Top football boss called in former gangland enforcer to sort out his son’s £87k debt

ONE of Britain’s most notorious underworld figures has revealed how he saved a top football boss from falling prey to loan sharks.

Gangland enforcer Shaun Smith, 51, stepped in after two menacing thugs turned up at the ex Premier League manager’s mansion claiming his son was heavily in debt and owed £87,000 in cash.

The men, part of a Manchester-based crime syndicate, told the man’s wife: “Where is he? We want our money. Get him to pay or get his dad to pay. Get it f****** sorted.”

The incident is one of the cases ex-boxer Smith, who has now gone straight, talks about in his new book, The Debt Collector.

Smith, who served five years for a firearms offence and built up a reputation as a feared enforcer for Liverpool gangs, would make debtors pay up or settle debts by frightening off the lenders. His tales of the underworld include: Getting £50,000 out of a football agent, who had failed to pay a builder for work he had done on his house.

Stepping in and frightening off members of the IRA after they began trying to extort money from a businessman.

Saving the women workers inside a brothel from a gun-toting client.

Smith began his life of crime aged 15 before embarking on a savage career, which routinely saw his rivals beaten, shot, tortured and even raped for money,oney, or revenge.

Knucklenuckle

He has hadad his house firebombed and nine of his cars blown up – includingncluding one in 2003 which caused one of the biggest explosionsxplosions on mainland Britain.itain.

Today he reveals details of the football mannager’s case e for the first time.

The manager, who is not named, calledd Smith on thee recommendation of a mutual tual friend.

Smith said:d: “The lenders did what comes mes naturally to them. They don’t care who pays so long as they get their money.

“If the sonn can’t pay up, they decide,, let’s go and