Source: Daily_Mail
Charles Sale: Shepherd gets to grips with Rooney
Two of the most controversial figures in English football are joining forces to represent Wayne Rooney.[LNB]The England and Manchester United talisman and wife Coleen are theprize clients along with retired undefeated boxer Joe Calzaghe of newmanagement agency Synergy Sports and Entertainment Group, being set upby Freddy Shepherd and Paul Stretford.[LNB]Rollercoaster reign: Shepherd[LNB] More from Charles Sale... Charles Sale: Euro hopefuls West Ham reduced to mere pawns in Icelandic bank trading16/04/09 Charles Sale: New complications down at the Palace15/04/09 Charles Sale: Welsh kept waiting over bid to switch14/04/09 Charles Sale: Cook to keep his job at City despite Kaka fiasco12/04/09 Charles Sale: Wembley gigs have Fabio at fever pitch 10/04/09 Charles Sale: ECB panic almost taken to the Max09/04/09 Charles Sale: Sir Dave spices up England's 2018 World Cup bid09/04/09 Charles Sale: Coup as Amy wins bookies' backing07/04/09 VIEW FULL ARCHIVE Shepherd, the former chairman of Newcastle whose rollercoaster reign at St James' Park looks better every day compared to the shambles under Mike Ashley, will be the chairman of SSEG, which will start operating next month backed by his family's Shepherd Offshore business.[LNB]Stretford, a football agent who is appealing against a nine-month FA ban and £300,000 fine for breaking regulations over his agency signing Rooney in 2002, will run the day-to-day operation with Shepherd's son Kenneth, another FIFA qualified agent who worked with Stretford at previous agency Proactive.[LNB]Rooney has remained loyal to Stretford throughout the agent's marathon battle with the FA and split from Proactive, the agency he founded, in the fall-out from the signing of Rooney as a 16-year-old.[LNB] [LNB]The Lawn Tennis Association would have us believe Carl Maes resigned as head of women's tennis on Thursday hours after a convivial lunch with director of communications and commercial Bruce Phillips, after which he said: 'Everything is fine with Carl.'[LNB]Maes, who the LTA insisted left voluntarily and had not joined the legion of sackings, wouldn't say if he is linking up again with fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters. who is returning to the pro circuit.[LNB]Maybe Phillips should drop the communications part of his title and concentrate on the LTA's commercial operation, which has attracted an astonishing £31million worth of sponsorship this winter from AEGON (£25m), BNP Paribas (£4m) and Highland Spring (£2m).[LNB] [LNB]Dennis Wise, linked with the vacant Queens Park Rangers manager's post, is understood to be waiting until he has been paid off by Newcastle United following his much-criticised stint as Executive Director (Football) before accepting another job in the game.[LNB] [LNB]The not-in-my-backyard group NOGOE No to Greenwich Olympics Equestrian Events have been making capital from top rider Zara Phillips's comments that London 2012 will leave no legacy for the sport. But fence-sitter Zara has told NOGOE she doesn't want to be associated with them as she has no agenda for or against Greenwich as an Olympics venue.[LNB] [LNB]An open or shut gateAN innocuous gate close to Wembley Stadium's team bus entrance is the focal point of conflict between neighbours from hell the Football Association and Quintain, the property developers.[LNB]Quintain are sticking to the terms of the 1999 contract, agreeing a 125-year lease for Wembley car park access, that the gate opens three hours before kick-off. [LNB]The FA have repeatedly requested an earlier opening to avoid problems that will be highighted again on Sunday before the second FA Cup semi-final, when coaches carrying supporters from Manchester United and Everton will queue back to the North Circular.[LNB]Quintain describe it as a 'highly dangerous scenario' to have fans milling about the stadium with nowhere else to go for a longer period. Neither side can agree terms over finding alternative parking space. The property developers say they have attempted to resolve the problem a number of times, while Wembley describe the proposed commercial rates as 'laughable'. [LNB]A Quintain spokesperson said: 'We will find a solution. We don't see Wembley as the neighbours from hell.[LNB] [LNB]Sky Sports, despite Rupert Murdoch owning half of ESPN Star, who hold TV rights to the Twenty20 World Cup in England in June, are considering paying extra for their coverage so they can have their own commentary team rather than relying on ESPN Star's world feed.[LNB] [LNB]
