 Shepherd feels the transfer window should be abolished |
Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd has denied his club dragged their feet during the summer transfer window. Mark Viduka, Robert Huth, Lucas Neill and Zat Knight were all linked with the Magpies but moves did not materialise.
Shepherd told his club's website: "We have been slammed for trying to do business on transfer deadline day.
"But it is no good saying you should buy before that because things don't always work out that way. It is not like buying shoes off a shelf."
And Shepherd insists he is happy with how the Magpies did strengthen their squad.
"We have nothing to reproach ourselves for," he said.
 | There is no-one to blame for us not getting other players in before the transfer deadline - it is the window to blame |
"We have spent �15m on Damien Duff and Oba Martins, who we believe are real quality signings - and that after paying out �28m for Michael Owen and Albert Luque this time last year.
"We also beat off a lot of other Premiership teams to get Giuseppe Rossi in from Manchester United.
"Antoine Sibierski has come in as a squad member, we have got Olivier Bernard back and Shay Given on a new five-year contract."
Shepherd says it is not the club's fault that there were no other new arrivals at St James' Park before the deadline on Thursday.
"There is no-one to blame for us not getting other players in before the transfer deadline. It is the window to blame," he explained.
"It is absolutely ridiculous and really a restriction of trade, and I would like to see somebody challenging it.
"How can you stop someone from getting a job? What other business would allow this?"
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