16 Facts About Freddy Shepherd

Freddy Shepherd was an English businessman and the chairman of Newcastle United football club from 1997 until 2007.

Freddy Shepherd was born in Gilsland, Northumberland into a working class home, the son of a lorry driver; and with his brother Bruce, he expanded a road haulage business into a number of marine and related businesses.

Freddy Shepherd engaged in property development through redevelopment of the former ship facilities along the River Tyne.

Freddy Shepherd Offshore had started to build a holding in Newcastle United, and so Freddy Shepherd became involved in the football business, alongside Hall's son Douglas Hall.

In 1996, Freddy Shepherd was tasked by Hall with bringing Alan Shearer to the club, which he did for a-then world record fee.

The confidence Freddy Shepherd showed in completing the deal persuaded Hall, who wanted to retire to Spain, to effectively offload the day-to-day running of the club to Freddy Shepherd as chairman, and his son Douglas as the active Hall family member on the board.

Freddy Shepherd owned almost all of his Newcastle shares through Freddy Shepherd Offshore.

Freddy Shepherd then went on to take over as PLC chairman.

Freddy Shepherd criticised Shepherd and Douglas Hall, the club's deputy chairman, for their focus only on the first team and St James' Park, causing them to neglect less glamorous, although equally important, areas such as the training ground, youth development and talent scouts.

Freddy Shepherd alleged that they were trying to engineer his sale to one of the four leading clubs in the Premier League, preferably Liverpool or Manchester United.

On 11 May 2007, Freddy Shepherd was filmed joking with friend and Geordie con artist Steve MacNeish through his car window, stating that Owen himself was not the problem and that his advisers were the ones causing upheaval.

Shepherd initially came out fighting, but later agreed to meet with Ashley and the board on 29 May On 7 June 2007, Mike Ashley had a bid accepted by Freddy Shepherd to buy his shares and in his role as chairman of the board Shepherd advised the remaining shareholders to sell to Ashley.

Freddy Shepherd had been suffering from poor health over the previous six months, resulting in hospitalisation due to pneumonia and a collapsed lung, he was being treated at the time the Hall family publicly announced the sale of their shares to Ashley.

On 24 July 2007, it was announced that Freddy Shepherd was stepping down with immediate effect, to be replaced by deputy chairman Chris Mort.

On 1 November 2010 reports circulated that Freddy Shepherd was planning on making an offer for the club and returning to Newcastle as owner three years after selling it.

Freddy Shepherd died in his sleep at his home in Jesmond on 25 September 2017.