SIR BOB MURRAY ON SHORT, DONALD & METHVEN, KLD AND MORE

Former Sunderland owner and Chairman, Sir Bob Murray has spoken about the ownership of Sunderland AFC since he left the club in 2006. He spoke damningly about Ellis Short, Stewart Donald and Charlie Methven but says has "all the time in the world" for new owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus.

ELLIS SHORT

“Short would’ve taken the gold (of the European Super League), if it were offered to him, he didn’t get anything about the North East, about the people or its legacy. He didn’t understand what the game meant to people, he didn’t get that one bit. The only thing that’s important about your club is who owns it. We’ve had two disastrous owners, I sold the club to Niall Quinn for nothing, the financial crash came in 2008 and Niall went away. Then the club was sold to the most awful man I’ve come across in football and he ends up in my club and I couldn’t do anything about that. He does everything wrong and then it goes to a couple of chancers (Stewart Donald and Charlie Methven).”

METHVEN AND DONALD

“This club has been smashed at every level, the academy level especially; it’s not going to turn around in a day so it needs work. The academy has no players, it has no legacy, it has no structure, and it’s been absolutely wrecked; it has been absolutely raped to be honest. I’ve worked 20 years to build that club up to where we were, I’ve got people in my club and I can see they’re doing it all wrong and I can see the motives.”

KLD

“Our owner now, I really like him. I’m going to everything for this young man; I’m going to get behind him. I’m not going to get involved but anything he wants, I will help him and be behind him. He’s reached out to me and we’ve had a few quite long conversations and we’ve had a few meetings arranged. He’s saying all the right things. This young man is very intelligent, he’s got good people around him and he’s got a vision. He’s certainly worth my time.”

EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE

“There’s been talk for a while, I was not shocked about it one bit, I know about greed in this game and I was very much involved when the Premier League was founded but that was down to technology when people like Sky came along. What I’m shocked about is how badly they read the situation, you’ve got people owning these fantastic football clubs but they just don’t get it. They got it totally wrong and it’s quite unforgivable. Now we know the game plan, we need to put these sanctions and rules in urgently to prevent this happening. I wouldn’t have even contemplated it if someone offered that to me when I was Chairman of Sunderland, it’s not my club, it’s the fans’ club. To think they could have got away with it is unbelievable, it united everyone against it, and even the Prime Minister was opposed to it. I think what to call it is an own goal! It would never have gone ahead, it’s just so wrong, I’ve never heard anything so wrong in my life.”

OWNERSHIP IN GENERAL

"If you look at Leeds United, they had people listening but then it went to Ken Bates. Now, Ken is a lovely chap but he couldn’t lie straight in bed, then it went to another owner, the only Arab without money; then they had an Italian, I’ve got to be careful and watch what I say! Now, they have a pretty good owner and they’re back in the Premier League and they’re doing well. I think it’ll be the saddest day in Newcastle’s life if they change hands, everything to do with that great club will be lost. I was surprised by the Man City owners that they joined the European Super League, I know the guys down there and they seemed to be the first to waiver. There are things about them which are very credible at Manchester City which I respect. In this life, you’ve got to be careful what you wish for, I wouldn’t be seen with Mike Ashley so it doesn’t bother me, but just because someone has loads of money it doesn’t automatically make them qualified. I was out with Steve Gibson (Middlesbrough), and he’s a fantastic football club Chairman and one of the most generous football owners, there’s a vast contrast between Middlesbrough and Newcastle, Steve would do and has done everything for his club.”

FOUNDATION OF LIGHT

“I think it has been difficult of times, the side effects of the football have spilled over and we’ve lost vast sums of money because of that, Ellis Short didn’t get it and he worked actively against the Foundation. Kyril likes the Foundation, he gets it, he knows what it means, he understands the needs of our people and he fully gets what it’s all about. This match dedicated to the Foundation of Light wouldn’t have happened a year ago under them. We’ve got 150 people there and it is a great asset. What we do at the FoL we need more than ever because of the affects of COVID. It has been very testing but we’ve come through this and we will win.”