Former Sunderland chairman Sir Bob Murray on his disastrous start in life, being a maths wizard and bad managers

Sir Bob Murray was brought up in the ‘terraced and dust-choked streets of 1950’s Consett’, but built a business empire, paving the way for 22 years as director and chairman of Sunderland AFC.

His entertaining new autobiography, I’d Do It All Again, is published at his own expense with all proceeds going to The Foundation of Light, a wonderful charity which he founded and is very passionate about.

At the book’s launch, he spoke with the Echo.

(Sunderland Echo). Sir Bob Murray, congratulations on the book. Tell us about the writing process.

(Sir Bob Murray). I’ve had a very diverse and interesting life and not just in football. I was brought up in a council house and was unemployed for a year when I left school; so I’ve had quite a chequered history and a lot of people have said to me it would be a shame if it was lost; if it wasn’t documented.

That was a big driver, but the biggest was that all of the proceeds go to the Foundation of Light. That’s the icing on the cake and has given it focus, momentum and drive. It’s embraced people and they have helped, free of charge, because it’s for charity.

It’s been a long journey. We appointed a very eminent writer, Lance Hardy, who was at Match of the Day for a long time and was eminently educated in the history of Sunderland, which made the job easier.

It was a chequered start, because we had a tense time together all over the country: Wembley, St George’s Park, Sunderland, Consett and elsewhere. Then he became ill and we lost him (in 2021). It was a massive blow. Then we had covid.

But everyone is pleased with the book, on every front. It’s been quite a long and emotional journey.

Life got off to a disastrous start. You were born in Newcastle.

That’s right. I just stayed for a day, because I didn’t like it. I was there one night, but it’s on my birth certificate. I’ve tried to hide it, but it’s a fact. My mum was in Consett and she was taken to Newcastle General for me to arrive in this world.

You hated school. You were bullied and at a low ebb when you left with one O-level. But was that somehow the making of you?

I was born in 1946, the year after the war finished. Twice as many children were born that year than normal. The only place I was going to work was Consett Iron Company, which employed 8,000 people. I was very bad at school; I passed one exam. I turned up at the company asking for work. They said to come back in a year.

I lived in a two-up two-down council house, which I’m very proud of, but I was a burden to my family. So I threw myself into education, because I’m useless with my hands and was born into a manual town where everybody worked with their hands.

After a year I got a job as an office boy and continued to study day-release and part-time. What turned my life around was education.

Your one O-level, was in maths. You’ve always had a head for figures. Had you been bad at maths, where would you be now?

I’m sure that was because of betting on the horses, or studying the league tables.

I’ve had many lucky turns whereby I say ‘If I hadn’t been here; hadn’t been there’. I’m not that bright and have had to work at things. I’m not super-clever and have had to put a lot of effort in. I’m very tenacious, although I don’t know where I get it from.

Consett?

I’m 100% Sunderland blood. Mum was from Houghton-le-Spring and I’m an only child, so I’ve got nobody to compare against, but I’m very determined.

With this place (Beacon of Light), I’d left the club and I wanted to do this. It cost £20 million to build this and it wasn’t for a knighthood because I had one already; and I had Ellis Short against me and the club’s two relegations. But we still did it, together.

Like Tim Rice says, I’m “a hurricane disguised as a breeze”. I’m determined and I put everything into it.

Your biggest regret as chairman?

There are a few. I appointed Malcolm Crosby (manager in 1992) and I shouldn’t have done. That was a weakness. I should have renamed the club Sunderland City and I didn’t. And one I certainly got wrong was Howard Wilkinson (manager in 2002). So when I say I’d Do it All Again, I wouldn’t appoint him.

But I was chairman for 20 years and I’d definitely do that again; despite some difficult times.

You were given much grief and never made money from the club. Why did you put yourself through all that?

You have to want to do it. After 12 years of neglect with Short and others, when the club’s been left and not loved, I see 46,000 in the stadium, with women and children and it absolutely fills me up. I took over a club that was getting 14,000 and that’s the club we’ve got now. That gives me more payback than anything. It’s what I built it for.

I didn’t do it for money. I know it sounds strange, but I just wanted to do it. I’ve been very lucky in life and if I can give a little bit back, particularly to the North East, then that’s where my focus is. I don’t do charity work anywhere else.

Sadly, I never thought I’d build a place where people come in just to keep warm. I find that very sad.

::Part 2 of the interview to follow. I’d Do It All Again is hardback and costs £20 at www.sirbobmurraybook.com, or from the Beacon of Light and SAFC stores.