Shepherd: I’ll buy Toon and bring back Keegan

Sep 21 2008 by Rob Pattinson, Sunday Sun

FREDDY SHEPHERD has ruled himself firmly in the running to take over at Newcastle United and bring back King Kev.

In a sensational turnaround, the former Toon chairman said he is interested in being part of a bid to buy back the club . . . just 15 months after he sold his stake to billionaire Mike Ashley.

And, if he took control of United again, top of his list for manager would be departed team boss Kevin Keegan.

Speaking from the Spanish island of Mallorca — where he is still bidding to buy La Liga side Real Mallorca — Shepherd confirmed he has already been approached by two North businessmen.

And, while that deal hadn’t been right, he would never rule himself out of a return to St James’s Park and said he is keeping “eyes and ears open”.

Mr Shepherd, who made his fortune providing offshore engineering for oil rigs, said there was a potential time limit on his availability to front-up a consortium bid, depending on what happened in Spain.

He said: “If I came back to the club it would depend on who and what and the structure in place, but I’m open to suggestions. I just want what’s best for the club. I want to see a fan in charge. I have already been approached by two businessmen. I think anybody who considers buying the club would have to keep the door open for Kevin. It would keep the fans happy and, at the end of the day, the fans are the club.

“I think Kevin is Kevin. He is very much a hands-on guy. He didn’t want to be part of the structure, he wanted to be the manager like the last time he was at Newcastle.

“He was always very, very trustworthy and I’d trust his opinion on a player every time.”

Mr Shepherd was replaced as United chairman after he agreed to sell his 28.06 per cent stake in the club to sports tycoon Mr Ashley for more than £37.6m last June.

At the time of the deal, he was recovering at home from pneumonia and a collapsed lung. Now back to full strength, Mr Shepherd has outlined the kind of owner he believes needs to be in place to keep the fans happy and forge team success.

He said: “I just hope the guy who comes in is the right person for the job. It will have to be someone who has the club at heart.

“A lot of people can buy football clubs, but very few people can run them, that’s been proved. It’s completely different to any other kind of business . . . it’s so emotional.

“Your results are published every week, so you’ve got to understand the fans. This club underpins the whole city.”

Shepherd, who always defended his record as chairman, took charge of the club after major shareholder Sir John Hall stepped down in 1997.

The pair had been the driving force behind the 1991 takeover which saw Keegan brought in as manager for the first time.

The former club boss also had some advice for frustrated fans waiting to see something happen at the club.

He said: “Emotions need to die down. I think the fans need to understand it’s not going to be a quick sale and it could certainly drift on for a bit.

“It’s not going to be a quick fix at all. Mike Ashley’s got it up for sale . . . let’s hope someone comes in and buys it, because the club is more important than any one man.”

Page 2: Twins of 85 join calls for Keegan’s return