Newcastle-Online.com readers questions to Newcastle Chairman Freddy Shepherd
For The Chronicle
Below are all the questions to Freddy Shepherd from Newcastle-online's readers
regarding the Chronicle's Q&A with the Newcastle United Chairman who has agreed
to answer a selection of questions sent into the Chronicle from Newcastle fans.
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Q: As Chairman of Newcastle it is your job to uphold and to maintain the good
name of the club yet many of your comments, especially the ones regarding the
club's fans, Alan Shearer and the womenfolk of Newcastle to the News Of The World
circa 1998 have done far more damage to not only the reputation of the club but
also the City and it's people than any defeat on the pitch has done. You have
since apologised, resigned and then re-elected yourself as Chairman. Can you and
the club ever recover from such humiliation?
Lee West, Gosforth Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: Would you say Newcastle United fans are knowledgeable fans and if so, why do
you never listen to them? And don't say you do because had you listened to the
fans, you would never have appointed Graeme Souness as manager in the first place
and you certainly wouldn't be Chairman because no self respecting fan likes you
as a person or trusts you to run the club. No doubt my question will not see the
light of day.
Mark S, Washington
Q: Newcastle tried to buy Wayne Rooney in the Summer of 2004, where would this
money have come from? And has that money disappeared now or will it be available
to Graeme Souness in the Summer of this year, like it was to Sir Bobby Robson?
Martin Fisher, Wallsend Newcastle
Q: Apart from Graeme Souness and other well documented British candidates, did
you ever consider hiring a foreign manager to succeed Sir Bobby Robson?
Paul Marshall, Whitley Bay (Season Ticket holder)
Q: There were rumours that Otmar Hitzfeld the former Bayern Munich manager was
interested in the job, can you confirm that he did indeed show interest or was
it just that, a rumour?
Paul Marshall, Whitley Bay (Season Ticket Holder)
Q: How many candidates did you look at before deciding to appoint Graeme Souness?
Paul Marshall, Whitley bay (Season Ticket Holder)
Q: How many candidates were interested in the job along with Graeme Souness?
Paul Marshall, Whitley bay (Season Ticket Holder)
Q: Can you name these candidates and why they all failed to get the job ahead
of Graeme Souness?
Paul Marshall, Whitley bay (Season Ticket Holder)
Q: Season ticket prices will no doubt rise, how can you justify any rise given
the awful football, the poor results and the lack of heart from some of those
not fit enough to wear the Black & White shirt this season?
Bob Smith, Blaydon
Q: Would you consider your time as Chairman of Newcastle United, a success?
Chris W, Barnsley
Q: You rightly criticised Lee Bowyer for bringing shame on the club after his
fight with Keiron Dyer yet did you yourself not bring shame on the club with your
"Geordie women are dogs" comments a few years back? Does that not make
you a hypocrite?
Paul Davidson, Newcastle
Q: Do you consider yourself a good Chairman in the eyes of Newcastle supporters?
Amar N, Fenham Newcastle
Q: When you demand more professionalism from the staff shouldn't you lead by example?
Where is the difference in the playing staff being in the headlines for all the
wrong reasons or the chairman?
Isegrim, Germany
Q: Given the fact that when you appointed Souness you said you wanted immediate
success and a trophy, why then is Souness still the manager when immediate success
and a trophy hasn't been delivered?
Craig Hogg, Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: How does it make you feel that our standard of football is so boring that throwing
paper airplanes is more exciting to the fans during a match than the actual game
itself. Don't you feel that the loyal fans deserve a higher standard of football
for the amount of money we pay to watch the games?
Craig Hogg, Newcastle (season Ticket holder)
Q: One of the main reasons Souness was brought in for was to restore discipline,
yet since his appointment there has been numerous red cards and bookings, fights
between players on the pitch and an alleged physical fight between the manager
himself and a player. He clearly hasn't restored discipline, he's actually made
it worse. What are your thoughts on this?
Craig Hogg, Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: Blackburn Rovers were at the bottom of the Premiership and looking early relegation
candidates having the year before also flirted with relegation, when you saw fit
to hire their manager for one of the "best jobs in football", your words
not mine. If you truly believe that the Newcastle job is one of the best in football
which you must have done to say these things then why did you bring in one of
the worst managers in football? Was his appointment acknowledgement on your behalf
that the job wasn't as prestigious as your first imagined and if so do you concede
that your judgment has now been proved to be poor? Or was Souness the only manager
willing to take the job thus you have failed to do your own job which is to bring
in a manager fitting for one of the best jobs in football?
