Hitting Rock Bottom

[BerlinWaller]

So when the new owners said and then reiterated that this seasons budget is bigger than last seasons at the pre season fans forum, they were lying?

[steve mfc]

According to some people on here the playing budget for last season was lower than the previous season however this was proven to be untrue when the accounts were distributed to the shareholders at the AGM.

[Shrimpy123]

That’s your opinion, maybe he stays because he is loyal and wants to see the job through??
Just a thought.
And the budget was supposedly up by 15% according to our new owners, quoted in the Visitor.
However, talk to the other directors, there has been no increase on last season, despite this claim.
It’s a shit show.

In April 2018 you posted on here that the Club's playing budget was £600,000 but the accounts that were presented to shareholders at the AGM indicate that it was at least 50% higher than this in the year to May 2018.

[CityShrimp]

I agree about the ‘defeatist attitude’ comments.

I normally hate the constant comparisons with what Coleman has achieved at Accy, but positivity is a big difference between Jim and Coleman.

Jim chooses to play himself and the team down, to manage expectations which in a way is fair enough. But John Coleman, in exactly the same boat, always gives you the impression that he expects his team to win, whether the opposition is a Sunday league side or Man City. It works.

We do have a good team. And this season we’ve played good football, yet we don’t win games. I really think that the Morecambe sides of years gone by have had much less quality in the ranks and yet they were competitive and achieved safety each season.

The problem is mental - we just aren’t ‘winners’. I do wonder if that is coming from the manager. We go out, play some decent football, go a goal down and then heads drop and we don’t recover. How many times have we made a late comeback in a game, like the 4-3 against Crewe? That spirit in the team isn’t there any more.

[Dirk]

Loyalty to the club or to the pay-packet?

All things come to an end, both good and bad.

One day, MFC will have a new manager.

Will there be a queue of clubs knocking on Jim's door after he's left?

Time will tell

Did he apply for the Tranmere gig a few years back? The other week he told the media about his managerial ambitions - Everton, then (presumably) England.

He didn't say anything ambitious about MFC in the context of promotion!

So, it's EFL2 forever for poor old Morecambe.

Sexy! Dare to dream, not!

That'll bring the crowds back. Punching above our weight and other such guff. Boring.

I wonder how many other jobs he's applied for whilst managing MFC?

Loyalty in football?

At most other EFL clubs it's a results business

[Freez]

Whatever, you have your views, I have mine.

As for the budget, perhaps that’s the entire football staff?

I’m only saying I asked if there was a increase in budget after the start of the season, two board members said no, in real terms!
Maybe they weren’t telling the truth???

[Shrimpy123]

As for the budget, perhaps that’s the entire football staff?

So in a total wage bill of £2m, you think £1m+ is non-football staff? Some expensive pie servers there (when there is any left).

[mrpotatohead]

The odds are stacked against us more than ever this season, and in my opinion it's down to the new owners, fine words on their arrival have been followed by what??

If Jim somehow keeps us in the league this time it will be yet another miracle , but it'll not be good enough for some fans,

The rock bottom line is MFC are in danger of going out of the league , and maybe even out of existence.

[Posh]

So when the new owners said and then reiterated that this seasons budget is bigger than last seasons at the pre season fans forum, they were lying?

Yes.

Again, i’m not saying this to defend Jim. However, the new owners live in Essex, bought the club when it could have been relegated, operate as a “real estate company” and have no love for the club. In those circumstances you can spin any bullshit you want.

[marky No.1]

As for the budget, perhaps that’s the entire football staff?

So in a total wage bill of £2m, you think £1m+ is non-football staff? Some expensive pie servers there (when there is any left).

I have to agree with that, well said, something doesn't quite add up. Without working it out, is the difference about 60 full time staff on living wage

[Andy D]

As for the budget, perhaps that’s the entire football staff?

So in a total wage bill of £2m, you think £1m+ is non-football staff? Some expensive pie servers there (when there is any left).

I have to agree with that, well said, something doesn't quite add up. Without working it out, is the difference about 60 full time staff on living wage

Yes.

Not only is the design of the ground high maintenance, it is in wages to staff.

Just do pie n peas from Susans Pie's, the Wild Bore lot can do one to the top floor into them silly boxes what are over priced.

Give the Manager more money instead!

[HALMA 1983]

The club has suffered all ends up since that fateful move from Christie park, somehow it was the best of everything and much more suited both in its location and held massive attachment to the folk who live and work in this town on low money,
If we all cast our minds back and remember that Accy came from even more humble surroundings and remained at their bolthole of a ground that was never fit for purpose but they didn't try and push boundaries beyond their capability and their rise has been made in small steps with the local community buying into it.
Who knows? Jim might have had far greater success on the pitch at C.P in that very unwelcoming, intimidating fortress away sides hated but instead he's on a hiding to nothing at a ground I very much doubt many managers would find success at, in all of its majestic hollow pointless appearance.

