fa525a4fcc3eb9996e54e1e00d283af6adcc384d.txt Freddy Shepherd

Freddy Shepherd

Freddy Shepherd
Born29 October 1941
Gilsland, Northumberland, England
Died (aged 75)
Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne, England
OccupationBusinessman

Freddy Shepherd (29 October 1941 – 25 September 2017) was an English businessman and the chairman of Newcastle United football club from 1997 until 2007.

During his time at Newcastle, both as an active assistant to and later replacement of Sir John Hall as chairman for ten years, Shepherd proved an often outspoken and controversial figure, at times alienating the club's support.

Life and career

Freddy Shepherd was born in Gilsland, Northumberland into a working class home,[1][2] the son of a lorry driver; and with his brother Bruce, he expanded a road haulage business into a number of marine and related businesses. He also engaged in property development through redevelopment of the former ship facilities along the River Tyne.[2] The assets of the company now include Mitford Hall.[2]

The Shepherd brothers often worked with Sir John Hall, who owned the property development business Cameron Hall Developments, and who had become a key share-holder in Newcastle United. After Hall's vision of building Newcastle into a sporting club along the lines of A.S. Roma or FC Barcelona, he looked to consolidate the operations of Newcastle United. Shepherd Offshore had started to build a holding in Newcastle United, and so Shepherd became involved in the football business, alongside Hall's son Douglas Hall.

Newcastle United

Initially, Shepherd became involved with the consolidation of the Newcastle sporting club to just Newcastle United, selling or reducing Hall's controlling stakes in: Newcastle Falcons rugby team, Newcastle Eagles basketball team; and the then Newcastle Cobras ice hockey team.

In 1996, Shepherd was tasked by Hall with bringing Alan Shearer to the club, which he did for a-then world record fee. The confidence Shepherd showed in completing the deal persuaded Hall, who wanted to retire to Spain, to effectively offload the day-to-day running of the club to Shepherd as chairman, and his son Douglas as the active Hall family member on the board. Bruce Shepherd continued to run Shepherd Offshore, while Freddie Shepherd became chairman of Newcastle United F. C.[3]

Finances

Shepherd owned almost all of his Newcastle shares through Shepherd Offshore. Unlike the Halls, who had been steadily selling off their shares since flotation in 1997, the Shepherds increased their holding. They owned 28.01% of the club, up from about 22% in April 2005. Since 1997, the Shepherds have made £8,351,298 from Newcastle United, £5,489,239 in share dividends and £2,862,059 in salaries. In 2005, Shepherd's annual salary from the club was £552,954.[4]

News of the World exposé

In March 1998, Shepherd and Douglas Hall were the target of a News of the World exposé, led by the "Fake Sheikh" Mazher Mahmood. The pair, believing Mahmood to be a wealthy Arab prince trying to set up a business deal, were caught mocking the club's own supporters for spending extortionate amounts of money on merchandise, calling female supporters "dogs", and mocking star striker Alan Shearer by calling him the "Mary Poppins of football", all while frequenting a brothel.

Amidst heavy media coverage, the Newcastle Independent Supporters Association and the then Minister for Sport, Tony Banks, called for the resignation of the pair.[5] Although reports from sources close to Shepherd initially indicated he was contractually unable to resign, he and Hall had both left their posts within two weeks of the scandal breaking.

His general approach to running the club, as well as the ongoing fallout from the News of the World story, earned Shepherd a number of unflattering nicknames such as "Fatty Shepherd",[6] the "Fat Controller"[7] and "Baron Greenback".[8]

Only ten months after resigning, Shepherd and Hall, the majority shareholders at Newcastle, voted themselves back on to the board. This led to the immediate resignation of the PLC chairman David Cassidy, who had taken the position just six months earlier. Shepherd then went on to take over as PLC chairman.