Michael Stevenson, Durham (Season Ticket holder)
Q: You often refer the need to have a Geordie manager, can we take it that Alan
Shearer will be Newcastle's next manager after Souness?
Chris P, Newcastle
Q: Why, when you tell us we are a 'big' club, do we not have a Chief Executive
like all the other 'big' clubs?
John Skidmore, Westerhope Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: Why have you sacked 3 managers with only a handful of games played at the
start of a season when most of the fans knew they should have gone much earlier?
John Skidmore, Westerhope Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: Is it true that the club hire a warehouse from your brother to store NUFC
merchandise at £250,000 a year? A warehouse that you sold to your brother.
John Skidmore, Westerhope Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: Can you explain how keeping Alan Shearer, on top wages, at 34 will help us
progress next season, when he is totally ineffective without Craig Bellamy?
John Skidmore, Westerhope Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: Would you sell your shares in the club if the price was right?
John Skidmore, Westerhope Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: Surely if you could appoint Martin O'Neill from Celtic you would have one of
the great mangers in the game and Craig Bellamy would behave himself. Why don't
you change Souness for O'Neill?
Harry Worcester, UK
Q: Newcastle have always bought the best strikers, Les Ferdinand, Alan Shearer,
Duncan Ferguson, Andrew Cole etc. Will you continue to sign the best strikers
and which striker have the club targeted for next season to score goals?
Damus, Iceland
Q: Was the Rooney bid serious? And, if so, how close did we come to signing him?
Is the money we put forward for Rooney still available?
Keith R, Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: What do you think would be an acceptable league position next season? If
we didn't achieve that position would the manager have to leave? And if not,
why not?
Keith R, Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: How do you see the impact of entering the Intertoto cup affecting Newcastle
United's image? Is it the right thing to do? And do we have a squad capable of
lasting an extended season with the associated increased number of matches?
Keith R, Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: Why did you let Bernard leave the club for a pittance when he was clearly
one of our most improved players, and one of the most committed on the pitch?
Do you think Babayaro is a suitable replacement?
Keith R, Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: Do you think Shearer has made the right choice in deciding to stay another
season? And will Souness be able to bench Shearer when he thinks it's for the
benefit of the team without fear of reprisal?
Keith R, Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: Is there a long-term plan in place for Shearer to take over the management
of the club? If so, why do you think he's the right man for the job bearing
in mind his lack of managerial experience?
Keith R, Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: What is your opinion of Douglas Hall's comments that the club would have
definitely been relegated if Sir Bobby Robson had stayed? In what way is he
qualified to make such a claim? And how do you think such an offensive statement
has impacted the club's image in the media and general public who rightly regard
Sir Bobby as one of the all-time great English managers? Was his outburst helpful
for the club?
Keith R, Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: If you consider the performance of the fans at the FA Cup semi-final and
that of the players, do you honestly believe the fans have the team they deserve?
Keith R, Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: Is it true to say that you are the main reason for this season's failure, having
failed to sufficiently invest in new players from the start of the season, especially
at the heart of the defence where you had no backup after Woodgate's sale?
Manjit Singh, Newcastle
Q: Do you honestly think Souness is the right man for the job, why didn't you
look further a field towards proven international managers like Guus Hiddink for
example?
Manjit Singh, Newcastle
Q: Do you think the public criticism of players from the manager is good for
team moral?
Manjit Singh, Newcastle
Q: Why do you consider yourself a good chairman, when everybody else wishes you
to resign?
Helge Lie
Q: Why did you appoint a manager that has a bad reputation among players, and
has nothing to show in regards to achievements as a manager?
Helge Lie
Q: You constantly praise Newcastle fans as being the best in the world yet you
never seem to listen to us, why is that?
Paul M, Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: How is it good business for Newcastle United to sign a 17 year lease at an
annual rent of £150,000 for a warehouse that had just been purchased by
your brother for £175,000?
Jackie Brown, Edinburgh Scotland
Q: Why is it OK for you and the manager to publicly criticise players, yet Laurent
Robert gets slaughtered and dropped (and ultimately driven out the club it seems)
for simply saying we need to improve as a team?
Ian Gordon, Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: Do you truly believe that a Geordie manager should be at the helm rather
than a top-class manager regardless of where he is from?
Ian Gordon, Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: What role exactly does your brother, Kenneth, have at the club? What benefits
and expertise does he bring to the table?
Mick S, Gateshead (Season Ticket holder)
Q: What will be the club's realistic aims next season and have we got a substantial
transfer kitty for this summer? Will this transfer money depend on how many players
we sell and what will be the priorities this Summer? Defenders, midfielders or
attackers?
