Shrimpsvoices

No arguments, we were shocking last night, but what disappointed me the most was the booing and negative chanting. I've been watching Morecambe for more years than I care to remember and I remember performances that were equally as bad but we'd still support the team. No player goes onto the pitch to lose but we need to be realistic, we are massively punching above our weight. Some say we are a small league two club playing in league one but there is an argument to say that we are a conference club. Look at the conference table and there are currently 12 ex league clubs playing in that league, look at the bottom half of that league and there are several ex league clubs fighting relegation battles. We missed a trick when we relocated to the Globe/Mazuma, look at Shrewsbury and Chesterfield, both clubs relocated at a similar time to Morecambe and both clubs have stadiums that don't look out of place in league one, our stadium would not look out of place in the Conference. I went to Shrewsbury last weekend and was impressed with their set up, from the fan zone to the facilities once inside. Last night I looked at the Berlin Wall and I felt deflated, it is an embarrassment to the club (on the subject of the Berlin Wall I've got an elderly relative who used to go to 4 or 5 games a season, always in the seats, but now they are all taken by season ticket he's stopped going because he is unable to stand for long periods of time, the point I'm trying to make is that if he is unable to get a seat I'm sure there must be more. Put seats along the Berlin Wall) Sorry for that little rant. Anyway, it looks like we are going down but I would keep Derek as manager, he knows the club and he is a good league two manager. My fear is if we bring a new manager in with new coaching staff, new ideas and loads of new players it would be a massive disruption to the club which would probably lead to another relegation, but as I said in the subject, We'll support you for ever more, or should that be, I'll support you for ever more.......

Agree with most of this. My Dad hasn't been since L1 due issues getting a seat. I am sure the board are aware of this though and will hope a new owner can get the Berlin Wall side developed. Even 500-600 extra seats would make a massive difference.

Not sure I totally agree with keeping Derek if we go down. I guess it all depends on the manor we go down but often it's good to have a fresh face. When's his contact up as I can't see us having anything to pay him off though if there's no change in ownership

Completely agree with 1st comment----some critics need to look up in the dictionary as to what the word "supporter" means.

Most long standing supporters who remember us playing in the NPL and Conference will continue supporting the club if the worst does happen and we go back into League 2.

What is 1-4 against Charlton compared with 0-9 against Bangor or losing 4-3 at Northwich after being 3-0 up and 10 minutes to play after Harvey took the strikers off.

7v0 at Leek, although I do think Tuesday night will be one of those games we remember for years to come as I think it might the defining moment of our season and time in league 1.

My 10 year old son said after Tuesday, if we just played in a field somewhere like Stories do would we still go, yes I said, oh well in that case I think we should just start again like Bury did and forgot about Sarbjot and the owners etc, maybe that way Redrobo will get his local consortium

Without a doubt, 'we'll support you evermore'. But it is frustrating to see us bow out of League One without a fight. I very much doubt we'll ever return. Going to Derby, Ipswich, Sheffield Wednesday is incredible. I'd love to see us doing it all over once more, next season. If we manage to perform a great escape, we'll possibly be playing at Cardiff & Huddersfield. That's not to excuse the "we're shit, and we know we are" chant, but it is frustrating, as we don't look like we should be as bad as we are.

Keith wrote:But it is frustrating to see us bow out of League One without a fight. I very much doubt we'll ever return.

What makes you say that, out of interest? The standard isn’t amazing and Carlisle & Stevenage have shown you just need a half decent manager and you can turn around a poor team into a promotion contender in short order.

Dave (Barra) wrote:

Keith wrote:But it is frustrating to see us bow out of League One without a fight. I very much doubt we'll ever return.

What makes you say that, out of interest? The standard isn’t amazing and Carlisle & Stevenage have shown you just need a half decent manager and you can turn around a poor team into a promotion contender in short order.

It may hinge on someone buying the club that will increase the budget although we got promotion in 2021 with either the lowest or 2nd lowest budget in EFL2 that season. We have that manager again but unfortunately the natives are restless wanting a different manager who will have us scoring 4 or 5 a game

Gone_Shrimping wrote:

Dave (Barra) wrote:

Keith wrote:But it is frustrating to see us bow out of League One without a fight. I very much doubt we'll ever return.

