Premier League - Shepherd blasts Ashley

Eurosport - Tue, 19 May 12:18:00 2009

Former Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd insists Mike Ashley is solely to blame for the club's relegation plight and urged the current regime to stop "whingeing".

2008-2009 Newcastle United Mike Ashley - 0

Shepherd sold the club to Ashley nearly two years ago having himself suffered criticism for his running of the club.

And Shepherd said: "Relegation would be an absolute disaster in terms of corporate and the crowd."

He added: "It took us 12-15 years to get a big ground, a great academy and a good set of players. We left and all of a sudden there's a disaster. And you can't make a profit out of a disaster.

"One thing that is really upsetting is the whingeing that is going on. They blame everyone but themselves.

"They have to look at themselves and say 'what have we done wrong here' and not start blaming other people. It annoys me that they seem to blame me all the time.

"Every year we were there we made a profit. There is only one person to blame and that's the guy who decides who is going to run the club.

"Lots of people can buy football clubs but not many can run them."

PA Sport / Eurosport

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  1. Bin Laden has reported on the last game NUFC played in­ the Premier League.....
    .
    He states Newcastle are a­ C-rap team
    .
    British intelligence state that message­ could have originated anytime in the last 10­ years.
    .
    SAFC Premier Team in the North East

    From Advent, on Sat 30 May 2:11PM

  2. What was thew last Ship to leave thr River Tyne?

    The­ Premier Ship.....

    I love it
    SAFC Premier Team in the­ North East.

    From Advent, on Sat 30 May 2:08PM

  3. There has been a massive explosion at Sid James Park­

    Yes they have finally BURST their bubble......

    SAFC­ Premier Team in the North East

    From Advent, on Sat 30 May 2:06PM

  4. come on newcastle you can do it from a wolves fan ­ good luck

    From bill w, on Thu 21 May 12:11PM

  5. If the Toon do get relegated, it could be the end of­ NUFC. Ashley has said he will put all the players on­ the list and have cutbacks throughout the club to­ regain his lost £££`s.
    This could be the death-toll of­ NUFC.
    Car-Park anyone?

    From Bobby Robson A Legend, on Wed 20 May 1:45PM

  6. Freddie Shephard is a disgrace! Sacking Sir Bobby and­ replacing him with Souness (shudder), was the lowest­ point of a long string of awful decisions! If you made­ a profit when you were at the toon it's because­ 55,000 toon fans would fill that stadium just to watch­ the grass grow! It has nothing to do with you being­ Chairman now zip it!

    From Matt36, on Wed 20 May 1:16PM

  7. Anybody wondering how good the last Newcastle team was­ that El Rotondo Freddy Shepherd is talking about should­ refer to the following on wikipidia :Newcastle United­ F.C. season 2006–07. Some of the players Freddy­ sanctioned were a disgrace. John A Boumsong for­ example. Great team Freddy. U FAT FOOL

    From SHAUN, on Wed 20 May 11:44AM

  8. its pathetic,
    all the so called pundits,yes and­ fans,analysis,pulling to pieces,what they think,what­ they dont think,you know what its history now,whats the­ point,whats done is done,you can only move on,hopefuly­ learn by past mistakes.
    newcastle unfortunately have a­ disfunctional and fractured managerial system,you need­ to start at the top for the future.
    friendly­ opinion,should you escape relegation,you can expect­ more of the same without these changes.good luck­ anyway.!!!!!phew what a season eh!!!!!!

    From pianomusiclive, on Wed 20 May 9:11AM

  9. As an Arsenal fan it upsets me to see Newcastle in this­ sorry plight, they are a great club with the best­ supporters in the land. I hope you stay up, the EPL­ needs you back as the force you once were. The Geordie­ fans deserve nothing less. Lets hope Shearer gets a­ good go at it and that he is backed with cash to spend.

    From Cliff, on Wed 20 May 8:18AM

  10. i did say that this was just the beggining,now freddie­ is putting the boot in,anyone else want to join in,nows­ your chance,by the time you lot have finished the­ players will not want to go on the pitch.

    From pianomusiclive, on Wed 20 May 8:17AM

  11. RE QUOTE 55.scott a. PEOPLE LIKE YOU ARE NAIVE. IF­ ASHLEY SELLS ALL OF THE DECENT PLAYERS AND REPLACES­ THEM WITH CR@@, WHAT DO YOU THINK MIGHT HAPPEN? CHUMP!