Daniel Abela, Malta
Q: Is there any chance that Craig Bellamy and Lee Bowyer will return to wear
the black and white shirt or will they never play for the club again?
Daniel Abela, Malta
Q: Will Patrick Kluivert be leaving in the Summer or will the club look to retain
his services?
Daniel Abela, Malta
Q: When Graeme Souness took over you talked about this being a season of progression
and not one of consolidation. Souness has subsequently taken an arguably stronger
squad than the one that finished fifth last season, to lie currently 12th in the
league with a poor record against the top teams. How do you view this vis-a-vis
your expectations and what signs do you see of the progression you stipulated
was necessary?
Owen Clark, Nottingham (Former Season Ticket holder)
Q: Could you please confirm the roles of all those staff that Graham Souness has
Brought in with him? It looks like an extension is needed on the dugout! Also
have NUFC considered using some new stretching and warm up techniques because
our record with injuries, strains and various other ailments is truly awful and
a poor reflection on the club's medical/coaching team.
Nick Maxwell, Gateshead (Season Ticket holder)
Q: Do you consider that we need at least 2 new quality strikers and will we get
these two quality strikers?
K.Richardson, West Midlands
Q: Goalscoring midfield players are a premium. Are Newcastle looking to find someone
who can give the forwards help in finding the net?
K.Richardson, West Midlands
Q: When you sold Jonathan Woodgate, you said the fans would be pleasantly surprised
by the outcome. Was this surprise waiting 5 months for a defender, appointing
a manager like Souness, taking us to 12th in the league and shipping off our best
striker? If not, what was the nice surprise, because every fan seems to have missed
it?
Nicky Wilson, Newcastle
Q: Given that clubs such as Liverpool and Arsenal (and even Everton) will soon
have bigger, newer stadiums than St. James' Park, how do you intend to match their
spending power? With those clubs in the Champions League AND having increased
gate receipts, how will Newcastle compete?
Martin, Gosforth Newcastle
Q: Who do you think Newcastle's most promising youngster is? I'd like to think
Steven Taylor is, but I'm sure you know some newer talent in the youth system
that nobody knows about.
Darryl, Spennymoor
Q: Many fans will not renew for next season and I am one of those. I have had
enough of empty promises, poor results, poor football and seeing players take
the club for a ride and it's fans. I shan't return until Graeme Souness, the trouble
makes and your yourself are far removed from the club as possible. What do you
have to say to those fans who won't be renewing, like me?
David S, Benwell Newcastle (Season Ticket holder, soon to be ex-Season
Ticket holder)
Q: Over the years the dressing room gossip and bad behaviour of the players have
got to such proportions that I would suggest good professional players might want
to avoid signing for a club with a self destruct mentality. Managers aside why
have you as Chairman allowed this gossip and bad behaviour to happen season after
season? If myself as far away as Edinburgh knows what is going on why don't you
and if you do why have YOU not dealt with it in the past? The really great club's
keep their problems private!
Jim Gray, Edinburgh Scotland (Season Ticket holder)
Q: I was wondering why has there been no news on Patrick Kluivert's new contract,
he is obviously one of the best strikers in the world and I feel has been harshly
treated by the media this year considering he has been plagued by injuries and
has barely had a chance. You cannot just let go one of the best strikers in the
world for nothing, he still has a lot to offer Newcastle Utd and is world-class.
Will he be staying or going?
Robert McCluskey, Ashington
Q: Whose decision was it to sign Butt and Kluivert, yours or Sir Bobby Robson's
and how involved do you get in deciding which players to pursue in the transfer
market?
Stephen Levey, Israel
Q: Why get rid of Patrick Kluivert when we cant afford to replace him? Why hasn't
he been starting every game as he has class written all over him with every touch?
It is not his fault that our other players are not on the same wavelength as he
is now our only world-class footballer. So who can you target in the same bracket
as Kluivert? Have we got £20 million to spend on a forward?
Craig Johnston, Peterlee Durham (Season Ticket holder)
Q: With such a poor record in management why did you appoint Graeme Souness as
manager of Newcastle United? What do you see in him that we don't?
Aree Saieung, Newcastle United Supporters Club Thailand
Q: What exactly do you want NUFC to achieve under Souness - Champions League qualification,
silverware or discipline?
Aree Saieung, Newcastle United Supporters Club Thailand
Q: Every fan in Thailand wants to know will Shearer be Newcastle's next manager?
