[41] He later issued a statement to apologize for his decision to appoint Ribeiro and expressed regret with his own attempts to communicate with fans and "keyboard warriors" over social media. Port Vale owner Norman Smurthwaite is close to selling up and is now considering buying League Two crisis club Notts County. [19] Smurthwaite caused controversy by telling a reporter that supporters who only attended away matches (due partly to Vale Park's high ticket costs) "disgusted" him and that they should "go and support another club". He later issued a statement to apologize for his decision to appoint Ribeiro and expressed regret with his own attempts to communicate with fans and keyboard warriors over social media. Norman Smurthwaite (born 8 August 1960) is an English businessman and former football club chairman. He qualified as an engineer and built a successful business career and property portfolio before retiring at the age of 50. Smurthwaite was rumoured to have planned to sack Page live on BT Sport if the club lost an FA Cup First Round replay to Maidenhead United, though he dismissed the rumour as untrue. When the couple told Smurthwaite they were planning to go public about their offer he texted them to say sorry not interested. Upon appointing Portuguese manager Bruno Ribeiro, the clubs first manager from outside Britain, Smurthwaite stated that: It has been a long, extensive process but Im absolutely certain we have the right man for the job. Smurthwaite then improved the clubs budget to allow over ten new, mostly foreign, signings, and stated that he expected Vale to be challenging for the top six and warned his staff that he would enact plan B if the club were not in the top six by Christmas. Two months later he was reported to have launched an unsuccessful bid to purchase crisis-hit club Bury. He took over as chairman of Port Vale in 2013, having been a key figure in the boardroom as the club secured promotion out of League Two in 201213. He bought the Liberty Way stadium off Nuneaton Town in July 2018 and sold Port Vale in May 2019. until one minute to midnight to prove they can pay the debts and fund the season or find a new owner who can. But forget hindsight, there were times when you could only shake your head and wonder 'what on earth is he doing?'. Cock of the walk one day, a feather duster the next, although in Norman Smurthwaite's case the transformation took a little longer. Aspin resigned five days later following a run of poor results. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2020-2021. Their longest current appointment spans 24 years, 2 months and 1 days at FALCON ALLIANCE LIMITED We have had coaches stoned on three of our last five visits there and now have problems getting companies to transport us to Vale Park. "[4] On 18 May, Paul Wildes made a shock decision to resign as chairman and sell his 50% stake to Smurthwaite, who became the club's chairman and sole owner; Wildes stated that "From many conversations with Norman, it's clear we have conflicting ideas on how to take Vale forward". "Today common sense has to prevail. With Vale occupying 17th-place at Christmas, Smurthwaite declared that 'Plan B' had been triggered, meaning the signing of "seasoned, higher grade" players, whilst he admitted he felt "a little bit hoodwinked" as Ribeiro's friends in the game (Jos Mourinho, Aitor Karanka, and Carlos Carvalhal) had provided him with glowing references but had thus far failed to lend any of their players to the Vale. As the transfer window was closing, the Port Vale Supporters' Club unanimously gave a vote of no confidence in Smurthwaite and elected to begin formal protests against his ownership. Smurthwaite has so far sanctioned 11 signings . [22] He further had to deny claims that he was picking the team, stating that first team matters were purely down to Rob Page. [18] He later claimed that he had considered appointing Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink as manager, but decided against it partly because he believed that a racist minority of the club's supporters would make appointing a black manager a bad idea. [33] Some of the club's biggest name players rejected new contract offers and left Port Vale after Northampton Town paid compensation to Port Vale to sign Page as manager in May 2016; Smurthwaite claimed that he purposely set a low wage budget so as to drive Page and the players out of the club, thereby leaving room in the 201617 budget for a new manager to sign his own players. Smurthwaite caused controversy by telling a reporter that supporters who only attended away matches (due partly to Vale Park's high ticket costs) "disgusted" him and that they should "go and support another club". We don't have much information about He's past relationship and any previous engaged. (modern), Vale Park has been a hostile venue for Crewe fans, their supporters have claimed in exchanges with Port Vales chairman. Smurthwaite will think so. Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has offered his support to Bury, and their beleaguered neighbours Bolton. We need a pledge of 2.7m plus to save Bury.". It certainly wasn't on the field. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. In April 2015 an email from his account was sent to a group of supporters stating that he wished to sell the club, though he denied sending the email, claiming that he had been hacked. This was the amount Dale called on supporters and the local business community to pledge when he was interviewed by talkSPORT on Friday. Smurthwaite was reported to have made a bid for National League club Notts County in June 2019, but denied having done so. He qualified as an engineer and built a successful business career and property portfolio before retiring at the age of 50. Discover Norman Smurthwaites Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. [53] On 31 January 2019, Smurthwaite blamed "logistical challenges" for the deal to bring back former top-scorer Marc Richards breaking down; the club instead signed four youngsters despite having no manager. now please get back to your day job and continue the sterling work in the community. He went on to claim that fans protests against him had cost the club a 500,000 stadium sponsorship deal, that he had never received a formal offer for the club and that he would put the club into administration if no new owner was in place by 5 May. Maybe you would be better off growing potatoes on it? The Shanahans, both long-standing Vale supporters, who own Potteries-based firm. He was born on 8 August 1960, in Coventry, England, .Coventry is a beautiful and populous city located in Coventry, England. He later issued a statement saying that the wage bill budget set by the club in the summer was over-ambitious and that he had been forced to meet the 1 million budget deficit out of his own pocket. Despite not wanting him to resign, once Adams left the club Smurthwaite initiated a policy of experimenting with young players in the hope of turning a profit from player sales in the future. [62] The sale of both the club and the ground to the Shanahans was confirmed on 7 May, ending Smurthwaite's seven-year reign. He qualified as an engineer and inherited an engineering firm in Holbrooks at the age of 21 from a friend who was a father figure to him. Smurthwaite went on to issue a statement to condemn disgraceful abuse he had received and to urge supporters to not to use inappropriate language during protests and to consider the effect of protests on the club and the players; he stated that he was only involved in major decisions at the club and left day-to-day decisions to CEO Colin Garlick. We dont have much information about Hes past relationship and any previous engaged. Popularly known as the Business executive of Unknown. At 63 years old, Norman Smurthwaite height not available right now. If there's anything we can help them with I'm sure we can do that with loan players or anything. Norman Smurthwaite Net Worth & Basic source of earning is being a successful British Business executive. He also admitted that he had been planning on buying Torquay United before being told by the Football League that he would not be allowed to own two clubs. Norman Smurthwaite was born on 8 August, 1960 in Coventry, United Kingdom, is a Businessman; property developer. Want to more about Him? But Smurthwaite believes it is too late to save Bury because he says Dale wants at least 1million to walk away. Randy Stratton, whose late father, Donald Stratton, was Potts' Arizona shipmate and close friend, said Potts died Friday in Provo, Utah, at the home he shared with his wife of 66 years. He bought the Liberty Way stadium off Nuneaton Town in July 2018 after the club entered financial difficulties. With his large number of social media fans, he often posts many personal photos and videos to interact with his huge fan base on social media platforms. Smurthwaite issued a statement on 2 May apologising for relegation, and stated that he would be stepping down as chairman and would no longer attend games as he looked to sell the club. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 8 August. Smurthwaite helped save Vale in 2012 from administration but . Norman Smurthwaite, the Port Vale chairman, provoked an angry response from Crewe followers after belittling their away support levels on Twitter before last Saturdays match between the sides, which Crewe won 1-0 in front of a travelling contingent of 1,384. Port Vale chairman Norman Smurthwaite says he expects the club to be in the top six in League One by Christmas after heavy investment in new players. Read More . He is from British. He made an offer this week as he looks to return to football after his seven years at Vale Park. A price has been agreed for the sale of Nuneaton Borough Football Club's Liberty Way ground. YOU HAVE 20,000 FOLLOWERS: $100 per post at a $5/CPM. [7], In October 2013 Smurthwaite controversially banned local newspaper The Sentinel from all press events after taking objection with the newspaper's reporting a lengthy delay in producing specially presented third-kit shirts to fans who had pre-paid for the items in May. He is currently single. As the transfer window was closing, the Port Vale Supporters Club unanimously gave a vote of no confidence in Smurthwaite and elected to begin formal protests against his ownership. On 31 January 2019, Smurthwaite blamed "logistical challenges" for the deal to bring back former top-scorer Marc Richards breaking down; the club instead signed four youngsters despite having no manager. Norman SMURTHWAITE Filter appointments Filter appointments Current appointments Total number of appointments 19 Date of birth August 1960 W BROW LIMITED (13249602) Company status Dissolved. The concern in January was over the future of manager Micky Adams, and the apparent reluctance of Smurthwaite to offer a contract despite the positive results on the field as the manager's contract came close to its expiry at the end of the season; once a contract was promised Adams stated that "He has talked about it, now he has to deliver. Norman is an ideal celebrity influencer. He further had to deny claims that he was picking the team, stating that first team matters were purely down to Rob Page. Wiki Biography & Celebrity Profiles as wikipedia. Port Vale owner Norman Smurthwaite has requested police help to tackle abuse from some fans he says has "escalated to a disgraceful and disgusting level". [30] He continued to reveal that he had been physically assaulted by three Vale supporters in April 2014, though Staffordshire Police could find no record of Smurthwaite's complaint. He later claimed that he had considered appointing Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink as manager, but decided against it partly because he believed that a racist minority of the club's supporters would make appointing a black manager a bad idea. Personal touch and engage with his followers. Norman Smurthwaite was born on 8 August, 1960 in Coventry, United Kingdom, is a Businessman; property developer. Smurthwaite denied Staffordshire Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Elliss claim that Smurthwaite threatened to close the club down during the dispute, but retracted his threat to bar police officers from entering the ground during the match. There's no point pretending all would be well if only the owner had been a bit cuddlier. [37][38] Ribeiro resigned as manager of Port Vale on 26 December, hours after witnessing his side lose 10 at home to Walsall; Smurthwaite put Michael Brown in temporary charge. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. [13] Smurthwaite continued to effect changes at the club, controversially axing the system of door-to-door lottery collectors and banishing the Port Vale Community Trust out of Vale Park. But even if Dale was to drop that demand, 59 year old Smurthwaite thinks Bury are doomed. His father and family are from the Sunderland area; he owned a business in the North East between 1999 and 2007 and was a season ticket holder at Sunderland for seven seasons. Was this entirely Smurthwaite's fault? Passion and effort wins, he added. That ain't going to happen at Port Vale, because if it does, Plan B will be around the corner." In February, the home game with Doncaster Rovers was put into doubt after Smurthwaite refused to pay extra policing costs that Staffordshire Police had demanded following intelligence that there would be troublemakers instigating violence at the game. Smurthwaite has confirmed to PA Sport that he made an offer for the Shakers, who could be expelled from the Football League unless their owner Steve Dale provides assurances by midnight tonight. [25] With Vale occupying 17th-place at Christmas, Smurthwaite declared that 'Plan B' had been triggered, meaning