Sacking of Bobby Robson

In August 2004, Shepherd fired manager Sir Bobby Robson four games into the new season. In the week before the sacking, Shepherd was quoted as saying that Robson would not be offered a new deal at the end of the season, and that Robson would be "in the Guinness Book of Records" if he were still the manager at 73 years old.[9]

It is unclear if Shepherd made his statement after consulting Robson, but Robson admitted that he had an agreement with the club that he would retire at the end of the season. Robson also stressed that there was an agreement that he would not be sacked.[10] Shepherd said that sacking Robson was "the hardest thing I have ever done in my life", adding "I didn’t want to be known as the man who shot Bambi."[11]

In his 2005 autobiography Sir Bobby Robson provided detailed criticism of Shepherd's chairmanship, claiming that while manager he was denied information regarding the players' contracts and transfer negotiations. He also criticised Shepherd and Douglas Hall, the club's deputy chairman, for their focus only on the first team and St James' Park, causing them to neglect less glamorous, although equally important, areas such as the training ground, youth development and talent scouts. The club's training ground has been notorious in the past for its unkempt state and for causing injuries to first team players.[12]

Newcastle supporter protest

Following the defeat to Sheffield United on 4 November 2006, more than 2,000 fans protested outside St James' Park, calling for his resignation.[13] Websites such as True Faith and United For Change led a supporter campaign against him. Protests were again held after the club's defeat to Blackburn Rovers on 5 May 2007, after which Glenn Roeder resigned.

Michael Owen rumours

In May 2007, shortly after sacking Roeder as manager of the club, Shepherd attacked Michael Owen's adviser for revealing a clause in his contract which said that he could be sold for £9 million if the club failed to qualify for Europe. He alleged that they were trying to engineer his sale to one of the four leading clubs in the Premier League, preferably Liverpool or Manchester United.[14]

On 11 May 2007, Shepherd was filmed joking with friend and Geordie con artist Steve MacNeish through his car window, stating that Owen himself was not the problem and that his advisers were the ones causing upheaval. The video was later published on YouTube.[15]

Sale of Newcastle United

In May 2007, Shepherd was shocked to learn that billionaire businessman Mike Ashley had purchased the Hall family's 41.6% shareholding for £55m.[16]

This followed numerous previous bid negotiations from which nothing had materialised. Under Stock Exchange rules Ashley then had to submit an offer for the remaining shares. Should he go over 50%, Shepherd would no longer be in control of the club and Ashley would be able to replace the board. [17] Shepherd initially came out fighting, but later agreed to meet with Ashley and the board on 29 May.[18] On 7 June 2007, Mike Ashley had a bid accepted by Freddy Shepherd to buy his shares and in his role as chairman of the board Shepherd also advised the remaining shareholders to sell to Ashley.[19]

Shepherd had been suffering from poor health over the previous six months, resulting in hospitalisation due to pneumonia and a collapsed lung, he was being treated at the time the Hall family publicly announced the sale of their shares to Ashley. On 24 July 2007, it was announced that Shepherd was stepping down with immediate effect, to be replaced by deputy chairman Chris Mort.[20]

Reported 2009 bid for Newcastle United

Following Newcastle's relegation and the announcement by Mike Ashley that the club was up for sale, Shepherd was instantly linked with a possible buy-out. Shepherd had said, "never say never" on the issue of re-buying Newcastle, however on 30 June 2009 it was reported that Shepherd had launched a £60 million bid to buy the club from Ashley.[21] On 1 November 2010, reports circulated that Shepherd was planning on making an offer for the club and returning to Newcastle as owner three years after selling it. This was later denied by the club; however, Shepherd would not comment on the matter.[22]

Death

Shepherd died in his sleep at his home in Jesmond on 25 September 2017. He was 75 years old.[23]