Aree Saieung, Newcastle United Supporters Club Thailand
Q: Why did you sack Sir Bobby on the eve of the transfer window thus restricting
his successor and not at the end of season 2003-05 when even Bobby's most loyal
fans were beginning to think he had 'served his time'? Do you now concede, given
the problems the new manager has encountered since then, such as defensive shortcomings
from September to January, ill-discipline from players who Bobby had signed and
having just 1 month to bring in new faces, that you made the wrong decision to
sack Bobby when you did?
Paul Smith, Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: Transfers don't happen over night and the club had obviously looked into selling
Jonathan Woodgate in advance of his eventual sale. Which begs the questions, why
then didn't the club bring in reinforcements during this process knowing that
both Titus Bramble and Steven Taylor were out injured and unavailable for selection,
which in turn left just Andy O'Brien and Robbie Elliott who are not good enough
a pairing for a club with aspirations of grabbing a Champions League spot, as
the only defenders on the books fit to play? As a result of this the team subsequently
shipped in goals which even a blind man can deduct as a major factor as to why
we will finish so low in the League. Do you now concede that not bringing in defenders
at the time was a mistake?
Paul Smith, Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: The ill-discipline at the club has built up over the years, what measures if
any have been taken to counter these problems and in light of yet more ill-discipline
in recent weeks, is it safe to say, that any measures in place simply aren't working?
How will the club deal with trouble makers in the future?
Paul Smith, Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: Many fans believe an attempt to sign Wayne Rooney was a cheap publicity stunt
from the club and you can't really blame fans for thinking like this when big
name signings have been promised time after time yet never do sign. Already the
name of Michael Owen has been linked, you yourself have admitted the club are
interested. Is this another 'stunt' or will the club really sign players of his
undoubted quality?
Paul Smith, Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: Will the money apparently set aside for Rooney go towards the transfer budget
this Summer, in doing so boosting the kitty? If not, why not?
Paul Smith, Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: The media have speculated for months now that Newcastle United and Proactive
Sports (now Formation group) have a very close relationship with each other. So
close that the agency have an office at St. James' Park, your son Kenneth is a
director of the company and many other NUFC employees own shares in them they
allege. Is this true and if not, why haven't the club contradicted these statements
in the press to allay the fears of fans who would quite rightly see such a 'partnership'
as very suspicious?
Paul Smith, Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: Is the long term goal of Newcastle United to win the Premiership and if so,
how can that goal be achieved given the wealth and strength of others who will
only get stronger while we struggle in mid-table? Does the club have a short and
long term plan to achieve success and if so, can you outline this plan?
Paul Smith, Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: If a Roman Abramovic type figure approached you and your fellow Board of Directors,
promising to pump millions into the club to buy the best players to challenge
for the League and European Cup, would you and the board consider selling up?
If the answer is no, why?
Paul Smith, Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: Would you ever consider resigning as Chairman based on fan opinion?
Paul Smith, Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: Would you ever consider sacking a manager based on fan opinion?
Paul Smith, Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: You recently told Sky Sports News that increasing the capacity of St. James'
Park is an option open to the club. How viable is this option and how likely is
it to happen in the near future?
Paul Smith, Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: Who owns Newcastle United?
Paul Smith, Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: Many fans are now starting to question whether you have the ability to run
the club and want you to step down, what would you say to those fans?
Paul Smith, Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: When Manchester United upped their bid for Rooney, why did Newcastle not match
their final bid or go higher? Restated, why did we simply drop out of the running
for him?
Mike C, Bensham Gateshead (Season Ticket holder)
Q: Graeme Souness was not a popular choice of manager on the stands and should
his tenure all end in in the same way the previous three managers did, fans will
not blame him but you for appointing him in the first place. Should he get sacked
he will become your 4th un successive managerial appointment. Will you resign
if Souness isn't a success? If not, what makes you think you will have the backing
of fans and what makes you think you will hire the right man, given the previous
failures?
Darren Somerville, Newcastle (Season Ticket holder)
Q: Would you consider stepping down honourably as chairman based on the painful
season we just had? Here in the East, we preserve honor and pride very seriously
in our every day life. Maybe someone who does more listening than talking. Most
of the top 4 club's chairman, do not talk or get much exposure as much as you
do sir. We really do not need those. You might disagree with me about that tough.
Saiful Murad, Far East
Q: How much time does Souness have to bring silverware to Newcastle?
Chris, Blakelaw Newcastle
Q: Given the poor character of recent purchases, will you and the manager assess
the characters of potential future purchases before actually buying them?
Mary W, Newcastle