But there was one difference ... HE always knew it was coming (from the day he sold his shares in the club) ... THEY didn't. Shepherd Kicked Out The Same Way He Treat His Managers!
But there was one difference ... HE always knew it was coming (from the day he sold his shares in the club) ... THEY didn't. Mike Ashley put an end to Shepherd's controversial 15 years at St James' Park by installing Chris Mort as chairman in a brutal statement of his intent.
Ever since his stunning £133million takeover in May, Ashley has always insisted that his own men will be brought in to finally put an end to years of under-achievement. BUT ... he said Freddy would be staying.
I don't know about you, but I certainly knew it was a simple stay of execution, and so did Shepherd. And from that day forward we have not heard a word from him, and in this case (knowing Freddy's desire to make the newspapers as often as possible) his silence spoke volumes.
Although Shepherd had originally been kept on in an advisory role at the billionaire's request, once the internal review was conducted there was only going to be one outcome.
Although Shepherd had originally been kept on in an advisory role at the billionaire's request, once the internal review was conducted there was only going to be one outcome.
His mate is supposed to have said: "There has been so much change going on in the last few weeks and Freddy has played no part in that whatsoever."
I believe it would have come earlier, but 65-year-old Shepherd has been struggling with pneumonia and a collapsed lung.
Thankfully sportswear mogul Ashley is operating on a totally different financial planet to Shepherd, and we can only see this as a new dawn in the history of Newcastle United football club.
The final days of Shepherd's stay in the boardroom have been as controversial as the previous 15 years — 10 of them as chairman — with St James' Park raided last week by the City of London Police as part of an investigation into alleged corruption.
That certainly would not have impressed Ashley. It made him realise a fresh break was needed for everyone concerned.
Shepherd joined forces with the Hall family in 1992 to drive out the previous Newcastle board.
He became chairman in 1997 but resigned in the wake of the sensational Toongate expose. Shepherd and Douglas Hall were caught describing Geordie women as dogs, labelling Alan Shearer as Mary Poppins and mocking fans for paying £30 for replica shirts.
They were on the sidelines for only 10 months before voting themselves back on the board — prompting the resignation of three directors.