Sir Jack 'wouldn't have wanted' South Bank

Chairman Steve Morgan's announcement at the end-of-season awards dinner was cheered on Wednesday night, but sparked a mixed reaction from fans online.

The Harris family were told when son John, 52, received a telephone call from chief executive Jez Moxey on Tuesday at 4.30pm, just over 24 hours before Morgan's announcement.

John, who served as a Wolves director from 1990 to 2004, said: "I was obviously disappointed and sad to hear but I respect the board's decision.

"Sir Jack and Dad were great pals and I have a feeling Sir Jack would not have approved.

"However, I can just imagine them now pulling one another's leg about the change, and I know this decision will never change the huge respect and affection they had for each other.

"As a former director of the club myself, I fully appreciate their position – and I am quite sure dad would have been happy to move over for his old friend Sir Jack!"

Moxey responded: "We feel it's appropriate to do something for Sir Jack and that's what our fans want.

"It's what we want to do – to have a permanent reminder of him at Molineux and I have spoken to Patti Bloom (Sir Jack's partner) and had her support.

"Also, in conjunction with fans, the club and the city council, we want to erect a statue of Sir Jack. So the combination of the two elements is an appropriate thing to do and we hope we have got it right."

The club counter the point about Sir Jack not wanting any recognition himself by claiming he was honoured to have Jack Hayward Way and the Compton Park training ground named after him.

Harris, who died in 2005 at the age of 79, helped save Wolves from extinction in 1986 before selling to Sir Jack in 1990 after leading the club back to the second tier.

The South Bank was renamed the Jack Harris Stand by Sir Jack when it was reopened as an all-seater structure in December 1993.

Ironically, Sir Jack encountered criticism from the Ireland family when he renamed the John Ireland Stand after Steve Bull in 2003.

Although an Express & Star poll revealed 74.65 per cent of those who voted* were in favour of the name change, several were outspoken in their criticism of the move on our website.

Timmiswolf said: "Sir Jack presumably wanted the stand named after Jack Harris in the first place.

"Let's state the obvious here, there'd have been no club for Sir Jack to invest in had Jack Harris not helped to save the club first."

However, stevebull09 replied: "Sir Jack deserves a stand named after him. I understand the comment above about Sir Jack's respect for Harris but this over-rules that."