References

  1. ^ Smithfield, Jackie (26 September 2017). "Newcastle United release official statement after Freddy Shepherd dies". The Mag. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Tighe, Chris (16 February 2010). "The 'oilgarch' of the north-east". Financial Times. London. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  3. ^ "Freddy Shepherd, former Newcastle United chairman, dies aged 75". The Guardian. 26 September 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  4. ^ Conn, David (8 February 2006). "How the Geordie Nation turned into a cash cow". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 July 2007.
  5. ^ "A Sad Episode for Newcastle". International Herald Tribune. 25 March 1998. Archived from the original on 25 November 2006. Retrieved 30 July 2007.
  6. ^ Freddy Shepherd – Fat Freddy The Guardian
  7. ^ Newcastle Online Archived 16 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Shepherd the bad guy in Geordie soap opera Telegraph, 24 October 2006
  9. ^ "Robson seeks talks about his future". Manchester Evening News. 2 August 2004. Retrieved 29 July 2007.
  10. ^ McRae, Donald (25 July 2005). "Interview with Sir Bobby Robson". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 July 2007.
  11. ^ Stewart, Rob (1 September 2004). "Newcastle rejected by Bruce". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 4 September 2004. Retrieved 30 July 2007.
  12. ^ "Souness explains hamstring curse". BBC Sport. 23 September 2005. Retrieved 29 July 2007.
  13. ^ "Newcastle chief insists he won't walk away". The Northern Echo. 7 November 2006. Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 29 July 2007.
  14. ^ Newcastle United Chairman Shepherd Insists Michael Owen Should Return Loyalty – Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal & United Linked Archived 13 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ "Shepherd in internet prank". The Journal. 11 May 2007. Retrieved 29 July 2007.
  16. ^ "Shepherd shocked by Newcastle bid". BBC Sport. 24 May 2007. Retrieved 29 July 2007.
  17. ^ "Ashley could sack Shepherd". The Journal. 25 May 2007. Retrieved 29 July 2007.
  18. ^ Spellman, Damian (26 May 2007). "Ashley to hold bid talks with Newcastle next week". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 29 July 2007.
  19. ^ "Ashley to take over Newcastle Utd". BBC News. 7 June 2007. Retrieved 30 July 2007.
  20. ^ "Mort in for Shepherd at Newcastle". BBC Sport. 25 July 2007. Retrieved 29 July 2007.
  21. ^ "Shepherd in £60m Newcastle offer". BBC Sport. 29 June 2009. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  22. ^ "Shepherd mulling Newcastle bid". ESPN FC.
  23. ^ "Ex-Newcastle United chairman Freddy Shepherd dies". BBC. 26 September 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2017.

Read other articles:

العلاقات الإثيوبية النيوزيلندية

العلاقات الإثيوبية النيوزيلندية إثيوبيا نيوزيلندا   إثيوبيا   نيوزيلندا تعديل مصدري - تعديل   العلاقات الإثيوبية النيوزيلندية هي العلاقات الثنائية التي تجمع بين إثيوبيا ونيوزيلندا.[1][2][3][4][5] مقارنة بين البلدين هذه مقارنة عامة ومرجعية لل...

 

Lalo Salamanca

Character from the TV series Better Call Saul Fictional character Lalo SalamancaBetter Call Saul characterTony Dalton as Lalo in a promotional poster for Better Call Saul's fifth seasonFirst appearanceCoushatta (2018)Last appearancePoint and Shoot (2022)Created byPeter GouldGordon SmithPortrayed byTony DaltonIn-universe informationFull nameEduardo SalamancaAliases Jorge de Guzmán Ben OccupationCartel operatorRelatives Abuelita Salamanca (grandmother)[1] Hector Salamanca (uncle) T...

 

Vltava

Longest river in the Czech Republic This article is about the river in the Czech Republic. For the composition by Bedřich Smetana, see Má vlast. For the restaurant in Helsinki, Finland, see Vltava (restaurant). VltavaVltava in PragueThe course and drainage basin of the Vltava from its source to its confluence with the Elbe (magenta)LocationCountryCzech RepublicRegionsSouth BohemianCentral BohemianCitiesČeské BudějovicePraguePhysical characteristicsSourceČerný potok [cs ...

Années 30

Chronologies Données clés 30 31 32 33 3435 36 37 38 39Décennies :0 10 20  30  40 50 60Siècles :-IIe -Ier  Ier  IIe IIIeMillénaires :-IIe -Ier  Ier  IIe IIIe Calendriers Romain Chinois Grégorien Julien Hébraïque Hindou Hégirien Persan Républicain modifier Les années 30 couvrent les années 30 à 39. Pour les années 1930 à 1939, voir Années 1930. Événements Sermon sur la montagne, gravure de Gustave Doré. Conversion sur le chemin de...

