Sir Bob Murray slams ex-Sunderland chief Ellis Short - claiming he's WORSE than Mike Ashley

Speaking on the Roker Rapport Podcast, Murray hit out at Ellis Short and said he and his family remain 'scarred' by his time in charge of the club.

Short became controlling shareholder of the club in 2008 and, after a decade in command at the Stadium of Light, he left the club in the summer following back-to-back relegations.

And Murray - who himself was involved on the club's board for over two decades - slammed Short for overseeing the decline and questioned several of his managerial appointments during a period which saw 11 managers hired and fired in just ten years.

The ex-Sunderland owner said: "I feel scarred by Short, I feel deeply scarred, my family feels deeply scarred, I feel really hurt.

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“If you said to somebody, ‘Take that great club and get them relegated’ – it’s impossible. It’s impossible to take this club into the league it has.

“Some of those players [who got the club relegated] should not be at this football club.

“The chairman didn’t come to the games, he didn’t talk to the players, didn’t treat the players right, he didn’t buy them presents, didn’t meet their wives.

"Go down the road and see a proper chairman – Steve Gibson [at Middlesbrough].

“Ellis Short makes Mike Ashley look good. I don’t think that, I know.

“Who would give Di Canio a job like that? Who would appoint Di Canio and not ring me and say, ‘What do you think, Bob?’

“Who can say Martin O’Neill’s no good. How is he no good?

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“Steve Bruce is a bit like Mick [McCarthy], he’s got a job for life. He’ll always gets a club, Stevie. How’s he no good?

“How are all these people no good? Coleman – how’s he no good?"

After joining the Sunderland board in 1984, Murray sold the club to Niall Quinn in 2006 - leaving behind a strong legacy in the form of the Stadium of Light and the Academy of Light.

And the 72-year-old claimed there were two major decisions which he could not forgive the former striker for.

“There’s two things I’ll never forgive him for." he added.

"He brought Mags Byrne in and he brought Ellis Short in."

But with short now departed, Murray is hopeful that Sunderland can enjoy an upward rise under the new ownership of Stewart Donald, Charlie Methven and Juan Sartori.

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And while Murray wishes them well, he feels they have taken on a big risk.

“I think these lads have taken a risk coming in," he admitted.

“I don’t know them that well but I’ve had conversations and I keep in touch with Tony [Davison] and I want them to succeed. I would love them to be successful.

“I opened the club up to everybody – that’s the way I did it and I’m pleased the new people are looking at it the same way.

“The club’s to be shared, it belongs to the people.”