Bob Murray’s ownership of Sunderland is a difficult one to truly understand – there were so many things going on at so many different times behind the scenes that you feel like he spent much of the first half of his tenure simply suriving.
His own version – outlined in his autobiography – is one of long-term thinking, strategic planning. The story goes he stepped down as chairman in 1993 to fully focus on the new ground move. Plausible, and in hindsight it may have worked out that way.
However, takeover
talks had rumbled on and on, and on this day in 1994 – nine months after handing over the chairman reins to John Featherstone, and only a year after handing over a sizeable transfer kitty to Terry Butcher – Murray was on the verge of selling the club.
The front page of the Sunderland Echo ran a confident story – Sir Tom Cowie would be returning to the club as chairman, as early as the following week.
Murray, the Echo reported, was keen to get out, and had offered his shares at a reduced price to speed up the takeover – saying he would quit the board once a deal was completed.
Cowie had been a constant thorn in Murray’s side – and the lack of backing given to Butcher’s successor, Mick Buxton, suggested Murray’s time at the club was drawing to an end. The club was treading water, and in recent weeks Cowie had dialled up the pressure in an attempt to regain control.
It wasn’t a good time for Sunderland really, and everything was made far worse by what was going on up the road. John Hall had taken over the black and whites, Keegan had waved his magic wand, and in less than three years they’d gone from playing in front of 9000 in a pretty dilapidated ground to taking the topflight by storm in front of 36,000 in a newly renovated ground. We’d tried a budget version with another former England captain and some big money signings, and had failed pretty miserably. Sunderland.
We knew, however, that things could change quickly, we knew money was needed – and we wanted some of that. If Sir Tom could bring it, all well and good.
At this point in talks, the Echo reported, solicitors’ letters had been exchanged, with Murray telling the Echo:
“I think Sir Tom is serious and I think he will buy. I look forward to taking a step forward next week.
There is disagreement over the price of my shares. A price has been put to Sir Tom and he is considering it.
My shares are made up of £1.2 million new issue, £400,000 for purchase of Cowie plc and Sir Tom and a further £400,000 for Batey, Ditchburn and Martin families.
Sir Tom did sell at less than £250 and I am not going to fight over a small bit of a few shares. For the good of the club, I am prepared to shave the price if it means Sunderland get access to a future and this money.
He has indicated he is willing to put money into the club and it is something I have got to seriously weigh up.
There has been a lot of cost attributed to the shares, but I am prepared to discount that now, with no strings of a new stadium or whatever attached.
Murray, who owned 60% of the club, wasn’t prepared to let Sunderland fall into the wrong hands, and seemingly believed that Cowie was the right man to take the club forward.
Somebody could come forward and buy Sunderland FC for the price of a Premier League player, but I will not sell to anybody.
The future of the club weighs very heavily on my mind. I don’t want to leave the board, but I am going to have to accept that whoever comes in will want control.
On the field, however, Sunderland maintained their unbeaten start to the season – and after drawing the first two fxtures, away at Bristol City and at home to Millwall, secured the first win of the season.
The Victoria Ground victory over Joe Jordan’s Stoke City side – who named Mark Prudhoe on the bench – came courtesy of a 23rd-minute Phil Gray goal.
Gray was having an excellent game, and almost opened the scoring with an audacious long-ranger that had home keeper Muggleton beaten but drifted past the post. Sunderland went close on a few other occasions, with a Melville header forcing a brilliant save from the Potters’ keeper.
But Gray didn’t have to wait long to get what would turn out to be the only goal of the game. Ferguson played the ball to Michael Gray, who played a lovely chipped pass into his namesake. The Irish striker got to the ball before the keeper, and slotted it home.
It was a thoroughly deserved goal, and both sides went for it for the remainder of the game, with Muggleton and his counterpart at the other end, Tony Norman, pulling off a string of great saves. For a Mick Buxton team, this was an unusually attacking performance – but it was Gray’s solitary goal that made the difference at the final knockings.
For the team it was all eyes on the next fixture, with Grimsby Town visiting Roker in midweek. By then – if reports were to be believed – the club could be under new ownership.
And, with everything that was happening up the road, this was a glimmer of hope that we were collectively clinging on to.