 

Élections cantonales de 1992 dans les Alpes-de-Haute-Provence

1988 1994 Élections cantonales de 1992 dans les Alpes-de-Haute-Provence 16 des 30 cantons des Alpes-de-Haute-Provence 22 et 29 mars 1992 Type d’élection Élections cantonales PCF Sièges obtenus 3 Parti socialiste Sièges obtenus 4 PRG Sièges obtenus 1 UDF Sièges obtenus 4 RPR Sièges obtenus 4 Président du Conseil général des Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Sortant Élu Maurice Boniface UDF Pierre Rinaldi RPR modifier - modifier le code - voir Wikidata  L...

 

99th Infantry Division (United States)

1918-1945 United States Army formation 99th Infantry99th Infantry Division shoulder sleeve insigniaActive1918 - 1919 1921 - 1945Country United StatesBranch United States ArmyTypeInfantrySizeDivisionNickname(s)Battle BabiesCheckerboard DivisionEngagementsWorld War II Rhineland Ardennes-Alsace Central Europe CommandersNotablecommandersWalter E. LauerInsigniaDistinctive unit insigniaMilitary unit The 99th Infantry Division briefly existed, but never deployed, in the closing days of Wor...

Puerto Rico at the 1998 Winter Olympics

Sporting event delegationPuerto Rico at the1998 Winter OlympicsIOC codePURNOCPuerto Rico Olympic CommitteeWebsitewww.copur.pr (in Spanish)in NaganoCompetitors6 (6 men and 0 women) in 2 sportsFlag bearer José Ferrer[1]Medals Gold 0 Silver 0 Bronze 0 Total 0 Winter Olympics appearances (overview)1984198819921994199820022006–201420182022 Puerto Rico competed at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Alpine skiing Main article: Alpine skiing at the 1998 Winter Olympics Me...

 

Myanmar

Country in Southeast Asia Burma redirects here. For other uses, see Burma (disambiguation). Republic of the Union of Myanmarပြည်ထောင်စု သမ္မတ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်‌ (Burmese)Pyidăuzu Thammăda Myăma Năingandaw Flag State Seal Anthem: ကမ္ဘာမကျေKaba Ma KyeiTill the End of the WorldShow globeShow map of ASEANLocation of Myanmar (green)in ASEAN (dark grey)  –  [Legend]...

 

List of P600 mountains in the British Isles

See also: Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles and List of mountains of the British Isles by height Peaks with prominence over 600m P600s (the Majors)Moel Siabod in Snowdonia, North Wales, the newest addition to the list of P600s.Highest pointElevationno requirement; but by definition, elevation is over 600 m (1,969 ft)Prominenceover 600 m (1,969 ft)GeographyLocation 120 British Isles: 81 Scotland 25 Republic of Ireland 8 Wales 4 England 1 Northern Irelan...

Admiralty court

Courts with maritime jurisdiction Admiralty law History Code of Hammurabi Corpus Juris Civilis Digesta Ordinamenta et consuetudo maris Amalfian Laws Hanseatic League Features Fishing Illegal Fisheries law Maritime transport Shipping/Ferry Cargo Freight Shipbuilding Merchant marine Cargo ship Passenger ship Mortgage Registration Marine insurance Act of God Cargo Collision General average Seaworthiness Total loss Maritime security Letter of marque Drugs Piracy Pollution Smuggling Wartime prizes...

 

Admiral of the Navy

Admiral of the NavyTanda pangkat Admiral of the Navy (1899–1917)Negara Amerika SerikatCabang angkatan Angkatan Laut Amerika SerikatSingkatanANPangkat NATOOF-10Pangkat non-NATOBintang enamPembentukan1903 (berlaku surut 1899)Pangkat atasanTidak adaPangkat bawahanLaksamana BesarPangkat setaraGeneral of the Armies Admiral of the Navy (disingkat AN) adalah pangkat jenderal bintang enam dan merupakan pangkat tertinggi di Angkatan Laut Amerika Serikat. Salah satu dari dua pangkat terting...

 

Domni

This article does not cite any sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Domni – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (March 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Domni is a dance performed in West Bengal of India. This dance form is mainly based on drama. Roles of husbands, wives, mothers, greedy moneylenders, peasant, etc. are m...

