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Your Shout: Is Freddy Shepherd The Real Cancer?
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A rather interesting post on the forum regarding Freddy Shepherd's
management, grabbed our attention and while very long, we thought
it deserves a bigger audience so we've thrown it up in the mailbag
for your perusal, have a read, very interesting, and worrying.
Everyone suddenly seems pretty pleased at the minute, but let us not
forget the role of Freddy Shepherd in all this, who yet again has
only been moved to action when his own name is at risk.
From what is in the NOTW today it looks like we are hearing the start
of his drive to make sure we all get our season tickets, filling the
stadium and getting him his money, something he really does not deserve.
This is the ninth season of his utterly disastrous reign in charge
of our club, easily one of the top 5 richest in the league, probably
fourth or maybe even third before prize money is factored in.
And yet only two seasons have resembled anything close to acceptability
for a club generating as much wealth as we are. “But he puts his money
in”. No he doesn’t. I’m probably telling you something you already
know seeing as I just followed the link to https://www.nufc-finances.org.uk/,
but here it is anyway:
Firstly, that is all our money, and secondly, there is loads of it.
In terms of turnover, we are closer to Liverpool than any other club,
yet since 1998, our net transfer spend is £86m. Liverpool’s is £130m.
How can they spend so much more than us?
Since 1998, Shepherd and Hall have taken £23.6m in dividends. In 2004
and 2003, (and I am told, for all of the last 10 years) Liverpool’s
board did not take any dividend. In recent years, Liverpool’s total
board salary has been around £0.65m per year. For doing a vastly inferior
job, Shepherd and co award themselves double this amount.
But this can’t be true: He is just a fan like us! Sorry, but Shepherd
does not get much credit from me for “putting his (our) money in”,
particularly when an utterly obscene amount is diverted into his pockets
along the way. He currently awards himself one of the biggest dividends
of any UK company for doing a frankly appalling job.
“We always back our manager”. When you actually look at which manager
was given what to spend and, crucially, when, you see that actually,
no he doesn’t. When Kenny Dalglish was here, he was given the net
total of £6.5m to spend in the transfer market. Fair enough, but in
reality this meant balancing the books the whole time he was here.
Finally given a bit of finance, he bought Solano and Hamann and a
few others in the summer, before being sacked 2 games in. I can’t
recall how much that pay-off cost us.
Ruud Gullit was the same. He got a net spend of just under £8 million.
Again, that’s not a huge amount to turn around a team, but its not
bad. The reality was that of the 41 league games he had with us, he
spent 35 games balancing the books until the summer arrived and he
got to splash a bit of cash uninhibited. The fact he fucked it up
after he spent the money is beside the point I’m making.
In my view, Shepherd failed in his duty to these managers. This may
have more to do with the timing of the sackings than anything else,
it doesn’t matter. It is his fault.
Then Bobby Robson arrived. Even Shepherd couldn’t miss this appointment
– one of the few decent things he has done at this club landed in
his lap. Like both his predecessors, he faced a long spell balancing
the books, clearing out some utter rubbish to somehow make a profit
in transfers between September 99 and Summer 01.
So far in Shepherd’s time there is only one party connected with NUFC
who received millions to spend when they wanted it: While 3 managers
have struggled over 4 years, Shepherd and Hall have been raking it
in. The football on the whole, has been dreadful. Our league points
totals are as follows: 44 points, 46 points, 52 points, 51 points.
On top of this shambles he has also managed to get caught out by a
fake sheik in a brothel, embarrass himself and everyone else, resign
as director, and then return as chairman. But anyway, at this stage
in our history we are now playing in the second biggest stadium in
the Premiership, so of course the dividend increases accordingly.
Shepherd has a new challenge if he is to maintain his increased income:
He must fill the stadium – especially since it has come with an enormous
debt, secured against season ticket sales. But there is still no transfer
money to spend. Or is there? David Stonehouse, Newcastle season-ticket
holder, was appointed financial director, partly to improve relations
with the fans after the Save Our Seats fiasco (and later that FLC
farce – I’m missing stuff out here).
In February 2001 Stonehouse indicated there was still no money, saying:
“we have made mistakes in the transfer market in the past and Bobby
Robson and the board are not keen to spend." Douglas Hall, however,
saw things differently. 4 weeks after the above quote he breezed in
from Gibraltar to inform us that we had more money than Man United,
were going to expand the stadium again, as well as sign Rivaldo.
So from this we could judge that the summer spending will come to
somewhere between 0 and £100m. As it happens, the spending came to
£16m, despite Stonehouse’s warning. This was the first time Shepherd
had given a manager our money at the start of the summer and then
gone the whole season without sacking him.
But again, to me finally achieving this simplest of tasks is not the
main point. Our financial director did not know how much we would
be spending. His job title suggests to me that in a properly-run club
perhaps he would. If he doesn’t know then who does? Certainly not
the manager, that’s for sure, something hinted at in Robson’s book
(see below).
How are you supposed to build a squad if you don’t even know this?
