Rumours had begun circulating that Shepherd, who sold his holding to Mike Ashley in 2007 after the Hall family had done the same, was planning a bid to buy back the North East club.
But sources close to the Shepherd camp have told Sky Sports News HD that there is no truth in the speculation.
And the Magpies, who are still celebrating Sunday's stunning 5-1 success over bitter derby rivals Sunderland, were also quick to insist that Ashley currently has no plans to part company with the club.
A club statement said: "There has been unfounded speculation today suggesting that Freddy Shepherd intends to put a consortium together in a bid to buy Newcastle United FC from its owner, Mike Ashley.
"The club can confirm that it has not received any contact from Freddy Shepherd expressing an interest in buying the club, nor is the club for sale."
Ashley has twice tried to sell the club since he completed his £134.4million takeover, but took it off the market for the second time last season as the Magpies responded to relegation from the Premier League by launching a successful promotion bid.
Shepherd, who had served as deputy chairman under Sir John Hall during the Magpies' rise during the early 1990s, took over in 1997 and presided over fourth, third and fifth-placed finishes during Sir Bobby Robson's reign as manager.
His critics blame the decision to dispense with Robson's services after that fifth-place finish in the 2003/04 season with the steady decline which followed, although he was long gone by the time relegation from the top flight occurred.
Arsenal v Newcastle. Click here to bet.
View the original article here
No comments:
Post a Comment