End of an Era

[P/T Indie]

Yesterday my club died!! It has been dying for sometime but for me yesterday was the final nail in the coffin.

What has happened to MY club? When we moved from CP to the Globe my club changed forever and now it's going to change again beyond all recognition. The club even since we moved to the Globe is not MY club it's not the club I grew up supporting. That friendly club where we were friendliest fans of the year every year where we had great times with away fans and we all pulled together and enjoyed some great times (and some bad ones) but even then we never let the football spoil our fun.

A picture came up the other day as a facebook memory of me and Mick Birch stood having a beer in the old Umbro end about 7pm one sat evening remenising, it would have been the last year at CP. I think it was also that night that Jim's kids were running around on the pitch and kitman less could often be found in the changing rooms until 9pm at night scrubbing the players shorts by hand. It was brilliant, happy times everyone all there as the Morecambe family, happy days!

Since the move everything changed the them and us culture came in and slowly (to begin with) more and more people started drifting away long time friends we used to see every saturday no longer there. At this point we should have started asking ourselves what's going on but we just used to get told we are little old Morecambe be thankful etc etc but things were changing for the worse and it has all built up to now. I remember like it was yesterday talking to Ockers (RIP), I miss that guy and his rants, one New years eve and he was going mad about the club, the new people they were bringing in as well as lots of other things he didn't have much of a good word to say about anyone. You look back now and he was right the signs have been there for years and years. Why didn't us the fans do something then? protests, ask questions etc any other club would have done PNE, blackpool, Bradford would be going mad we were just told the club don't like negative comments on SV's blimey they got an easy ride off us we should have been holding them to account back then.

I have said before at the time in theory in PMG's head the move probably was a good idea but in practice it just hasn't worked. I don't feel angry about that he tried to come up with a plan for us what winds me up is he has never engaged the fans and that's where it's all gone pear shaped. When we started struggling 5 years he should have been honest with us and we could have helped out,like Mr Spud says he should have tried to off load it then at a realistic price maybe with some x board members and some fan ownership (hindsight is a wonderful thing) but instead he stayed quiet re financing, complicating matters etc and things have snowballed to where we are today.

As the years have gone on I have felt more and more disconnected from the club and then we get to today where I have just about lost any feelings/connection that I had left.
Things are going to massively change (maybe it does need a shake up) but I fear the worst I can't see things changing for the good in the long term and even if some things do work it still won't be that club I grew up with. ( I don't know maybe I have rose tinted glasses and need to go back to supporting a non league team).
I wanted my son to grow loving going to watch Morecambe like I did and feeling part of his local club and proud of them. For me it wasn't about supporting the best team it was meeting up with my mates, bene able to talk to the manager, players just been involved you can't do that supporting Liverpool, Man utd et. At the moment I don't know if I want to take him anymore as I feel we might end up been the type of club I don't want him to have to be associated with.

So what happens now at the moment I am having trouble feeling motivated to attend again and supporting the new regime. We need to see what Cala comes out with in the next week and if there is anything sensible there, and where will be at the end of the season. I just hope we can get to the end of the season with all staff been paid every month.

If after that Cala starts doing daft things and hair brained ideas, not paying staff or not showing them respect then that's me out I'm afraid I just can't do it anymore I think I would need to find something else for me and my lad to do together somewhere where he will grow up feeling involved and proud of whatever activity/organisation he gets involved with.

It's the end of an era for the club and I just hope it won't be the end of an era for me after 25 years

[sandgrown]

my feelings as well after 60 years.

but I still hope we will have a club of some sort in the end !

[halftimeresults]

I didn't feel this bad when we lost to Dagenham on penalties

[Posh]

I didn't feel this bad when we lost to Dagenham on penalties

Jamie Murphy.

I didn't feel this bad when Andy Fensome got sent off at Hereford.

[Phoenix Shrimp 2017]

As bad as it currently seems those old enough to remember the Late 70's early 80's will remember the really dire football, Christie Park literally crumbling around us and the club on the brink of bankruptcy and possible oblivion. Out of that came a renaissance and a fantastic journey through non league, sparked by a few good people who inspired others to drive the club forwards, slowly but surely upwards.A lot of those folk are still about and care deeply about the club.

I suppose with every thing that's gone on it was inevitable that eventually the spiral would turn in a downwards direction, but I guess like a lot of others I was in denial and could never have expected it to unravel so quickly.