In the event we weren’t building a squad, and in my opinion, never
have been. There is no plan. Just sign a big player that will fill
the ground. We bought 2 players – both forwards obviously, defenders
won’t shift season tickets – for big fees. A pattern was set that
we are still following now.
To the watching fans it seemed that it was going to take more than
two players to get this squad going places, but this was more than
had been hoped for. Incidentally, Stonehouse resigned shortly afterwards.
He had previously worked for the mackems, holding a season ticket
the whole time, which can have done himself no favours with the unwashed.
He will have known of the slightly shady ways in which football clubs
operate.
But despite moving to a bigger club who he also happened to support,
he turned down the opportunity to team up with the wholesome characters
who lead us. He has since been working in similar executive roles
outside football. Makes you wonder.
But Robson sent us top by Christmas 2001 and all that was forgotten.
Jenas followed for £5 million, the football was class, and we were
in the Champions League. Shepherd collected the year’s dividend and
lapped up the plaudits.
Now, though a new transfer policy was now on view: Buy few players
for big money. This makes sense while in the Champions League, but
we are still pursuing it now. In the space of 9 months, Viana, Bramble,
Ambrose and Woodgate (his finest moment?) arrived for £24.5 million.
There were then no transfer fees spent for a year and a quarter, until
Summer 2004.
Does Shepherd deserve credit for this 2 year spell? Perhaps he does.
However, I would point out that Liverpool’s board manage to make the
occasional sensible decision on just half the wages and a fraction
of the dividend pay-outs. I am also of the opinion that this is the
standard we should achieve on a regular basis. In fact, I would go
so far as to say that the only reason Shepherd gained relative success
once was because a top coach who happened to be brought up within
20 miles of the ground landed in his lap.
This will never happen again. And even then, it was all over by Summer
2003 when the plundering of the cash kitty for his enormous dividend
caught up with him and there was no money, despite a season in the
Champions League. We always back our manager!
Looking back, the amazing thing about Robson’s team wasn’t the pace
or the young players or anything like that. It was the likes of Griffin,
Dabizas, O’Brien, and Hughes playing in the top 4 week in, week out.
Acuna and McClen hurtling around St James’ against Viera and co. LuaLua
helping us away at Arsenal and Derby. (All those fight backs. Remember
them? Team spirit) Brian Kerr on the wing at Leeds in a 3-0 win.
Under the current chairman, that is the standard of coaching required
to get us to a place where a club our size should regularly feature.
It cannot be done regularly, it isn’t possible. At every other top
club, top managers get to build a full squad before being asked to
bring home a trophy. But not this one. That is not the transfer policy.
But surely Shepherd would make more money in the Champions League.
Why gamble on that though? Any risky investment in the team might
cut into the precious dividend, with no guarantee of return. Plus
supporters might want that reinvested in the team to, you know, win
things. Far better to wheel out one big signing/new manager a year,
fill the stadium, and pocket one of the biggest dividends of any UK
company.
Best throw in a few lines about us turning it around this year as
well. Something about being second only to Chelsea will do. This appears
to be the strategy, certainly since the Champions League became a
million miles away.
Well he’s a sound businessman. Is he? It looks to me that even aside
from dividends; we are haemorrhaging cash in every possible direction.
From reserves getting £0.3m a year for playing in front of 100 people,
to Dyer on 80k a week for doing nothing. From private jets for individual
players, to using Bruce Shepherd’s warehouse for nearly half a million
pounds. From ridiculous pay-outs to employ shite managers to ridiculous
pay-outs to sack them. (By the way, did you know that Souness’ agency
is Proactive? The same as Wayne Rooney’s, and the same that Kenneth
Shepherd works for – we were busy with them for a few weeks, weren’t
we).
If Shepherd is such a sound businessman, then how can our financial
situation be explained? Why is it that a team which will probably
finish the season with less than 46 points for the 4th time in the
last 9 years has a 90 million pound debt? Not to mention the fact
wages now make up 59% of all turnover. And why has he got so many
players on massive long-term contracts that extend far beyond the
next tv deal, expected to be a greatly reduced one?
According to Robson (in his book), Shepherd was denying him information
on player’s contracts and transfer negotiations. Why would Shepherd
do this? Robson went on to criticize both Shepherd and Hall for their
focus only on the first team and St. James' Park. He said the training
ground, scouts and youth talent were being neglected.
In Summer 2004, Shepherd was strongly rumoured to have interfered
in the Butt and Kliuvert deals. The Rooney bid was surprising to say
the least. Whatever was going on there, we didn’t need it. We needed
a centre half. Instead we sold one. I heard from someone who was pretty
convinced of their source that the Woodgate deal had been wrapped
up months beforehand. It certainly happened extremely quickly, and
the press missed it entirely.
Yet Shepherd appeared not to inform Robson. Even if you don’t believe
that, it doesn’t matter, its just one sorry chapter in a nine year
story of utter greed and incompetence. Meanwhile, Robson was being
dragged out in front of sky tv to stand next to Shepherd talking about
Woodgate’s great opportunity, and a Rooney bid for fucks sake, all
with him days away from the sack.