the signing of "seasoned, higher grade" players, whilst he admitted he felt "a little bit hoodwinked" as Ribeiro's friends in the game (Jos Mourinho, Aitor Karanka, and Carlos Carvalhal) had provided him with glowing references but had thus far failed to lend any of their players to the Vale. PVFC Limited, the clubs holding company, was hit with a winding-up order by HM Revenue and Customs in July 2014; Smurthwaite insisted this would not affect the club and that a funding error caused the problem and expected the order to be withdrawn. Norman Smurthwaite at Port Vale's 1-1 draw at MK Dons, Port Vale - the Smurthwaite years in 20 pictures, Port Vale fans protest about owner Norman Smurthwaite before the Forest Green game, Protests against Norman Smurthwaite after the home game with Mansfield, Norman Smurthwaite has his say at a Port Vale Supporters' Club meeting. You can scroll down for information about his Social media profiles. I will never allow a manager to tell me that's football and I should accept it. A rival consortium also offered the same figure, but Smurthwaite rejected both offers. But it would also need the lender that has a 3.6m charge on the ground to accept what the land is really worth, about 1.5m. If everything is right I dont see there being a problem, but once again Norman is talking about things instead of doing things.. I have never expressed a desire to leave. He continued to reveal that he had been physically assaulted by three Vale supporters in April 2014, though Staffordshire Police could find no record of Smurthwaite's complaint. With Port Vale lying bottom of the English Football League, Smurthwaite sacked Brown on 16 September and claimed that he had been against giving Brown the job on a permanent basis in the summer but left the decision to Chief Executive Colin Garlick. The former Manchester United defender, whose late father Neville has a stand named after him at Gigg Lane, told BBC Radio 5 Live: "My mum has worked there for 30 years, my dad's got a stand named after him and to consider that today they might not have a football club is so upsetting. Former Port Vale owner Norman Smurthwaite has spoken publicly about his efforts to buy crisis club Bury FC. If everything is right I don't see there being a problem, but once again Norman is talking about things instead of doing things.". Former Port Vale owner Norman Smurthwaite. Photograph: Paul Thomas/Offside. We need an asterisk next to his budgets and an explanation that Smurthwaite also had a habit of signing his own players. So, how much is Norman Smurthwaite worth at the age of 61 years old? [39] He also installed Colin Garlick as the club's CEO, and in January stated that "I'm only really involved now when it comes to prising open the sweetie jar for the money". Smurthwaite was raised in Radford, Coventry, and bought his own home in the area at the age of 17 after receiving compensation from an industrial accident at Dunlop in 1977. Also learn how He earned most of networth at the age of 63 years old? Norman Smurthwaite had been chairman of Port Vale since May 2013. Aspin steered the club away from relegation by the end of the 201718 season, and in June 2018 Smurthwaite revealed that he had rejected another offer to buy the club from an unnamed bidder. "[36] Smurthwaite then improved the club's budget to allow over ten new, mostly foreign, signings, and stated that he expected Vale to be challenging for the top six and warned his staff that he would enact "plan B" if the club were not in the top six by Christmas. ", You can follow the very latest on Bury today on this LIVE blog, For all your latest Vale news, opinion, analysis and transfer gossip, click here. So, he missed the sight of supporters parading a huge banner across the . He is not dating anyone. Speaking to the PA news agency, Smurthwaite said: "The EFL knows I have the resources and experience to buy Bury and get it back on its feet. Six-and-a-half years on and Smurthwaite stayed away from Vale's final game under his ownership, away to Bury on Saturday. Smurthwaite invested 500,000 into the playing budget in order to help Micky Adams strengthen the squad. His plan, however, depended on Bury being allowed to start the season - with a small squad and skeleton staff - and the English Football League handing over the club's share of its central income. Mike Baggaley looks back on Norman Smurthwaite's reign at Port Vale, Sign up NOW for your daily Port Vale newsletter straight to your inbox. Something went wrong, please try again later. At 61 years old, Norman Smurthwaite height not available right now. "That