Sam Allardyce said yesterday that Shepherd was "very much a hands-on chairman", something Mort is very conscious of. And Graeme Souness and Sir Bobby Robson both said Shepherd was a little "too" hand-on when they were in charge.
The top London lawyer was initially drafted in as deputy chairman by billionaire Mike Ashley after he took control of the club and was charged with carrying out a thorough review of the business.
Mort Will Not Follow Shepherd Lead!
Writing in the match programme for the friendly against Celtic, Mort said: "One of the last acts of the previous board was to capture Sam Allardyce as the club's new manager after his departure from Bolton.
"We have not set specific targets for Sam and we are not going to make wild promises for the future.
"However, I think we have all been impressed by how Sam has set about his business as the new manager of Newcastle United.
"I hope that you're as pleased as I am with the four excellent signings we have made in the pre-season to date.
"Sam and I feel more signings will be required before we are ready for the new season, particularly to strengthen our defence.
"Building a squad that is capable of competing at the highest level will take time - nothing happens overnight - but we are confident that in due course, we can take this club to a higher level."