Peter Ridsdale
Encyclopedia
Peter Ridsdale is an English businessman
who is currently the Chairman of Football Operations at League Two
club Plymouth Argyle. Ridsdale was previously the chairman of Leeds United, Barnsley
and Cardiff City
.
During his Chairmanship Leeds United were never outside the top 5 of the Premier League and they reached the Semi-Finals of the UEFA Cup in 1999 and the Semi-Finals of the Champions League in 2000.
Prior to becoming Chairman of Leeds United, Ridsdale enjoyed a successful business career initially in Human Resources 1969 - 1985 with the Appleyard Group, Baker Perkins plc., ICL plc., Schering - Plough inc. and the Del Monte Corporation. He subsequently enjoyed success in line management with the Burton Group plc., Managing Director of Top Man Ltd. and Managing Director Evans Ltd., Joint Chief Executive Alexon Group plc., Chief Executive QVC Home Shopping Channel and Chief Executive The Tulchan Group Ltd.
Ridsdale has also held positions as Chairman of Education Leeds (The Leeds Education Authority) and non Executive Chairman of Ideal World Shopping Channel PLC. Ridsdale has also Chaired for some years Wennington Hall School Governing Body, a school for EBD children and is currently a Governor of Caterton School in Cumbria.
Ridsdale became chairman of hometown club Leeds United
in 1997 and enjoyed success in the first four years of tenure as Leeds reached the UEFA Cup
semi-final in 1999–2000 and the UEFA Champions League
semi-finals in 2000–01. During this time he enjoyed a good relationship with the Leeds fans. However, once the full extent of what Ridsdale and his board had done at Elland Road
was discovered by the fans this relationship vanished and he is now best remembered by Leeds supporters for the financial and relegation nightmares that the club found themselves in, going from a top flight Premier League club to a League One club in the space of three seasons.
Under Ridsdale's stewardship the club borrowed £60m against future gate receipts, effectively gambling on Leeds qualifying for the Champions League in successive seasons, which they failed to do. Ridsdale has repeatedly denied any blame with regard to the later situation of the club but has also conflictingly admitted it was a mistake to allow David O'Leary
to spend so lavishly on players. Ridsdale also claimed that he would have saved Leeds from subsequent relegations to the third tier of English football and the debt his board had incurred in the name of the club The fact remained however that by the time Ridsdale stepped down in March 2003, Leeds were £103 million in debt and failing on the field.
After Leeds' relegation to the third tier of the English league system for the first time in their history Ridsdale said he was "deeply saddened" by Leeds's relegation but stated that he did not believe that events during his tenure as Leeds chairman were in any way responsible for the club's current plight.
He was also the owner of Barnsley
for a while, rescuing them from folding after dropping from the Premier League to Division Two and loss of revenue from the ITV Digital
collapse. Some saw him as a major mistake at Barnsley as he nearly made the club go into liquidation before Gordon Shepherd
and Patrick Cryne took over at Oakwell.
He became deputy Chairman of Cardiff City
, who had recruited him to help with their new stadium project, which eventually became Cardiff City Stadium. He became chairman in October 2006 after Sam Hammam
stepped down. The clubs debts were estimated at £35m, and losing £10m each year, according to Ridsdale.
In mid-2007, Ridsdale campaigned to become a member of the Football Association of Wales
council and hoped to be elected as one of six south Wales
representatives on Welsh football's ruling body. However, when the vote took place in July he finished bottom of the candidates with just fourteen votes. It has been alleged that the former Leeds chairman has flirted with disaster, trying to build a promotion-winning side while, at the same time, the Bluebirds have fought off four winding-up orders. Ridsdale was forced to apologise for "misleading" fans when he conceded money raised during Christmas period 2009 from season ticket renewals for 2011 had to be spent on settling debts rather than reinforcements.
He announced his intention to quit as Cardiff chairman at the end of May 2010, the play-off final loss to Blackpool at Wembley Stadium on 22 May 2010 his final game, with Malaysian Consortium head Dato Chan Tien Ghee taking over as part of a £6m deal for an estimated 30% of the club. The club was estimated to have between £10m and £30m of debt., and faced a fifth winding up order over a £1.9m tax bill on 16 June. The publishing of the financial accounts for year 2009 in August 2010 revealed that the clubs actual debt was £66 million, leading to concerns over the continued existence of the club.
and on their on-line page. Ridsdale made the following claims:
When responding to these claims David O'Leary called Ridsdale "deranged" and suggested that he was 'two faced' with his comments compared to how the pair's relationship had continued since both had left Leeds.
