Cala Corporation

[KenH]

If I were in PMG's position I would have sold my half my shares to the existing board , for a token amount, retained 20%, and given tbe remaining 30% to a reponsibly run supporters trust, safeguarding the future of the club and then stepped down from the board, content with the knowledge that I had done the right thing and in 100 years time might be remembered fondly by the towns football fans.

But who puts in the £500k+ per annum, needed to cover the annual losses?

[Gone_Shrimping]

It sounds like the choice was bankruptcy , administration , start again in tier 8 playing on a park or The Calas Corporation.

PMG should have put it up for sale 5 years ago before all the huge losses and mounting debts.

[Shrimpy]

Whilst mrpotatoheads sentiment is right in reality that would have been completely unworkable. I believe Max Griggs did something similar with Rushden when he called it a day with them and look how well that worked out!

The correct move from PMG would have been to hand the club over to the group of local businessmen which included a number of former directors who had the means to take the club forward at the time when he had the opportunity a couple of years ago.

[Trevor]

He should of sold to Graham Hodgson when that offer was there. He said he wanted to hand it over to someone who had good intentions and would look after the club.

Now he's handed it over to people everyone could see was shaky.

[Christies Child]

If I were in PMG's position I would have sold my half my shares to the existing board , for a token amount, retained 20%, and given tbe remaining 30% to a reponsibly run supporters trust, safeguarding the future of the club and then stepped down from the board, content with the knowledge that I had done the right thing and in 100 years time might be remembered fondly by the towns football fans.

But who puts in the £500k+ per annum, needed to cover the annual losses?

The responsibility for that lies firmly at the feet of the new owners and his financial backers. How they go about that will be interesting to see but it could involve a lot of pain for some and most certainly will see a change in the way our club has been run, which for some will be most welcome.

One thing for sure, any further cut in the players budget will see us struggle to get a competitive team on the field. I just hope that Cala and his backers have done their homework on the finances needed to operate a successful and competitive team even at our level. If they come into this thinking that they can cut the budget then they could be in for an almighty shock.

In hindsight it appears that we've no option other than to go along with Cala and see where it takes us.
Like others I'm far from happy about the outcome but as fans we have no power in our hands to change the situation as it is.

My concern going forward will be their attitude towards the Trust. Will they as at other clubs refuse to sanction a seat on the Board leaving the fans once again in the dark as to what goes on in the inner sanctum of a club....

[mrpotatohead]

Change the record CC it was going down the shitter before anyone else got involved, PMG's main loss is the other company, that never belonged to the club anyway, as for me being sentimental, horse shit! , the rest of the board are experienced business people are they not,as will be some of the commitee on the trust, there will be a lot of expertise giving free help and many have already pledged to do so, Director Mike Hinchcliffe would continue to do his human resources work, UNPAID, Rod Taylor is a top fan and top businessman, and with Peter gone you may be surprised who would come back.

[Christies Child]

Change the record CC it was going down the shitter before anyone else got involved, PMG's main loss is the other company, that never belonged to the club anyway, as for me being sentimental, horse shit! , the rest of the board are experienced business people are they not,as will be some of the commitee on the trust, there will be a lot of expertise giving free help and many have already pledged to do so, Director Mike Hinchcliffe would continue to do his human resources work, UNPAID, Rod Taylor is a top fan and top businessman, and with Peter gone you may be surprised who would come back.

What reply is this to....

[Gnasher]

So by the same token, how is replacing a dubious chairman with an even worse one going to lead to anything but more chaos?

One wants to take money out, the other put money in and pay wages & creditors.

[George Dawes]

just seen the interview for the first time, getting out if a Citron Berlingo, dressed up like he shops in Sports Direct

I like him, and have taken to him, he made me chuckle, I thought Cala gave a good interview, I like the way he's his own ideas, and that where a football club and his prepared to invest on the pitch.

his best quote ( we need 11 Lions on the Pitch, not Sheep)

[Westgate Wanderer]

just seen the interview for the first time, getting out if a Citron Berlingo, dressed up like he shops in Sports Direct

I like him, and have taken to him, he made me chuckle, I thought Cala gave a good interview, I like the way he's his own ideas, and that where a football club and his prepared to invest on the pitch.

his best quote ( we need 11 Lions on the Pitch, not Sheep)

surely sheep on the pitch would keep mower costs down?

