite in the West Stand made him emotional, described it as a privilege and one of the best days of his life.

Each and every supporter, staff member and former player to spend time in the owner's company has so far spoken about how much it has meant, for both parties, and that is priceless.