Wolves' 'million pound man' Jackie Gallagher recalls his days at Molineux

Despite going close at Euro 2024, the Three Lions returned home as beaten finalists, at the hands of Spain.

Former Wolves forward and cult hero Gallagher enjoyed a globetrotting career, which included a spell in Hong Kong with Eastern AA.

At which point, he was soon informed there was another Englishman on their way to the club.

“They told us a fella called ‘Bobbo’ was coming in for a trial,” Gallagher recalls.

“Turns out that ‘Bobbo’ was infact Bobby Moore, the former England captain.

“And yes, he had to have a trial, and I remember we played a game against the Gurkhas on a cricket pitch!

“He was nearly 40 but was still immaculate, and I remember we got to a cup final and finished fourth in the league.

“It was great just to chat to him and listen to all of his stories about football – the year I spent out there was amazing and one of the highlights of my career.”

Gallagher’s association with England has extended well beyond lining up in the same team as their all-conquering World Cup winning skipper from 1966.

He has always remained a huge fan, and, in recent years, has relished travelling far and wide to support his country along with son Joe.

That included the first two of England’s group games out in Germany ahead of Sunday’s big finale, and Gallagher was never carried away by the criticism from the early stages which perhaps masked the quality of Gareth Southgate’s team which grew throughout the tournament.

“As well as the two England games we watched others in the Fan Zone and it was another good trip,” he reflects.

“Maybe they didn’t produce the best performances at first but they are coming off the back of a long, hard season and you have to remember the opposition teams are decent and have qualified for the Euros as well!

“There are never any easy games, and then you get to the knockout stages and anything can happen from there.

“Joe was back out in Berlin and got a ticket for the final which I watched in my local pub and while it was disappointing, Spain were the best team in the tournament.

“I always enjoy going to watch England with Joe – he’s been to more of the away games than me, but we’ve done a fair few together.

“We’ve been to Wembley for several internationals, and we came to Molineux to watch the Hungary game and the 4-0 defeat!

“We also spent 10 days out in Qatar for the World Cup although the day after we got there, they put a ban on beer!

“We did manage to find a place, although it was 15 quid a pint, but we still had a decent time.”

The tale of Gallagher searching for a beer in Qatar will come as no surprise to those who know him, as he has continued to keep contact with many from Wolverhampton including turning out for the Wolves Allstars up until quite recently, even though he is now 66!

He is very much the life and soul of any party, with a mantra that life is there to be enjoyed, and that also applies to his two years spent at Wolves as a player, as the era-defining revival took hold in the late 1980s.

There is that famous – or infamous – terrace song about Gallagher that fans will remember, as jocular about his waistline as it was his transfer value, but of course he still had to be in good shape at that time to play a part in Graham Turner’s plans.