December 6, 2007 10:25

Robbie Williams' ex-manager speaks out

Take That manager says he 'still loves' the singer

Former Take That manager Nigel Martin-Smith has declared that he still loves Robbie Williams - despite the recent legal proceedings.

Williams was forced to apologise to Martin-Smith over his song ’The 90s’ in which Williams accused him of stealing money from the boyband.

Speaking about his feelings towards Williams, Martin-Smith said: “Obviously I am relieved that everything has gone my way. Robbie spent a fortune on a very powerful legal team to fight my claim but I wasn’t going to be bullied.

“If it had gone wrong I could have lost everything but there comes a time when you have to stand up for yourself. Robbie has said all sorts of hurful things about me over the years but to accuse me of stealing from the band was just a step too far and I had to act.

“I still love Robbie and all the rest of Take That and its hard when someone decided they are going to make you the scapegoat for all the troubles in life but that’s what comes with being a manager.

“When things go well it’s down to the band and when things go wrong it’s the manager’s fault. Just look at what happens when England play badly - it’s never our football stars, it’s always the poor guy sitting in the manager's seat who take(s) the blame."

Martin-Smith told the Manchester Evening News: “I hope Robbie will now move on from this and respect that fact that he wouldn’t be where he is now if it wasn’t for me.”