'I put in 70 hours a week and, quite honestly, Chelsea could not pay me what I am worth.'
ANYONE easily offended should stay well away from Elland Road if Freddy Shepherd succeeds in his bid to buy a one-third share of Leeds United.
Ken Bates and Shepherd in the same boardroom? A union of two of the most outspoken men in football, men for whom delicacy and tact are low on the list of priorities?
Those of a nervous disposition will shudder at the notion, but life would certainly not be tedious.
When at Newcastle, Shepherd said 'no individual is bigger than the club, be it the chairman, the manager or a player'. Yet both he and Bates are approaching household-name status. The chairmen of Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool are largely anonymous figures.
At most clubs in most sports, chairmen tend to stay out of the limelight. When they do speak, they make guardedly bland pronouncements about developments off the pitch. They rarely discuss the performance of the team or individuals in it.
For Bates and Shepherd, there are no such restrictions. If they have an opinion, they express it, and usually in an entertaining fashion – both are blessed with a delightful turn of phrase.
When Newcastle's Charles N'Zogbia walked away from a match after being left on the bench last season, Shepherd announced that the Frenchman 'needed his backside smacked'.
After resigning from the board of Wembley stadium Bates, whose programme notes are required reading, said: "Even Jesus Christ only had one Pontius Pilate – I had a whole team of them."
Both are larger-than-life characters, and both revel in the attention they can command through their positions in football.
But there are key differences.
Shepherd has more charm; Bates, terrifically entertaining company when he wants to be, is more rude but also more shrewd. Shepherd wants to be liked, particularly by supporters and players. At Newcastle, he was always at pains to point out his credentials as a genuine fan.
Bates, by contrast, was never a fan of Chelsea or Leeds, and never pretended to curry favour on the terraces. He cares little about what people think of him, and there is something refreshing about someone who does not set out to be liked.
Bates is rich enough, old enough and thick-skinned enough to say what he wants, and damn the consequences. He is happy to upset fans and players and coaches, if needs be – he is happy to upset pretty much anyone.
When he causes offence, he does not do so inadvertently. He does it deliberately, perhaps even calculatingly.
Shepherd's most infamous comments have been made 'off the record'. He was the victim of a tabloid sting a few years ago, when he was notoriously unbecoming about the good ladies of Newcastle (describing them as 'dogs') and referred to Geordie hero Alan Shearer, regarded as almost untouchable, as 'Mary Poppins'.
Only this year, while chatting to a pair of Liverpool fans – who were secretly filming the conversation on mobile phones – he said the Reds could have Michael Owen back and offered to drive the injury-hit England striker back to Anfield himself.
The episode appeared on YouTube, causing considerable embarrassment to Newcastle, to Owen and to Shepherd. To people in the North East, it was a classic Shepherd gaffe.
In a similar position, Bates probably would have hold the visiting fans to 'eff off', rather than discussing anything with them - although he was caught out when some mildly disparaging comments about the Leeds player were recorded.
Generally, though, he is careful. Nothing he has said is likely to come back to haunt him. He chooses his targets wisely. If Shepherd does become involved with Leeds, he may regret his comments of a couple of years ago, when he said the following about clubs outside the Premier League:
"Many of these other clubs will have to go part-time. When we (Newcastle) have got 52,000 fans at each home game, the last thing we are worried about is clubs in the third division. There is no sympathy here."
These days, the trend is for top football clubs to have directors who would not look out of place at the head of an FTSE 100 company – diplomatic, sensible types, with formal educations and middle-class accents.
Bates and Shepherd, though, are businessmen of the old school. Shepherd, in particular, has been described as 'unreconstructed'. To them, involvement with a football club is a platform as much as an opportunity to make money.
The pair are known to have lunch together and if the deal goes through, Shepherd will not wish to slip quietly into the background. He and Bates could egg each other on to be even ore outrageous. And imagine if they were to fall out: to anyone unconnected with Leeds United, the spectacle would be unmissable.
The world according to Freddy and Ken:
"Poverty among fans is grossly exaggerated when you see what they spend elsewhere. A small minority are poor and can't afford it."
Bates on fans.
"I didn't want to be known as the man who shot Bambi."
Shepherd on sacking Sir Bobby Robson.
"Makelele? Who does he play for? I've only ever heard of his brother, Ukelele."
Bates on Chelsea midfielder Claude Makelele.
"Newcastle girls are all dogs. England is full of them."
Shepherd in the News of the World sting.
"There is no escaping the fact Chris Sutton was a disaster. His attitude wasn't right towards the end.
"He wasn't good for Chelsea."
"Take Ruud Gullit. I didn't like his arrogance. In fact, I never liked him.
"But while he was delivering the goods, there was no problem.
"When he lost the plot he had to go."
Bates on Ruud Gullit
"You should only say good things when somebody leaves. Robert has gone – good!"
Shepherd on the departure to French winger Laurent Robert.
"I put in 70 hours a week and quite honestly Chelsea could not pay me what I'm worth."
Bates at Chelsea
"Many of these other clubs will have to go part-time. When we have got 52,000 fans at each home game, the last thing we are worried about is clubs in the third division. There is no sympathy here.
"The big fight will be for the Premier League to take over the running of the other leagues. The others can't hold us back; the time will come, I think, when the Premier League runthe whole show.
Shepherd at a business forum.
"At first they were a shambles. Now they have descended via farce to make them a laughing stock. It has come to a pretty pass when Fifa criticise our performance."
Bates on the FA.
"I must have amnesia as I can't remember sending a text message to Mr. Eriksson. I don't even have his number so I'd love to see this message. All I can say is I'd like to wish Mr. Eriksson well with England in the summer, and good luck for whatever he chooses to do after that."
Shepherd denying reports he had approached Sven Goran Eriksson.
"Just what makes them any different from the fan who meets his mates around the corner from the ground, eats pie and chips at a local restaurant, washed down by a bottle of wine or a few pints and then walks to the ground?"
Bates on corporate hospitality clients.
YP
