We chat to John Richards, Wolves legend as he get the freedom of Wolverhampton City.
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00:00Mr. John Richards, you've just been presented with the freedom of the city, how do you feel?
00:05Absolutely fantastic and very honoured, very privileged and very proud.
00:11It's something that is beyond anybody's wildest dreams to actually get this sort of recognition from the city in which you've lived for all this time.
00:23It comes with some funny old quirks, I think you're now allowed to take a sheep down Dudley Street.
00:28Yeah, I can drive my flock through the city centre whenever.
00:34I'm sure we'll see you there next week doing such a...
00:36I want to buy the flock for my wife for her birthday, but don't tell her, it's a bit of a surprise.
00:41So John, just take us back a little bit, you're originally from Warrington, so did you always want to be a footballer?
00:47Was that the plan ever since you was a Nipper like?
00:49No, I always played football for the local teams, local school, in fact I was very late to coming into professional football.
00:59I was 18, so I was at the grammar school, finished off my A levels and then I came to Wolves for a trial match.
01:08They signed me on a 12 month contract.
01:13So what was the spell at Wolves then, how many years were you there as a player?
01:17I was there for 14 years from 69 to 83, then I played in Portugal for two years and then I was working for the city council here in Wolverhampton.
01:29I was the sports and recreation officer for six years.
01:32Now a lot of people have forgotten all about that, but it was a fantastic experience for me.
01:37So I've got connections with the city in various ways, either through the football or through the actual city council itself.
01:45And you're still involved with Wolves now?
01:47Very much so, I was appointed last year as the vice president, which is an honorary position.
01:52It's been an ambassadorial role for the club, which is what I'm enjoying.
02:00Your wife Pam will be here today, and one of your daughters lives abroad so sadly she won't be able to make it.
02:06What have they said about it all, how do they feel about it?
02:10They think it's fantastic and I've had so many congratulations, not just from family but from their friends as well.
02:17They've sent messages which is very heartwarming and it's lovely to receive.
02:24So obviously it's a family award as much as anything.
02:30You are a Wolves legend, one of the top goal scorers of all time.
02:37Have you got a big sign above your bed at home saying, I am legend?
02:40Do you look back and think about that when people say, are you a legend?
02:44No, I find it very embarrassing.
02:46I can imagine it feels a bit odd.
02:49I find it very embarrassing, but what is nice is being able to walk around Wolverhampton,
02:56the various places, even go for a restaurant or in a pub or something like that, social centre, people know you.
03:04So it's always welcome when they say, hello John.
03:07I think it's lovely being able to chat to people and the fact that they will come and have a chat with me, which is how it should be.
03:15With the fans we've created memories over all the years and it's important for us to keep those memories.
03:23So as we said, you're from Warrington way originally, so how come you still live Wolverhampton, just on the edge there?
03:31What is it that made you settle in Wolves then? You thought, this is me for life now.
03:36Well, you don't plan that. You don't plan that. It was a case of, I married a local girl.
03:43The children were settled in the schools and basically that's it.
03:49So where your family's happy, you're happy and there was no need to move anywhere else.
03:55For me, Wolverhampton is a great city.
03:59And when you found out you were getting this honour, does that then kickstart a little period of reflection of your time and your moments?
04:06Yeah, very much so because it's a long time. You suddenly realise 56 years is a long time.
04:13Virtually all my adult life has been spent in or around the Wolverhampton area and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.
04:25If you could bottle up a moment, I'm sure it's not as easy as picking one out.
04:31Is there a moment from your football career that you think, you know what, that's the day for me?
04:37Without a doubt. Because it's remembered by all the fans who were around at that time.
04:45And that was the 1974 League Cup final against Manchester City and we beat them 2-1.
04:51And I scored the winning goal. That's pretty special isn't it?
04:54With seven or eight minutes to go. So it's a dream come true to play at Wembley.
04:59And it's an even bigger dream come true to score a goal and then the winning goal.
05:04What would you have got back in the day for that? Did you get a little extra something from the club?
05:08No, there weren't any such things as scoring bonuses. You were part of the team.
05:17It was a win bonus for everyone and everybody got the same. That's how it should be when you're playing a team.
05:22Do you ever think, you know what, if I'd have been playing these days, there's some money around now.
05:27Do you ever reflect on that? Or do you think it's not necessarily a good thing, the money that's in the game now?
05:35Right, well I don't think it's necessarily a good thing. You can't blame the players for taking the money if it's offered.
05:41But at the same time, I think the lifestyle it gives some of these youngsters, it's too much too soon.
05:49From my point of view, we were happy with the arrangements as they were then.
05:56But no, it's a difficult time. Plus you've got to take into account all the social changes that have gone on as well.
06:03It's more difficult for the players nowadays to get privacy. You've got social media, everything like that.
06:09A lot of them now tend to live in places where they've got security around the houses.
06:15Never needed that. We're part of the community. The generation I was in was very much part of the community.
06:22And how are you feeling about the club at the minute and the position it's in, John? From a man who's in the know.
06:27Optimistic. We've had a tough run. I think everybody's noticed that.
06:33The changing manager. And the team misfiring at times.
06:40But the last result against Aston Villa has given everybody a lot more optimism.
06:45Still going to be a bit of a scrap coming towards the end of the season.
06:49But I think we've got a lot more hope now than we did two weeks ago.
06:54When you look back in terms of the players you've seen coming through walls,
06:59is there anyone that you thought, you know what, that player doesn't get the credit but they're one of my heroes?
07:04Who was it that you looked upon as your hero, Wolves hero?
07:09My Wolves hero... Is there anyone that doesn't get the credit?
07:14Because often it's strikers, isn't it? They get the goals in them.
07:17It's strikers because we get the headlines because of the goals.
07:21We had a lot of players who were actually top class players.
07:25People like John McCall, Derek Parkin, who played four or five hundred games apiece for the club.
07:34And these are the players who are actually still living local.
07:37So final thoughts, John. You're accepting you are the man that deserved it.
07:43You are the legend today. No embarrassment today then. You are the man, yeah?
07:49I'm not embarrassed by it. I'm sort of humbled by it.
07:54But I'm really proud to be passed as a Wolverinian.
07:59Well, thank you, John. Thank you for all you've done for the club and on the back of that for the city and continue to do so. Thank you, sir.
08:05You're welcome.