    From SHAUN, on Wed 20 May 7:56AM

  12. Shepherd quotes ".There is only one person to­ blame and that's the guy who decides who is going­ to run the club."
    Is this meant to be the chairman­ Freddy? When you were here Freddy, you always blamed­ everything on the players on " Rolls Royce­ wages." Yes we did have players on Rolls Royce­ wages Freddy, but it didn't mean that all of the­ were Rolls Royce quality ( most of them then, like now­ are over rated and over paid ). You hired the managers­ who bought the players who let us down in the past, so­ if we apply your present, stated new perspective on­ things, ie "There is only one person to blame and­ that's the guy who decides who is going to run the­ club" then you were to blame for the rubbish we­ had to put up with when you were the "man" in­ charge.

    LEAVE US ALONE YOU CHUMP. YOU DISGRACE FOR A­ GEORDIE

    From SHAUN, on Wed 20 May 7:53AM

  13. quote 43 u f/king clown non of what u say can actually­ happen

    From dick.dawson3, on Wed 20 May 12:22AM

  14. how can anyone blame the owner for the mess newcastle­ are in? at the end of the day its the 11 players on the­ pitch. im not a toon fan but i do watch a lot of­ football and not enough of the 11 men on that pitch are­ acting like men! mike ashley is a bit of a tit but has­ been used as a scapegoat! the fans wanted keegan who is­ a terrible manager the fans wanted shearer who isnt a­ manager. joe kinnear is the only manager you have had­ this season and its no supprise that he has got most of­ youre points this season. the only real mistake ashley­ has made is trying to sell a company for as much money­ as possible after your fans made him feel unsafe in his­ own stadium. whether its nufc or some other business­ you set your selling price high its just business. grow­ up and have fun in the championship. YNWA

    From scott a, on Tue 19 May 11:23PM

  15. john.connolly01
    ha ha, aaye Ken a he is popping up­ everywhere!
    No idea who he supports, but it is always­ the same isn't it!
    sicknotes this, north east­ rubbish that, can't attract top players here,­ depressing area that . . . . .
    He has a go at safc and­ 'the boro' too but he reserves his most toxic­ of posts for us, so we should be kinda privileged i­ guess!

    From cameron w, on Tue 19 May 10:24PM

  16. The castle is crumbling, the bridge has already­ burnt...

    From Omar, on Tue 19 May 10:21PM

  17. It's a massive shame that the media are prepared to­ give shepherd a platform to spout his idiotic bile. The­ man is a disgrace. I could write a dissertation about­ how on too many occasions he dropped us in the cr@@..­ Remember Marbella Freddy? Remember sacking Sir Bobby­ after under investing in the team and seeing us drop­ out of the Champions League? Remember giving Souness a­ job? Remember giving Souness a three year contract?­ Remember allowing Allardice to sign Joey Barton on a­ five year contract. Remember telling everybody how good­ a left back Babayaro was? How do men with brains so­ small become so rich? By being dishonest­ Freddy.

    FREDDY SHEPHERD BETRAYED EVERY SUPPORTER OF­ NUFC AND THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY OF NEWCASTLE BY LETTING­ THE TOON BECOME VULNERABLE ENOUGH TO BE TAKEN OVER BY­ THE FOOL ASHLEY. AND YOU CALL YOURSELF A GEORDIE. SHAME­ ON YOU AND DAMN YOUR ADVOCATES...........

    From SHAUN, on Tue 19 May 9:24PM

  18. cameron w, Thank you for your comment.
    I never finish­ reading the "your not a big club" and­ "no cups" "masaiah" comments. They­ all say the same thing written by the same type of­ person, the kind that you try and avoid in the pub etc­ cause they bore the pants off you. As soon as I realise­ it's one of them I move on and leave them to it.
    I­ do like Ken A though, I think he's just a very sad­ and lonely man.

    From john.connolly01, on Tue 19 May 9:11PM

  19. TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO­ OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO­ OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO­ OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO­ OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO­ OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO­ OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO­ OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON WILL BE SAFE

    From andrew_bowlt, on Tue 19 May 9:00PM

  20. jon a,
    dear me, a sensible voice from an opposing fan .­ .. what next on these pages!!!
    Thank you!

    From cameron w, on Tue 19 May 8:38PM
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