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Lord Sugar called me a financial illiterate but the old bastard had a certain charm even then

Tom Winnifrith
Thursday 8 June 2017

It was back in the mid nineties when I met Lord Sugar. I was a reporter on the Evening Standard and was sent to meet him the night before Spurs, which he then owned, was set to report its results. Nick Hewer picked me up in his white roller and took me up to White Hart Lane where the scum were playing, I think, Hereford in, again I think, a League Cup replay.
Natch, as a West Ham supporter my second team is anyone playing the scum so I sat in the directors box secretly cheering on Hereford or whoever it was. I did not join in the delirious joy as Spurs scored repeatedly.

At half time I was summoned to the board room and presented with the Spurs numbers and statement. Lord Sugar was gruff and not very friendly at all. At the time I thought it was because I was a posh City reporter and the self made East End millionaire viewed folks like me with contempt. Now I reflect that he is like that with everybody.

I asked some questions and took full notes. Looking at the balance sheet and cashflow statements it was clear that Sugar did not have much cash to spend on new players and I put that to him. He grunted his agreement. The fact that he did not seem to care whether I liked him or not and made no attempt to suck up to me, indeed quite the reverse, was in its own way rather endearing. He seemed not to give a shit what I thought or wrote.

The next morning the Evening Standard splashed on the back page "Sugar says no money for new players at Spurs" or words to that effect. Poor Lord Sugar was then attacked by fans who thought that it was the duty of a club owner to spunk as much cash as possible to buy in talent. Lord Sugar has not made millions by running businesses that way. None the less, in order to stave off a lynching, he told reporters that it was not true and that the Evening Standard story "had been written by a financial illiterate."

My next Sugar splash was on the front page as he tried to take Amstrad private on the cheap. I can't imagine that he liked that piece much either. I may be wrong in saying that I don't think he disliked me as an individual, I sense that he just gives the impression of disliking most people. Whatever. That was eons ago. In his miserable old bastard way, I find the good Lord rather entertaining and wish him well.

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About Tom Winnifrith
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Tom Winnifrith is the editor of TomWinnifrith.com. When he is not harvesting olives in Greece, he is (planning to) raise goats in Wales.
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