Not for the first time he appeared to have no idea what Shepherd was
doing. This was disgusting from Shepherd. Robson was far from perfect
in later days, but this man had taken Shepherd as close to success
at this club as he is ever likely to come, and he was humiliated by
him over a number of days. This just confirmed Shepherd’s true character.
After all the bluster, Robson was “backed” to the tune of minus 7
million that summer, including having his centre back sold behind
his back, before being handed the sack. The other thing confirmed
at this time, if it was needed, was the input Shepherd has on transfers.
To be honest, I find the amount of control he appears to have in this
area pretty disturbing. It seems that Souness just gave him a list
and then crossed his fingers, Shepherd does the rest.
Robson also refers to Shepherd’s authority in this area in his book,
and no one appears to have any idea of how much and when we will spend
apart from him, including, it would seem, the manager and the financial
director. It makes you think about some of our other transfers as
well.
Viana for example. £8.5m was an enormous price for a 19 year old,
bigger clubs than us were in for him, he clearly wasn’t suited to
England, there was no place for him in the squad. Robson showed how
much faith he had in “his” signing when Speed went off injured once.
Rather than sub him on in his own position, we played for 10 minutes
with 10 men while the crowd went mental. £8.5 million would have been
useful in the summer of 2003.
Another concern of mine: From what Mike Newell says, as Shepherd tours
the globe, wheeling and dealing on his way, he may come into contact
with some pretty corrupt people. He will have to be careful. In fact
just recently, the Daily Express alleged that a manager and chairman
of a Premiership club received 3.5m from the signing of a central
defender who cost less than 10 million. It is a cesspool, according
to Sven’s agent.
Staggeringly, Summer 2004 was the third time Shepherd had overseen
the removal of someone just weeks into the season – surely a record
for incompetence. Yet again, the season was a complete write-off,
even before Souness was appointed. When all the deserved criticism
for this and everything else was flying his way, one thing Shepherd
seemed to get away with here was the removal of Charlie Woods and
Gordon Milne.
During the five years under Robson, they had apparently built up some
Arsene Wenger style contacts across Europe, and had finally got a
player in, in the shape of Charlie N’Zogbia. But Shepherd turfed them
out with Robson. Why? Fuck knows. That’s how committed to getting
a squad together Freddie Shepherd is.
We followed up Robson’s 56 points with 44 points. But Shepherd got
his dividend, as usual. That’s what counts. The summer just gone is
another example of Shepherd’s baffling transfer policy, so I wasn’t
rushing to pat him on the back as many were. Like Robson and Stonehouse
before him Souness clearly did not have a fucking clue what was going
on.
He thought 2 deals were in the bag when in fact neither of them happened
because we wouldn’t “be held to ransom” on their comparatively tiny
fees. Then on the last day we blow a colossal £28 million which appeared
from nowhere, and Christ knows how much on wages. By this stage we
had already played four league games without scoring (could yet prove
costly) and got knocked out of the inter-toto.
But never mind that, we’ll polish off those season tickets easily
now. Souness’ jaw must have hit the floor. Perhaps we would have been
better off actually backing our manager and coughing up for the slightly
less exotic signings he requested. Then maybe we might have been able
to fill out our squad a little bit, and if it turned out the signings
were shite and the manager was clueless, we could even afford to pay
him off.
This is how professional clubs operate. But, as I said before, I genuinely
do not think building a squad is on the agenda. It is certainly a
poor second to chucking some pop star signing into the team, regardless
of anything else. This will be the third consecutive season we finish
with a group of reserve team youngsters filling out the side.
Top eight in the world Freddie? Don’t think so. Throughout just about
the whole of the Shepherd era, even Robson’s time, we have had a small
core of quality players, surrounded by those who one way or another,
aren’t up to it. You can say, well we would settle for this before
’92, but that was then and this is now. Football has changed, and
with Keegan and Hall, Newcastle United changed as well.
We now have the muscle to compete if not right at the top, then very
close to it. What we’ve got at the moment isn’t good enough. That’s
the rhetoric that comes out of SJP anyway. So, after nine years in
the job, what can any potential managers expect from Freddie Shepherd?
First he must accept that there is no long-term plan whatsoever, and
that this will be the case for as long as he is here. He cannot expect
to be given money when he wants it, in fact if this happens he is
probably going to get sacked. He should watch out for some odd transfer
activity beyond his control. He may make a list of players he wishes
to purchase, and they can be, in fact they must be, as expensive as
he likes.
But after this he will not be allowed to build a squad, so he must
use cheap players and free transfers who belong in the lower leagues,
and mould them with this years pop star signing(s) into his team.
Oh, he must finish in the top 4. Because anything less just isn’t
good enough for Newcastle United, and we are a massive and ambitious
club, second only to Chelsea.
If this sounds almost impossible, you are right – it is. But don’t
worry, he will receive a massive pay-off when sacked in mid-season,
and we will get some other “saviour” to do it all again.
By 'Alexthegreat'
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