[BerlinWaller]

I know being a Morecambe fan is really grim at the moment but can you imagine being a Liverpool fan these days? Horrific!

[John L]

just seen the interview for the first time, getting out if a Citron Berlingo, dressed up like he shops in Sports Direct

I like him, and have taken to him, he made me chuckle, I thought Cala gave a good interview, I like the way he's his own ideas, and that where a football club and his prepared to invest on the pitch.

his best quote ( we need 11 Lions on the Pitch, not Sheep)

surely sheep on the pitch would keep mower costs down?

It'll be 11 sheep on the pitch if the club dies...

[John L]

I know being a Morecambe fan is really grim at the moment but can you imagine being a Liverpool fan these days? Horrific!

Yes I can, but at least I'll still have a club to support no matter what!

[George Dawes]

just seen the interview for the first time, getting out if a Citron Berlingo, dressed up like he shops in Sports Direct

I like him, and have taken to him, he made me chuckle, I thought Cala gave a good interview, I like the way he's his own ideas, and that where a football club and his prepared to invest on the pitch.

his best quote ( we need 11 Lions on the Pitch, not Sheep)

surely sheep on the pitch would keep mower costs down?

It'll be 11 sheep on the pitch if the club dies...

dieing a slow death anyway..

Cala might be our last throw of the dice, we could get lucky in football terms.

[shutts78]

Think the issues started way before the current situation. PMG and the rest of the board of directors are supposed to be business men, yet they lack common business sense. its seems to me as with most others on here that issues started when we moved from Christie park, I would put most of the previous 6 years financial issues down to poor management of the club. PMG supposed to be a business man and owner of our club yet has handled the sale of the club like an amateur and then when things have gone wrong along with other directors (and supposedly business men) do what most people would do when left red faced and knowing full well that they have cocked up and try to sort out their mess to either cover up or spare their blushes.
For years since the move from Christie park they have all failed to communicate with the clubs fans hence the fans becoming fed up and dwindling attendances.
All the directors have sat back and not challenged some of the poor decisions that the club has chosen.
we are lucky to have a loyal manager in Jim otherwise I'm unsure who else would work with the low budget that he is expected to work with.
we now have staff and players within the club who are like many of us hard working family people who face losing their jobs and not being paid, Cala has jumped in and seems to be saving the day so he says.
after all the issues in the recent weeks which seems to have pulled the fans back towards the club we can only hope that despite his shady past, this time he actually has the best intentions for the club, without him I'm really not sure where we would find ourselves.
He has spent most of the week within the club so if he has anything about him, he will know more about the day to day running of the business than the current directors, probably people may disagree but anyone who has a bit of business savy will know that some of the decisions made over the past few years have not been clever business decisions.
I have also heard that during his time with the clubs staff this week he has been delving into the day to day running of the club, I think he has been misquoted in saying about weddings etc and probably means that we have to come up with better ideas and cant rely on weddings and functions etc keeping the club a float alone

Think we need to give this guy some time and all hope that he has our's and the club's best interests at heart if not I'm not really sure how worse off we could be than we currently are either way by Tuesday we should know whether everyone has been paid or not.
not sure why they haven't been paid after PMG stated we were ok the other day but myself personally not sure who to trust in all of this but my gut tells me defo not PMG
one thing for sure is that Cala needs to be a man of the supporters and would hope that by clearing out the other directors theres a clean sweep and that a true local fan can be put forward as a spokes person, a true businessman is in touch with its staff/customers (fans) PMG did neither

[Phoenix Shrimp 2017]

Hi, formerly Padiham Shrimp, not posted since 2015'ish, but a die hard supporter since my first game against Burnley in the Lancashire Senior Cup Final in 68 and many hundreds of games since then. I've also been a Shrimps Voices reader at all times.

I guess Tuesday is D Day as far as MFC are concerned in our current form. If Cala is true to his word the staff will be paid from an influx of cash from the 'Cala Corporation'. If this happens them maybe, just maybe there is a glimmer of hope. He has certainly been persistent in his efforts to gain a controlling interest in the club, by fair means or foul. However if the funding is not forthcoming then you have to seriously question where we go from here.

There are so many unanswered questions at the moment. If his motives are not genuine what does he stand to gain financially from the destruction of our club. If he's not genuine whats possibly in it for him and his cronies as all this collapses around our ears?