What makes you say that, out of interest? The standard isn’t amazing and Carlisle & Stevenage have shown you just need a half decent manager and you can turn around a poor team into a promotion contender in short order.

It may hinge on someone buying the club that will increase the budget although we got promotion in 2021 with either the lowest or 2nd lowest budget in EFL2 that season. We have that manager again but unfortunately the natives are restless wanting a different manager who will have us scoring 4 or 5 a game

4 or 5 shots on target would be a start.

Dave (Barra) wrote:

Keith wrote:But it is frustrating to see us bow out of League One without a fight. I very much doubt we'll ever return.

What makes you say that, out of interest? The standard isn’t amazing and Carlisle & Stevenage have shown you just need a half decent manager and you can turn around a poor team into a promotion contender in short order.

I think the style and approach to football that saw us promoted, did so, in a large part, due to empty stadia during COVID-19. I think the 'big clubs' would have had the extra few decisions that would have seen us fall short.

Following on from that, the difference in funding will have an impact. Unless there is a massive increase in playing budget, then we will be well short of Wrexham & co. Again, during COVID lockdown, I think we had a brief period where the playing field was more level. Clubs that relied upon big crowds, suddenly had to live within their means. It wasn't 'equal', but it wasn't as huge a gulf as it will be next season.

Finally, Derek himself. Will he be here next season if we go down? Will he want to stay? Will the board of directors want to keep him, with him being out of contract this season, and, will fans want to see him remain? His style of football, in my opinion (queue 'Berlin Wailer', with nothing to add to discussion, but lots to say anyway...) he is far more suited to success in League Two. Actually, keeping him on for another season, after relegation, is probably a good move. But, the fans who are falling out with him now may not want him either, and, if not instantly successful, may not put up with it.

If we're relegated, unless new owners have deep pockets, I doubt if we will be anything other than mid-table for a long time. And to be honest, even that is probably punching above our weight. I don't know how much the 'parachute payments' are, but that will at least help.

We've got two MASSIVE games coming up. Retaining League One status will be a fantastic achievement.

Fair does, cheers for the reply.

Keith wrote:I think the style and approach to football that saw us promoted, did so, in a large part, due to empty stadia during COVID-19.

I think you need to take a look at Stevenage this season! Most direct team in the league, second fewest passes per sequence, average 47.2% possession. Then another team in the automatics in Carlisle - third lowest average possession in the league with 45.3%.

It's more than feasible to get promoted from L2 playing the same direct football we did last time, and Plymouth did with Derek, and Wycombe did with Ainsworth, and Lincoln did with the Cowley's, and both Stevenage and Carlisle are looking likely to do this season. In fact, I think many would argue it's probably the smartest way to do it in that league, particularly if you don't have a massive budget.

Similar applies for L1. Wycombe again a few years ago and reached the playoffs last season. Rotherham went up automatically last season with a direct style and under 50% average possession. Sheff Weds aren't like that really but have a bit of a direct/physical edge to them if needed which has helped them to this incredible run they're on. Going a bit further, look at what Brentford are doing in the PL! Fantastic low possession counter attacking team.

Get a good manager in, back them, give them the freedom to recruit who they need to in order to implement their style, and you'll generally see some decent results.

Little Shrimp wrote:Get a good manager in, back them, give them the freedom to recruit who they need to in order to implement their style, and you'll generally see some decent results.

We've got a good manager. Trouble is that the club havn't backed him. All the monies raised from covid grants, increased attendances, increased sponsorship etc has been used to pay off the club's debts (over £2m as per latest published accounts as per Graham saying we were now debt free). I'm sure the wages budget is a bit higher than it was 2/3 years ago, but nowhere near enough to compete at this league and nowhere near enough of the clubs increased income has been given to Derek!