O'Neill later responded to the claims regarding him stating that he had taken part in discussions with Ridsdale and had signed a conditional statement but "he insists that nothing legally-binding was put in place".
Businessperson
A businessperson is someone involved in a particular undertaking of activities for the purpose of generating revenue from a combination of human, financial, or physical capital. An entrepreneur is an example of a business person...
who is currently the Chairman of Football Operations at League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
club Plymouth Argyle. Ridsdale was previously the chairman of Leeds United, Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
and Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
.
History
Ridsdale was a Director of Leeds United from 1987 to 1997 and was Chairman of Leeds United from 1997 to 2003. Leeds United's well publicised financial troubles came to their peak when Leeds were relegated from the Premier League in 2004 which was 15 months after Peter stepped down as Chairman.During his Chairmanship Leeds United were never outside the top 5 of the Premier League and they reached the Semi-Finals of the UEFA Cup in 1999 and the Semi-Finals of the Champions League in 2000.
Prior to becoming Chairman of Leeds United, Ridsdale enjoyed a successful business career initially in Human Resources 1969 - 1985 with the Appleyard Group, Baker Perkins plc., ICL plc., Schering - Plough inc. and the Del Monte Corporation. He subsequently enjoyed success in line management with the Burton Group plc., Managing Director of Top Man Ltd. and Managing Director Evans Ltd., Joint Chief Executive Alexon Group plc., Chief Executive QVC Home Shopping Channel and Chief Executive The Tulchan Group Ltd.
Ridsdale has also held positions as Chairman of Education Leeds (The Leeds Education Authority) and non Executive Chairman of Ideal World Shopping Channel PLC. Ridsdale has also Chaired for some years Wennington Hall School Governing Body, a school for EBD children and is currently a Governor of Caterton School in Cumbria.
Ridsdale became chairman of hometown club Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
in 1997 and enjoyed success in the first four years of tenure as Leeds reached the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
semi-final in 1999–2000 and the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
semi-finals in 2000–01. During this time he enjoyed a good relationship with the Leeds fans. However, once the full extent of what Ridsdale and his board had done at Elland Road
Elland Road
Elland Road is an all-seater football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has been the permanent residence of Leeds United A.F.C...
was discovered by the fans this relationship vanished and he is now best remembered by Leeds supporters for the financial and relegation nightmares that the club found themselves in, going from a top flight Premier League club to a League One club in the space of three seasons.
Under Ridsdale's stewardship the club borrowed £60m against future gate receipts, effectively gambling on Leeds qualifying for the Champions League in successive seasons, which they failed to do. Ridsdale has repeatedly denied any blame with regard to the later situation of the club but has also conflictingly admitted it was a mistake to allow David O'Leary
David O'Leary
David Anthony O'Leary is an Irish football manager and former player. His managerial career began at Leeds United and later he managed Aston Villa. He most recently worked as the manager of Al-Ahli Dubai...
to spend so lavishly on players. Ridsdale also claimed that he would have saved Leeds from subsequent relegations to the third tier of English football and the debt his board had incurred in the name of the club The fact remained however that by the time Ridsdale stepped down in March 2003, Leeds were £103 million in debt and failing on the field.
After Leeds' relegation to the third tier of the English league system for the first time in their history Ridsdale said he was "deeply saddened" by Leeds's relegation but stated that he did not believe that events during his tenure as Leeds chairman were in any way responsible for the club's current plight.
He was also the owner of Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
for a while, rescuing them from folding after dropping from the Premier League to Division Two and loss of revenue from the ITV Digital
ITV Digital
ITV Digital was a British digital terrestrial television broadcaster, which launched a pay-TV service on the world's first digital terrestrial television network as ONdigital in 1998 and briefly re-branded as ITV Digital in July 2001, before the service ceased in May 2002. Its main shareholders...
collapse. Some saw him as a major mistake at Barnsley as he nearly made the club go into liquidation before Gordon Shepherd
Gordon Shepherd (football chairman)
Gordon Shepherd is the former chairman of Barnsley F.C. He was chairman since 2004 after Peter Ridsdale resigned. He retired at the end of the 2007–08 season.-References:...
and Patrick Cryne took over at Oakwell.
He became deputy Chairman of Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
, who had recruited him to help with their new stadium project, which eventually became Cardiff City Stadium. He became chairman in October 2006 after Sam Hammam
Sam Hammam
Samir "Sam" Hammam is a Lebanese business man, most notable for his high profile involvement in British football clubs.-Career:...
stepped down. The clubs debts were estimated at £35m, and losing £10m each year, according to Ridsdale.
