Chris Mort factfile.
By The Daily Mail, 24th July 2007
Chris Mort, the incoming Newcastle chairman, has wasted no time in succeeding Freddy Shepherd at the Magpies helm.
Mort is a long-time friend and advisor of Newcastle owner Mike Ashley, the sportswear and leisure magnate who has completed a protracted takeover of the St James' Park club this summer.
He was initially installed as Shepherd's deputy with a mandate to conduct a root-and-branch review of club affairs - assisted by and in conjunction with Shepherd - but one of the first decisions made by the pair appears to be that the latter's input is no longer necessary.
Mort advised Ashley on his takeover of the north-east club and it was little surprise when he, alongside commercial manager Steve Hayward, was appointed to the Magpies board following a clearout that accounted for Douglas Hall, Allison Antonopoulos and brothers Bruce and Tim Revill.
He made positive sounds about working with Shepherd but it was expected that, given the size of Ashley's investment, his own team - and his own right-hand man - would soon have the run of the boardroom.
Mort, 41, is a top lawyer and partner of international law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer but has already been granted special leave by the company to work at Newcastle.
His previous brief as deputy chairman was to assess the club's existing infrastructure, contractual arrangements, staff and financial position and he will now take on the official chairmanship as well.
He has already expressed his support for new manager Sam Allardyce, offering to give him continued support in the transfer market and significant time to make Newcastle an elite club, bringing to an end a series of brief managerial tenures, ending with the sacking of Glenn Roeder at the end of last season.
Such level-headed proclamations - and Mort's businesslike approach to the task ahead of him - are sure to please the Geordie faithful, who can now expect to hear more from the man who looks set to take charge of delivering both them, and Ashley, on-field success.
Nufcmismanagement view:
Newcastle don't do Chairman who get called "level-headed."