would require an investment of 4.5million to settle the club's debts and fund the team this season. He later claimed that he had considered appointing Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink as manager, but decided against it partly because he believed that a racist minority of the clubs supporters would make appointing a black manager a bad idea. "Millionaire Coventry City fan who has just bought Port Vale", "Port Vale vs SAFC: another Who are You?, a big Sunderland connection", "Port Vale takeover: 'Fans are key to the future prosperity of club', "Smurf won over by the passion of supporters", "Port Vale: Chairman Paul Wildes steps down after six-month reign", "Sentinel reporter Michael Baggaley banned from the press box at Vale Park", "Club finances under scrutiny after chairman Norman Smurthwaite gives plea of poverty to football agents", "Smurthwaite responds after Port Vale's finances come under spotlight", "Micky Adams won't rush new contract deal", "Winding-up petition will not harm club, says chairman", "Port Vale axe season tickets for lottery agents", "Port Vale community scheme moves to Hanley after row with football club", "Manager Micky Adams in the market for two more players", "Port Vale chairman Norman Smurthwaite plans to bring in more Premier League youngsters", "Port Vale appoint interim boss as manager", "Chairman turned down Hasselbaink amid racist fan chants accusation", "Chairman says away-only Vale fans might as well support Stoke City", "Port Vale: Claims that Norman Smurthwaite 'threatened to close club' over police row", "Port Vale chairman Norman Smurthwaite stands by decision to refuse police bill", "Norman Smurthwaite makes clear that Rob Page runs the team", "Chairman not planning to sell club and believes email was a hoax", "Chairman warns of Plan B if Ribeiro's team aren't challenging for top six by Christmas", "Norman Smurthwaite says Rob Page didn't face TV sacking at Maidenhead", "Port Vale: Norman Smurthwaite puts League One club up for sale", "Chairman scraps plans to sign striker after FA Cup exit", "Norman Smurthwaite puts club up for sale", "Buyer will need more than 4m for club and ground", "Norman Smurthwaite says he was beaten up by three Vale fans", "Norman Smurthwaite plays down rumours of buying Torquay", "Chairman criticised by anti-racism group over Hasselbaink decision", "Port Vale: Norman Smurthwaite says he wanted Rob Page out", "Valiants reveal press conference to unveil new manager", "Valiants confirm Bruno Ribeiro is new manager", "Port Vale: Norman Smurthwaite says Plan B has been triggered", "Port Vale: Ribeiro's future may rest on Mourinho and contacts", "Bruno Ribeiro: Port Vale manager resigns after Walsall defeat", "Michael Brown: Port Vale caretaker boss judged on results, says chairman", "Port Vale chairman says bidders have met asking price for club", "Port Vale relegation COMMENT: Fans let down by woeful decisions", "Norman Smurthwaite stands down as Port Vale chairman", "WATCH: Burslem-based IT firm makes 1.25m bid to buy Port Vale", "Norman Smurthwaite rejects both local bids for Port Vale", "Port Vale's Norman Smurthwaite says he was against appointment of Michael Brown", "Port Vale: Gateshead manager Neil Aspin returns to former club as manager", "Norman Smurthwaite reveals talks to sell Port Vale have fallen through", "Port Vale owner Norman Smurthwaite completes deal for Nuneaton Borough's ground", "Norman Smurthwaite replaces Tony Fradley as Port Vale chairman", "Port Vale owner set to stay in hospital for second night after he is hit by car", "Neil Aspin: Port Vale manager resigns after 15 months in charge", "Norman Smurthwaite: Port Vale owner seeks police help over supporters' abuse", "Port Vale: Kyle Howkins, Callum Whelan and Toby Edser join on loan", "Port Vale chairman Norman Smurthwaite issues statement as fans plan protest", "John Askey: Port Vale appoint ex-Shrewsbury & Macclesfield boss as new manager", "Synectics Solutions' 3.5m bid for Port Vale is rejected today", "Carol Shanahan: 'Why we want to buy Port Vale', "Port Vale supporters protest against owner amid administration claims", "Port Vale: Norman Smurthwaite sells League Two club to Carol & Kevin Shanahan", "Former Port Vale owner makes bid for non-league giants, claims report", "Former Port Vale owner Norman Smurthwaite has his say over Notts Co report", "Businessman linked with Notts takeover ready to rescue Bury", "Wigan Athletic bidder drops out of the race", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Norman_Smurthwaite&oldid=1144090981, This page was last edited on 11 March 2023, at 19:46.