When the dust finally settles we will know what we have to do to start climbing again. Some will fall away because they don't have the fight in them anymore but hopefully enough will remain to fight the good fight that will see us regain our pride.

Success is cyclical and you have to take the good times with the bad. It all makes the good times even sweeter.

UTS!

[Lloydie]

Yesterday my club died!! It has been dying for sometime but for me yesterday was the final nail in the coffin.

What has happened to MY club? When we moved from CP to the Globe my club changed forever and now it's going to change again beyond all recognition. The club even since we moved to the Globe is not MY club it's not the club I grew up supporting. That friendly club where we were friendliest fans of the year every year where we had great times with away fans and we all pulled together and enjoyed some great times (and some bad ones) but even then we never let the football spoil our fun.

A picture came up the other day as a facebook memory of me and Mick Birch stood having a beer in the old Umbro end about 7pm one sat evening remenising, it would have been the last year at CP. I think it was also that night that Jim's kids were running around on the pitch and kitman less could often be found in the changing rooms until 9pm at night scrubbing the players shorts by hand. It was brilliant, happy times everyone all there as the Morecambe family, happy days!

Since the move everything changed the them and us culture came in and slowly (to begin with) more and more people started drifting away long time friends we used to see every saturday no longer there. At this point we should have started asking ourselves what's going on but we just used to get told we are little old Morecambe be thankful etc etc but things were changing for the worse and it has all built up to now. I remember like it was yesterday talking to Ockers (RIP), I miss that guy and his rants, one New years eve and he was going mad about the club, the new people they were bringing in as well as lots of other things he didn't have much of a good word to say about anyone. You look back now and he was right the signs have been there for years and years. Why didn't us the fans do something then? protests, ask questions etc any other club would have done PNE, blackpool, Bradford would be going mad we were just told the club don't like negative comments on SV's blimey they got an easy ride off us we should have been holding them to account back then.

I have said before at the time in theory in PMG's head the move probably was a good idea but in practice it just hasn't worked. I don't feel angry about that he tried to come up with a plan for us what winds me up is he has never engaged the fans and that's where it's all gone pear shaped. When we started struggling 5 years he should have been honest with us and we could have helped out,like Mr Spud says he should have tried to off load it then at a realistic price maybe with some x board members and some fan ownership (hindsight is a wonderful thing) but instead he stayed quiet re financing, complicating matters etc and things have snowballed to where we are today.

As the years have gone on I have felt more and more disconnected from the club and then we get to today where I have just about lost any feelings/connection that I had left.
Things are going to massively change (maybe it does need a shake up) but I fear the worst I can't see things changing for the good in the long term and even if some things do work it still won't be that club I grew up with. ( I don't know maybe I have rose tinted glasses and need to go back to supporting a non league team).
I wanted my son to grow loving going to watch Morecambe like I did and feeling part of his local club and proud of them. For me it wasn't about supporting the best team it was meeting up with my mates, bene able to talk to the manager, players just been involved you can't do that supporting Liverpool, Man utd et. At the moment I don't know if I want to take him anymore as I feel we might end up been the type of club I don't want him to have to be associated with.

So what happens now at the moment I am having trouble feeling motivated to attend again and supporting the new regime. We need to see what Cala comes out with in the next week and if there is anything sensible there, and where will be at the end of the season. I just hope we can get to the end of the season with all staff been paid every month.

If after that Cala starts doing daft things and hair brained ideas, not paying staff or not showing them respect then that's me out I'm afraid I just can't do it anymore I think I would need to find something else for me and my lad to do together somewhere where he will grow up feeling involved and proud of whatever activity/organisation he gets involved with.

It's the end of an era for the club and I just hope it won't be the end of an era for me after 25 years

Not up for giving the bloke a chance then?

[Gnasher]

It would appear a lot aren't but there is no denying it's the end of an era the day Rod resigns as a director.

[mrpotatohead]

Giving ropey people chances isn't our job, or our repeated choice ,it's Peters, I will attend matches, and eat pies in hospitality whilst they are still available, but it'll end in a mess...... the people of America are giving Trump a "'chance'', out of the same desperation that made the people of Germany gave Hitler a ''chance'', and that went well

[John L]

Giving ropey people chances isn't our job, or our repeated choice ,it's Peters, I will attend matches, and eat pies in hospitality whilst they are still available, but it'll end in a mess...... the people of America are giving Trump a "'chance'', out of the same desperation that made the people of Germany gave Hitler a ''chance'', and that went well

Don't forget the Tories in all this as well!

