Shepherd fears over Toon bid
By Brian McNally, Sunday Mirror, 8th October 2006
Newcastle United chairman Freddy Shepherd is fighting to keep control of the club in the North-East.
Senior Toon sources last night refuted suggestions that Jersey investment company, the Belgravia Group have already held takeover talks with the plc board.
Belgravia admitted in August they were in discussion with Sir John Hall, whose family control 41 per cent of Newcastle, about buying his stake.
But a claim from Strand Partners, who advise Belgravia, that negotiations now also involve the Shepherd family, who have a 29 per cent stake, and the plc board have been denied.
Belgravia would be unable to acquire the 75 per cent needed to take the club private if the chairman declined to sell.
The Magpies chairman has refused to comment on the battle, but a well placed source last night suggested he is wary about the club falling into the hands of outsiders with no experience of running a professional club.
He said “Freddy Shepherd and the plc board are not in talks with Belgravia. Neither has anyone made an offer for the Shepherd shares."
" Shepherd accepts every business has its price and as a plc, if the right offer did come in it must be put to shareholders."
" He doesn’t want to sell, but if he ever had to, he would want to make sure it was the right people coming in who suited the business."
"The chairman lives in Newcastle and knows what the club means to the community on Tyneside."
"Ideally, he would like the ownership of the club to remain in the North-East with people who understand the region."