List of roads in London, Ontario

The following is a list of the major roads in London, a major city in Southwestern Ontario. The city is organized in a grid pattern that dates back to the early 19th century, where it is based on the former Townships of London and Westminster. Many roads follow a typical grid pattern, while others follow an alignment along certain bodies of water such as the Westminster Ponds and Thames River. Each geographical township's layout of roads are different. This has led to jogs in the road networ...

 

Hubertus, Wisconsin

Unincorporated Community in Wisconsin, United StatesHubertus, WisconsinUnincorporated CommunityHubertus, WisconsinShow map of WisconsinHubertus, WisconsinShow map of the United StatesCoordinates: 43°14′12″N 88°13′16″W / 43.23667°N 88.22111°W / 43.23667; -88.22111Country United StatesState WisconsinCountyWashingtonElevation310 m (1,010 ft)Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)ZIP code53033[1]Area cod...

 

OT-62 TOPAS

OT-62 TOPAS adalah serangkaian kendaraan amfibi beroda rantai lapis baja yang dikembangkan bersama oleh Polandia dan Cekoslowakia (CSSR). OT-62 singkatan Obrněný Transporter vzor 62 - pengangkut personel lapis baja Model 62. TOPAS singkatan Transporter Obrněný Pásový - pengangkut personel lapis baja beroda rantai. Referensi Wikimedia Commons memiliki media mengenai TOPAS. JED

Gamma Geminorum

Gamma Geminorum A Alhena is the γ star in the constellation of Gemini. Data pengamatan Epos J2000      Ekuinoks J2000 Rasi bintang Gemini Asensio rekta 06h 37m 42.7s Deklinasi +16° 23′ 57″ Magnitudo tampak (V) 1.93 Ciri-ciri Kelas spektrum A0 IV Indeks warna U−B 0.06 Indeks warna B−V 0.00 Jenis variabel ? AstrometriKecepatan radial (Rv)-12.1 km/sGerak diri (μ) RA: -2.04 mdb/thn Dek.: -66.92 mdb/thn Paralaks...

 

Winawer-Variante

Die Winawer-Variante (auch Nimzowitsch-Variante) ist eine Variante der Französischen Verteidigung, einer Eröffnung im Schachspiel. Sie entsteht nach den Zügen (siehe auch: Schachnotation): 1. e2–e4 e7–e6 2. d2–d4 d7–d5 3. Sb1–c3 Lf8–b4 In der Eröffnungssystematik der ECO-Codes ist sie unter den Schlüsseln C15 bis C19 klassifiziert. Die Winawer-Variante bietet beiden Spielern meist ein inhaltsreiches und spannendes Spiel. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Allgemeines 2 Zur Geschichte des Z...

 

سوق المشير

هذه المقالة تحتاج للمزيد من الوصلات للمقالات الأخرى للمساعدة في ترابط مقالات الموسوعة. فضلًا ساعد في تحسين هذه المقالة بإضافة وصلات إلى المقالات المتعلقة بها الموجودة في النص الحالي. (مارس 2023) سوق المشير وجامع أحمد باشا. سوق المشير وهو أحد الأسواق التاريخية في طرابلس القدي...

Донецький національний академічний український музично-драматичний театр

Донецький національний академічний український музично-драматичний театр 48°00′ пн. ш. 37°48′ сх. д. / 48.000° пн. ш. 37.800° сх. д. / 48.000; 37.800Координати: 48°00′ пн. ш. 37°48′ сх. д. / 48.000° пн. ш. 37.800° сх. д. / 48.000; 37.800 Країна ...

 

Arjan Singh

Marshal of the Indian Air Force For the Indian conservationist, see Billy Arjan Singh. Marshal of the Indian Air ForceArjan SinghDFCMIAF Arjan Singh in his Marshal of the Indian Air Force uniform12th Lieutenant Governor of DelhiIn officeDec 1989 – Dec 1990Appointed byPresident of India (then, R. Venkataraman)Preceded byRomesh BhandariSucceeded byMarkandey Singh11th High Commissioner of India to KenyaIn office1974–1977PresidentV. V. Giri Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed B. D. Jatti Neelam San...