I know it is difficult to speculate on all this due to the laws surrounding defamation etc' but I guess we will all have a clear indication soon enough how this is going to pan out.

One thing is certain, we must all support the Trust with everything each and every one of us is able to give. Be that financial, physical or moral support (or all three); for the trust is all we may have to cling onto to steer us through this mess. In my case it will be financial because I live too far away to be a regular at trust meetings, but I'm sure we have many supporters with the skills, drive and passion to power this forward.

If we genuine supporters stick together we can be very strong and if the worst case scenario pans out why can't we do an AFC Wimbledon for example and come back stronger than ever and enjoy the ride along the way?

Keep the faith, we have some passionate people who care deeply about this club and if we hold it together under the trust we can and will rise again.

[SupermarketShrimp]

I'm not going to speculate on the where's and whys and the rest of it, as frankly, there's little that can be done and it'll solve even less.

Morecambe fc - we have an excellent facility for the community and functions and low league football, which has clearly been badly run and mistakes have been made.

So, what do I see an owner doing. In short, they are a benevenolent guardian of the club. The likes of rod taylor, hinchy, Nigel Adams. You've got cash, you want fun, you spend it on a football club. It loses money, you make it go away whilst maximising revenue streams.

Football matters. We have a small club mentality and work with it. Challenging for league 1/championship will take tens of millions. The size of lancaster/Morecambe simply doesn't lend to having a championship or better club. We have 18 pitbulls that fight and scrap and we know that it won't be prettty but we will be proud of them.

So mr Cala. You clearly are not an individual with the tens of millions required. You also don't appear to be a man that has the ability to raise it. You do however clearly have some money and some connections or you wouldn't be here.

Assuming the paperwork and the money arrives to transfer ownership (and that's a massive if from what I believe to be true) we are in a shotgun marriage. You have the chance to get us onside - this is best done by improving the positives, not slating the media for bringing up your past, not banging on about sheep on the pitch, not banging on about weddings and conferencing which is essential for the business to make revenue 24/7. Claims of 90% of turnover on playing staff - no mate - we want as close to being sustainable as possible.

You and us will only have one chance of getting this right. Your model is the polar opposite of what will work. Please involve us. We will ask searching questions. Tell the truth.

[fulwoodshrimp]

Just wondering where the Cala Corporation are getting the money to buy the club, pay this month's wages and maintain the club on an even keel. From the information posted on here, the Cala Corporation doesn't seem awash with funds. Mr. Cala's reputation is of someone who talks a good job but.....

[Posh]

Just wondering where the Cala Corporation are getting the money to buy the club, pay this month's wages and maintain the club on an even keel. From the information posted on here, the Cala Corporation doesn't seem awash with funds. Mr. Cala's reputation is of someone who talks a good job but.....

Well we'll need to know by Tuesday. If it isn't him then it has to be the current owner Abdullah who gave assurances to the board that he would pay the wages.

[jon MFC fan]

My Sister is a Steward At the Club and She Also wasnt paid but if my sister is paid by tuesday ill know by then but i havent got a clue about other things Please Dont Ask

[SirFredGoodwin]

I believe the fans are very lucky to have Mr Cala interested in taking over the club.
I wish we had had someone with his business accumin on the board of RBS when we sailed through the storms of the "credit crunch" and subsequent financial crisis.
I would urge some of your less educated posters to regard him as the government in his role as a bailor out of your financial hardship.
Of course, I must point out, getting on his back would be no more helpful to your cause than I found Lord Myners to be in obstructing my good work at RBS.
Please give the chap a chance, I mean who amongst us has not found themselves embroiled in some form of financial chaos at one point in time or another.
All the best,
Freddie.

Looking forward to a lovely lunch with Sir Philip Green later, awfully nice chap, again,so misunderstood.

[mrpotatohead]

You would ''erge'' this eh, this ''bailor'', and you hope we aren't ''imbroiled'' in anything?

[SirFredGoodwin]

Sorry dear chap, you can't get the staff, you know.
Comprehensive educations.
I stand by "bailor" though, it's a pun intended to confer your lack of transparency in ownership.
Any mash on your face old boy?

[mrpotatohead]

none , just oven baked King Edward , quality potatoskin

[SirFredGoodwin]

none , just oven baked King Edward , quality potatoskin