Robert Maxwell

[MackworthRamIsGod]

7 hours ago, Carl Sagan said:

He was a larger than life character. I worked for him in Oxford as my first proper job, so he was Chairman of both my football team and my company. In those days we had secretaries. No one could stick him or he them full time, so mine took one week a month with Captain Bob. 

The boardroom doubled as a meeting room the when not in use and was stuffed full of trophies presented from heads of states. Maxwell had his own chair, massive and ridiculous in the style of a Bond villain. I was the only person in my experience who ever sat in it apart from him. 

People like him live in their own internal worlds and are kept in a bubble to avoid criticism. They think they're above the law. I've not read Stuart Webb's book so I may be wide of the mark, but...

I'd very much expect he didn't like the disgruntled fan chants at Derby and thought why should he bother if he wasn't appreciated. He saw himself as a generous benefactor, but in exchange for adulation.

Equally, I suspect he'd have fallen out with Arthur Cox when Arthur refused to countenance the appointment of Johan Cruyff as Technical Director. Maxwell and me saw it as the next step forward for the club, but if the people at the club didn't share his vision, why should he continue to plough money in? 

At the time the two key media figures in the country were Maxwell and Rupert Murdoch. While Murdoch was the bigger fish, overhauling him was one of the things that drove Maxwell and it gives an idea of his profile, in the era before clubs had mega rich foreign owners. 

We nearly got Johann Cruyff as technical director? Wow 

I never knew that. 

[Elgin_Ram]

4 hours ago, RamNut said:

Captain Bob

he was a great man. Much maligned. Generous. Humorous. A man of great vision.
Derby County through and through.

Very sad that he was unable to control his weight and fell off his yacht.

 

It was rumoured at the time, that there were 18 and a half thousand suspects that pushed him off. 

[Dimmu]

8 hours ago, Carl Sagan said:

He was a larger than life character. I worked for him in Oxford as my first proper job, so he was Chairman of both my football team and my company. In those days we had secretaries. No one could stick him or he them full time, so mine took one week a month with Captain Bob. 

The boardroom doubled as a meeting room the when not in use and was stuffed full of trophies presented from heads of states. Maxwell had his own chair, massive and ridiculous in the style of a Bond villain. I was the only person in my experience who ever sat in it apart from him. 

People like him live in their own internal worlds and are kept in a bubble to avoid criticism. They think they're above the law. I've not read Stuart Webb's book so I may be wide of the mark, but...

I'd very much expect he didn't like the disgruntled fan chants at Derby and thought why should he bother if he wasn't appreciated. He saw himself as a generous benefactor, but in exchange for adulation.

Equally, I suspect he'd have fallen out with Arthur Cox when Arthur refused to countenance the appointment of Johan Cruyff as Technical Director. Maxwell and me saw it as the next step forward for the club, but if the people at the club didn't share his vision, why should he continue to plough money in? 

At the time the two key media figures in the country were Maxwell and Rupert Murdoch. While Murdoch was the bigger fish, overhauling him was one of the things that drove Maxwell and it gives an idea of his profile, in the era before clubs had mega rich foreign owners. 

So we could've been playing tikitaka in Champions League finals 10 years ago?

Reading all these comments, initial reaction is the amount of vanity he might've had. But vanity needs ideas without foundation... Hiring Cruyff as Technical Direction is hardly lack of ambition or without foundation.

[Philmycock]

Robert Maxwell's minute silence was deafening on the Popside ?

[Geriatram]

Didn't he arrive at the BBG in a helicopter one time?

[Orphanram]

25 minutes ago, Geriatram said:

Didn't he arrive at the BBG in a helicopter one time?

I think he did a couple of times or his son did. I remember one such occasion when his chopper did a fly over the ground and how impressed I was as thousands of Derby fans flicked the V’s up at the helicopter in unison 

[Maxwell Baxter]

I always Remember near the end of Maxwell's chairmanship, Grahame Richards on the phone in show giving out the phone numbers to Maxwell House (yes his headquarters was called that). Grahame constantly saying "just keep calling the numbers and crash his offices phone system" with the rallying cry of "people have you called Maxwell today". And back then most calls went through to someone at a desk and indeed the following day Maxwell's phone system couldn't cope with the deluge of incoming calls, Brilliant.  

[Amberram]

For a minute I thought he had been washed up somewhere.

[Ram-Alf]

I remember after his death the police and media were hounding Ian and Kevin concerning the Pension funds, When on TV the media were outside Kevins house, He was upstairs he opened the window and shouted to the 2 men below knocking on his door "if you don't sod off i'll call the police, The 2 men looked up and said "we are the police".

When the filthy rich get fed up with their toys, Bad times follow...watch this space.

[Dean (hick) Saunders]

1 hour ago, Philmycock said:

Robert Maxwell's minute silence was deafening on the Popside ?

I think it only lasted about 20s from memory due to the “unflattering” chanting.

[ziggyram59]

1 hour ago, Maxwell Baxter said:

I always Remember near the end of Maxwell's chairmanship, Grahame Richards on the phone in show giving out the phone numbers to Maxwell House (yes his headquarters was called that). Grahame constantly saying "just keep calling the numbers and crash his offices phone system" with the rallying cry of "people have you called Maxwell today". And back then most calls went through to someone at a desk and indeed the following day Maxwell's phone system couldn't cope with the deluge of incoming calls, Brilliant.  

Maxwell Baxter I loved Grahame Richards on Radio Derby my god was he a character the best radio commentator I've heard. Became a judge from what I remember. 

[Tyler Durden]

One of the things which probably lead to Maxwell's disenfranchisement with the club was the ban on English clubs in Europe after the Liverpool fans rioting in Heysel, Derby had actually qualified for Europe by virtue of finishing 5th one season but were denied a place because of this. 

[Ram-Alf]

6 minutes ago, ziggyram59 said:

Maxwell Baxter I loved Grahame Richards on Radio Derby my god was he a character the best radio commentator I've heard. Became a judge from what I remember. 

Here you go...Fill ya boots, This was when I was in love with DCFC, My those were crazy days.

 

[Geriatram]

He was buried in Jerusalem in 1991.

[ziggyram59]

13 minutes ago, James Pond said:

Here you go...Fill ya boots, This was when I was in love with DCFC, My those were crazy days.

 

Fantastic what passion in his voice remember the game so well. Thanks for that. 

[Wolfie20]

1 hour ago, Amberram said:

For a minute I thought he had been washed up somewhere.

It was either him or a Great White - even the experts weren't sure.

[wakeyram]

From what I remember at the time he said "if we get 20,000 a week at home games I'll keep investing in the club" But we didn't.

 

[Finch]

6 hours ago, Gritstone Ram said:

His family became involved in 1984 when. Derby had hit rock bottom. I think it was his son Kevin who came and turned us around by getting in Arthur Cox. By 1987 we were in the top division. By 1988 we were beating teams like Tottenham Hotspurs, Man Utd and Newcastle to name a few and finished 5th in the league. We needed to push on from there but unfortunately we went the opposite direction sold off our assets and went down. 
I never believed he fell off his boat I think it was staged and he disappeared onto some Caribbean island to see out his years.

More likely bumped off.

[Finch]

2 hours ago, Geriatram said:

Didn't he arrive at the BBG in a helicopter one time?

Yes

[Carl Sagan]

3 hours ago, Geriatram said:

Didn't he arrive at the BBG in a helicopter one time?

Whenever we heard the helicopter arriving at work, people noticeably upped their level. Apart from those who started running around like headless chickens.