Yes, it's good the club is now debt free, but that's not much good when we're about to get relegated due to lack of wages for decent players! There's nothing wrong with having a bit of debt, the key is that it's controlled and repayments affordable. I just wish that we'd say, paid off half the debt and kept some money back to fund Derek to get some better players.

KenH wrote:

Little Shrimp wrote:Get a good manager in, back them, give them the freedom to recruit who they need to in order to implement their style, and you'll generally see some decent results.

We've got a good manager. Trouble is that the club havn't backed him. All the monies raised from covid grants, increased attendances, increased sponsorship etc has been used to pay off the club's debts (over £2m as per latest published accounts as per Graham saying we were now debt free). I'm sure the wages budget is a bit higher than it was 2/3 years ago, but nowhere near enough to compete at this league and nowhere near enough of the clubs increased income has been given to Derek!

Yes, it's good the club is now debt free, but that's not much good when we're about to get relegated due to lack of wages for decent players! There's nothing wrong with having a bit of debt, the key is that it's controlled and repayments affordable. I just wish that we'd say, paid off half the debt and kept some money back to fund Derek to get some better players.

It's frustrating but the club has, long term, done absolutely the right thing in making sure that debts are paid off as a priority. It's all fun and games having a blitzing few seasons, like Bury absolutely battering L2 a few years back, but we need to be working from solid foundations if we want to build something good and sustainable long term. Also means that we won't be tied in with Colin and Jason's nonsense once this sale eventually gets sorted.

Also a couple of different meanings we can take regarding the club 'backing' Derek. The board (Rod, Graham, Charlie, James etc) unequivocally back him, and regardless of what league we're in I imagine they'll probably be doing what they can to persuade him to sign a new contract. Just because they don't have the resources to pour into the club doesn't mean they don't back him. Backing isn't just about finance, it's about sticking with a manager and giving them the freedom to use the budget how they see fit.

However, it can't be denied that the financial situation makes things very hard for Derek. The budget is the same as last season's, but funds have been tied up in overhanging contracts from Robinson which has made manoeuvrability in the transfer market hard (partly Derek's fault in fairness, if he'd stayed initially he'd have had first dibs on it). On top of that, there isn't much wiggle room financially given the ongoing sale of the club. That's not the board's fault - that issue lies with Colin and Jason and their insistence on pursuing the Sarbjot route despite it looking unlikely he'll be able to get the sale through the EFL.

Little Shrimp wrote:It's frustrating but the club has, long term, done absolutely the right thing in making sure that debts are paid off as a priority. It's all fun and games having a blitzing few seasons, like Bury absolutely battering L2 a few years back, but we need to be working from solid foundations if we want to build something good and sustainable long term. Also means that we won't be tied in with Colin and Jason's nonsense once this sale eventually gets sorted.

Also a couple of different meanings we can take regarding the club 'backing' Derek. The board (Rod, Graham, Charlie, James etc) unequivocally back him, and regardless of what league we're in I imagine they'll probably be doing what they can to persuade him to sign a new contract. Just because they don't have the resources to pour into the club doesn't mean they don't back him. Backing isn't just about finance, it's about sticking with a manager and giving them the freedom to use the budget how they see fit.

However, it can't be denied that the financial situation makes things very hard for Derek. The budget is the same as last season's, but funds have been tied up in overhanging contracts from Robinson which has made manoeuvrability in the transfer market hard (partly Derek's fault in fairness, if he'd stayed initially he'd have had first dibs on it). On top of that, there isn't much wiggle room financially given the ongoing sale of the club. That's not the board's fault - that issue lies with Colin and Jason and their insistence on pursuing the Sarbjot route despite it looking unlikely he'll be able to get the sale through the EFL.

Agree with all of this. What football needs is more clubs like Morecambe, not fewer. But, the drive to be debt free will probably increase the asking price for Colin & Jason. Their gamble may result in relegation, which will still reduce the value. However, if they get lucky [or judged to perfection], we'll stay up, debt free, which will maximise the amount they'll get for the club.

Regardless of how much it is sold for, or which League we end up in, at least we can be confident of still having a club for the future.