Wolves legend Steve Bull talks haircuts and his love for the Black Country

In the first part of a Ladbrokes Fanzone exclusive, legendary striker Steve Bull talks haircuts, his clothing brand and what Wolves means to him.

I want to give Fabio Silva the ‘Bully Cut’!

There’s not much of a Bully haircut anymore – it’s basically gone now! But back in the day, I remember there was a certain hairdresser in Wolverhampton who’d advertise the ‘Bully cut’ for £7.50! There was nothing to it either, really, to be fair; it was basically just getting in a headlock and someone shaving everything off the top!

When I was at West Brom I had long hair on the front and a kind of parting. One day I looked at myself and just thought ‘that ain’t hard enough’. It’s like Fabio Silva, in the Wolves team. I wish I could grab him and give him the Bully cut. He looks too nice! I’ve just stuck with it over the years – I tried to grow it on the top once and the missus just said I looked like Ken Dodd!

I might be losing it, but for now, the Bully cut’s still there for just a little bit longer!

I get a buzz from people wearing SB9 gear

SB9 is the clothing brand I’ve got. I should wear it everywhere I go, really! I had one a few years back called 306, a nod to the goals I scored for Wolves, but we put that on the sideline for a bit. And then the wife said to me, a couple of years back, “how about if we brought out a new brand for Father’s Day? SB9?”

We just tried it, and now we’re ticking over nicely with the beanie hats, the gilets, the bum bags, the shorts, the jogging bottoms and T-shirts.. it’s just ticking along for us.

It’s not a money-making machine by any stretch, but it’s just keeping the brand out there.

I’ll see people in town wearing it and I’ll keep my head down! No, seriously, I love the interactions I get with fans. From walking the dog every day and bumping into supporters, just passing people wearing Wolves shirts and saying “that’s a nice top, isn’t it?”, and then seeing their faces when they notice me…or having a dig at the dog walkers with Albion badges on their jackets. It’s all good fun. It’s always especially nice, though, to see someone wearing my stuff. Of course it is.

Steve Bull Stand

Getting the stand named after me, that was a real pinch myself moment, if I’m being honest with you. When I first played there in 1986, there was the John Ireland Stand which felt a mile away from the pitch, and the old concrete South Bank. The other two stands were run down. We were only just using the one for the changing rooms. You just thought ‘what the hell is this place?’ when you saw it for the first time. It was a dump.

But Sir Jack Hayward came in and rebuilt the stands, thank God, and it was absolutely superb. When I first found out they were naming the one stand after me, we actually had an event at the stadium, the wife and I, in the Jack Harris Suite. We walked in there and security came straight over to me and told me Sir Jack wanted to speak to me. No worries at all. I picked up the phone…

“Alright, Sir Jack?”

“I’m jolly well, thank you, Steve. Jolly well.”

“What can I do for you?”

“I just wanted to let you know I’m changing the John Ireland Stand to the Steve Bull Stand.”

“You can’t do that!”

“I can. I built it! He only put money into the club. You scored goals – you should be on there!”

And that was it, I put the phone down. Which I later realised was a schoolboy error. I should have asked if it came with a villa in Portugal and a Range Rover!

But even to this day, when I pass it, I just think ‘oh my word, I can’t believe it.’ My daughter is worse; she doesn’t want us to look!

It is a privilege, though. It is an honour. Fingers crossed they never change the name again!

The kids, when they were younger, how they dealt with all of the attention I’d get…they just kept hugging my legs and holding on to me. “You can’t have my dad; he’s mine!” That’s what it was like when they were younger, but they’ve grown up and learned to live with it.

The only thing I never wanted it to do was to get them places, just off the back of my name. They’ve got to do things themselves. Yes, we can open doors, and whatever. But I want them to do things off their own backs and – up to this point – they have. They’re all chuffed to bits, nowadays, tough, whenever they’re asked about me. They’re very humble, as well.

Two of them are in their thirties now, and the youngest is just coming up to 16…she’s the trouble one! She plays football for her school, she’s a nutcase! She’s a Bull all over.

What Wolves means to me

I’ve got to thank Wolves, first and foremost for picking me up and kicking off my career. Hopefully I’ve paid them back over the years with what I’ve done for the club. But Wolves, for me, it’s like my second home. I can park my car on double yellows outside the ground. I can go and have a pint there, whatever time of the day it is.

But it’s the people of Wolverhampton; the Black Country, and the people of the Black Country – they’re workers, they’re grafters. And when you go out there and work hard on the pitch, they see it and appreciate it. It’s the whole set-up of the club, for me – everything behind the scenes, that people might not see so much of…that’s why I’m still here, associated with the club, nearly 38 years later.

“Bully, get your boots back on!” I get that a lot. Still to this day. “We need you up front!”

That’s the most common thing I get from fans, but there’s so many things I could say. People see you in the street, and they’ll say funny stuff, good stuff, bad stuff, or ask me to sign this, or record a video for this person. I just wish they’d ask me if I want a beer!