In mid-2007, Ridsdale campaigned to become a member of the Football Association of Wales
Football Association of Wales
The Football Association of Wales is the governing body of association football in Wales. It is a member of FIFA, UEFA and the IFAB.Established in 1876 , it is the third-oldest national association in the world, and is one of the four associations The Football Association of Wales (FAW) is the...
council and hoped to be elected as one of six south Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
representatives on Welsh football's ruling body. However, when the vote took place in July he finished bottom of the candidates with just fourteen votes. It has been alleged that the former Leeds chairman has flirted with disaster, trying to build a promotion-winning side while, at the same time, the Bluebirds have fought off four winding-up orders. Ridsdale was forced to apologise for "misleading" fans when he conceded money raised during Christmas period 2009 from season ticket renewals for 2011 had to be spent on settling debts rather than reinforcements.
He announced his intention to quit as Cardiff chairman at the end of May 2010, the play-off final loss to Blackpool at Wembley Stadium on 22 May 2010 his final game, with Malaysian Consortium head Dato Chan Tien Ghee taking over as part of a £6m deal for an estimated 30% of the club. The club was estimated to have between £10m and £30m of debt., and faced a fifth winding up order over a £1.9m tax bill on 16 June. The publishing of the financial accounts for year 2009 in August 2010 revealed that the clubs actual debt was £66 million, leading to concerns over the continued existence of the club.
United We Fall
In November 2007 Ridsdale released the book United We Fall: Boardroom Truths About the Beautiful Game making claims about incidents which had contributed to the downfall of Leeds United in the mid-2000s. Extracts were printed in The SunThe Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
and on their on-line page. Ridsdale made the following claims:
- Former Leeds manager David O'LearyDavid O'LearyDavid Anthony O'Leary is an Irish football manager and former player. His managerial career began at Leeds United and later he managed Aston Villa. He most recently worked as the manager of Al-Ahli Dubai...
had a large role in "a secret deal with bung agent Rune HaugeRune HaugeRune Hauge is a Norwegian football agent.In English football, Hauge is best known as the agent who represented John Jensen and Pål Lydersen during their transfers to Arsenal in the early 1990s. This would lead to Arsenal manager George Graham becoming embroiled in allegations that Hauge paid him a...
that ultimately landed the disgraced Norwegian £1.75million". The claims were in regard to the deal that brought Rio FerdinandRio FerdinandRio Gavin Ferdinand is an English footballer. He plays at centre back for Manchester United in the Premier League and for the England national football team...
to Leeds. - Before O'Leary had left the club he had "lost the dressing room" and this was the real reason for his sacking in the summer of 2002. Several players had stated that "they’d be looking to move elsewhere if O’Leary remained as manager for the 2002–03 season" including Paul RobinsonPaul Robinson (goalkeeper)Paul William Robinson is an English footballer who plays for Blackburn Rovers as a goalkeeper in the Premier League. He had also been an England international and he earned 41 caps between 2003 and 2007 before his retirement from international football in August 2010.He joined Leeds United at 16...
who had stated after being dropped for a match "I’ll never play for that b*****d again". - Football agent Pino Pagliari had "offered the illicit payment when Robbie KeaneRobbie KeaneRobert David "Robbie" Keane is an Irish association football player who plays as a striker for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer and captains the Irish national football team....
moved to Tottenham in 2002" to submit an "invoice for ‘agent services’" for £600,000. In return for Ridsdale allowing this the fee would be split 50:50 between the two of them, however Ridsdale refused and reported the offer to his board, for future reference so to never deal with the agent. - Martin O'NeillMartin O'NeillMartin Hugh Michael O'Neill, OBE, is a Northern Irish football manager and former player.Until resigning the post on 9 August 2010, he was manager of Aston Villa. Starting his career in his native Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playing career with Nottingham...
had signed a contract in January 2003 to become manager of Leeds as soon as would release him from his contract. He would have taken over from then manager Terry VenablesTerry VenablesTerence Frederick "Terry" Venables , often referred to as "El Tel", is a former football player and manager, as well as being a media pundit. During the 1960s and 70s, he played for various clubs including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers, and gained two caps for England...
however Venables' team at the time went on a seven game winning run. The contract had a clause that Ridsdale was Chairman when O'Neill took over yet Ridsdale left due to pressure from fans before Venables was sacked and O'Neill could take charge.
When responding to these claims David O'Leary called Ridsdale "deranged" and suggested that he was 'two faced' with his comments compared to how the pair's relationship had continued since both had left Leeds.
O'Neill later responded to the claims regarding him stating that he had taken part in discussions with Ridsdale and had signed a conditional statement but "he insists that nothing legally-binding was put in place".