McClure is a lifelong Sheffield Wednesday fan despite having some family history with Everton.
“My dad’s side of the family are actually Everton fans because my grandfather’s brother Joe McClure played for them in the 1930s in the same team as Dixie Dean,” John told BBC Sport.
“But it was always Wednesday for me. My nan danced with the players when they brought the FA Cup back to Sheffield in 1935, so I think she was a bit of a proto-wag.”
John is desperate to see the Owls back after being relegated to the Premier League in 2000 – but could their manager Danny Rohl get there first as he is linked with the Southampton vacancy?
“It’s been a long winter,” John added. “We’ve looked close to coming back a few times over the years but at the moment we’re a bit worried about losing our manager, because Southampton respect him so much.
“We love Danny, because he is brilliant for us. Our problem is our chairman, Dejfone Chancery, who is not a bad guy but disappointing because he doesn’t listen to the fans.
“I had a Zoom call with him once, when he was in Bangkok and I was in Sheffield, and I must have been with him for two hours and only managed to say two sentences to him – he doesn’t listen at all.
“So, if you were Danny Rohl, and you could see a possible exit from Southampton, it might look like an attractive proposition. But I hope we can keep him, because he’s a great manager.
“The club is definitely ready for the Premier League as well. You can bring about 40,000 people to Hillsborough, and we fill it regularly – even when we were in the third tier.
“We’re a great proposition for someone, we just need an ambitious owner.”
Chris Sutton and John McClure were speaking to BBC Sports’ Chris Bevan.