[KenH]

Giving ropey people chances isn't our job, or our repeated choice ,it's Peters, I will attend matches, and eat pies in hospitality whilst they are still available, but it'll end in a mess...... the people of America are giving Trump a "'chance'', out of the same desperation that made the people of Germany gave Hitler a ''chance'', and that went well

So come on then, what's YOUR alternative? Are YOU going to stump up the £50k every month to cover the shortfall? PMG and the board covered it by selling off the assets until they had none left to sell. They did bugger all to engage with the dwindling fan base. It's now clear that PMG didn't have the foggiest idea how to correct his mistakes and his plan B was simply to sell it, hence why there's been no ground sponsor for 2 years and nothing at all done to bring supporters back. You clearly don't want to give the new owner a chance, so what is your alternative - it's him or bankruptcy!

[mrpotatohead]

50 k a month shortfall over 6 years is nonsense, it was much less, still too much, but the product of terrible business management, it's done now, and suggesting that mistakes from the past justify putting this ...........in charge, is a total nonsense.

[George Dawes]

Giving ropey people chances isn't our job, or our repeated choice ,it's Peters, I will attend matches, and eat pies in hospitality whilst they are still available, but it'll end in a mess...... the people of America are giving Trump a "'chance'', out of the same desperation that made the people of Germany gave Hitler a ''chance'', and that went well

So come on then, what's YOUR alternative? Are YOU going to stump up the £50k every month to cover the shortfall? PMG and the board covered it by selling off the assets until they had none left to sell. They did bugger all to engage with the dwindling fan base. It's now clear that PMG didn't have the foggiest idea how to correct his mistakes and his plan B was simply to sell it, hence why there's been no ground sponsor for 2 years and nothing at all done to bring supporters back. You clearly don't want to give the new owner a chance, so what is your alternative - it's him or bankruptcy!

well said Ken, you've handed MrP his ass on a plate

MrP go and get your coat

[mrpotatohead]

REALLY?

I think you may find within 2 weeks that Cala has no money either, in fact, he hasn't even paid the paltry amount he is giving for his shares yet.

[KenH]

50 k a month shortfall over 6 years is nonsense, it was much less, still too much, but the product of terrible business management, it's done now, and suggesting that mistakes from the past justify putting this ...........in charge, is a total nonsense.

Net cash outflow per cash flow statement in published accounts:

31.5.15 £689k
31.5.14 £287k (smaller loss due to Wolves/Newcastle cup games)
31.5.13 £688k
31.5.12 £602k

So clearly an average £50k per month for 3 of those last 4 years! Consider no televised cup games since, no increase in attendances, no ground sponsorship, the 15/16 and current 16/17 seasons won't be any better.

[KenH]

REALLY?

I think you may find within 2 weeks that Cala has no money either, in fact, he hasn't even paid the paltry amount he is giving for his shares yet.

So yet again I ask what alternative is there? Do you know someone else who is willing and able to come in with £50k per month - if so, for heaven's sake tell PMG before it's too late. I'm not keen on Cala either, but the club has run out of options - it's either taking a punt in him or receivership/bankruptcy/relegation.

[Gone_Shrimping]

REALLY?

I think you may find within 2 weeks that Cala has no money either, in fact, he hasn't even paid the paltry amount he is giving for his shares yet.

Of course he hasn't. He will only pay for his shares when the EFL approve it and the current board resign.

[mrpotatohead]

I am not charged with solving the problem,I am merely pointing what is obvious, this man is patently unsuitable to be the custodian of the club, and selecting years 1 to 4 instead of 3 to 6 of the past 6 years tells a different story, it's not me that created the mess anyway, it's PMG, and until very recently you were all licking his ''wrong un'' even though you were aware of the losses.

[Trevor]

KenH and GonShrimping - your good at all this stuff.

Can you do the same checking on Mr Cala please - it might console some of us to know we can put some faith in him.

[mrpotatohead]

There are links all over different topics on SV'sabout Cala, Trevor,which some people are disregarding as they are hoping for the best, I liken this ''transfer of affection'' from peter, to Diego, to JOCAL, as a form of ''Stockholm syndrome''