[Seasider9601]

The club has suffered all ends up since that fateful move from Christie park, somehow it was the best of everything and much more suited both in its location and held massive attachment to the folk who live and work in this town on low money,
Who knows? Jim might have had far greater success on the pitch at C.P in that very unwelcoming, intimidating fortress away sides hated but instead he's on a hiding to nothing at a ground I very much doubt many managers would find success at, in all of its majestic hollow pointless appearance.

This. In a nutshell.

We should never, ever have moved.

I've said this time and time again but the development which was originally planned for the old Carwash side of Christie Park should have been seen through and built.

Polish it up as much as you like, The Globe Arena (what happened to the new ground sponsors which were supposedly in the pipeline?) is a poor, poor replacement for Christie and it's no surprise that so many regular fans have deserted. Due to ground location, transport (so I'm told), and facilities.
And yes, I've said all this over and over and it's been debated on here at great length for nigh on ten years. But how much have we improved upon "The Globe Arena Experience" as a certain former MD portrayed it all those years ago?? It's an experience alright.....

New owners.... have they lied about an increase in playing budget?
What are their aims, plans and ambitions for Morecambe FC?
Are they hell bent on obtaining "the land"??

I like Posh's post on here about the owners and the club in general. Very insightful and great reads.

[Gone_Shrimping]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcs3JG90nZc

[HALMA 1983]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcs3JG90nZc

Wow that brought back some memories
Great times that us older folk hold dear

[Posh]

The ‘we should never have left Christie Park’ story should be killed off. Harking back to the glory days doesn’t get us anywhere.

What hurt us wasn’t the move it was the change of control at the top and with it different sets of priorities. We had a board of locally-based owners and a lot of supporting businesses formed around a community club. All that disappeared under PMG and directors left; the Globe could have been brilliant but instead it was a vanity project based around the wrong priorities; we could have been a great development club, instead we went for the big bucks and it failed - miserably.

Yet it continues under people who don’t love the club. The sooner we get a local owner with community ethics, like an Andy Holt, we can become a better club.

From £10k sponsorship to £300k and profitable https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... rby-county

[KenH]

The sooner we get a local owner with community ethics, like an Andy Holt, we can become a better club.

No point in hoping for something that's unlikely to happen. PMG had it on the market for a few years and the "rich local owner" never appeared, so why do you think someone is just around the corner now? We have new owners who are keeping the club afloat, which is an achievement in itself. We have the fans' preferred joint chairmen running it. We have loyal staff, we have Jim and Ken, we have Drummy and a good youth/academy set up. We have a new stadium with massive earning potential. It's time for the management to step up, take ownership/responsibility of their roles, and take advantage of a couple of years of financial stability to make a start on improving things. Carrying on feeling sorry for ourselves, limping along as whipping boys of L2, empty hospitality rooms most days of the week, Jim aiming to grind out draws, just waiting for someone rich to splash the cash ISN'T a viable option. In fact, if there was an end to the ridiculous "little old Morecambe" rubbish and a new "can do" attitude around the place, things may improve and we may attract the attention of the mythical "Mr Rich".

[SupermarketShrimp]

According to some people on here the playing budget for last season was lower than the previous season however this was proven to be untrue when the accounts were distributed to the shareholders at the AGM.

At some point, there will be a tipping point. This club needs to get back to the fans and the community sharpish. For as much as I have no ill will to any of the current directors, the people on the terraces have been fed shite for far too long and kept in the dark. No matter what they do, people aren't going to believe it unless it's done.

At some point, they will hopefully engage with the trust and get them in on the board for all decisions, get all the pots and pans out under a NDA about the true financial position of the club as obviously sensitive information regarding wage bills and budgets shouldn't be in the public domain as it'll leave us in a negative negotiating stand point moving forward. If its in a complete mess so be it, but at least we can start moving towards sorting it.

It's only with that when the local businesses will take the club seriously - would you put money into the club at the moment if you had no idea what you were contributing to? I know I wouldn't.

Until then, we have the lowest attendance, the higher travelling costs, no proper training facilities, no money for which to improve and of it and a home fan base that expects spending to match Real Madrid. It'll only end one way.

#prayforjim.

[HALMA 1983]

The sooner we get a local owner with community ethics, like an Andy Holt, we can become a better club.

No point in hoping for something that's unlikely to happen. PMG had it on the market for a few years and the "rich local owner" never appeared, so why do you think someone is just around the corner now? We have new owners who are keeping the club afloat, which is an achievement in itself. We have the fans' preferred joint chairmen running it. We have loyal staff, we have Jim and Ken, we have Drummy and a good youth/academy set up. We have a new stadium with massive earning potential. It's time for the management to step up, take ownership/responsibility of their roles, and take advantage of a couple of years of financial stability to make a start on improving things. Carrying on feeling sorry for ourselves, limping along as whipping boys of L2, empty hospitality rooms most days of the week, Jim aiming to grind out draws, just waiting for someone rich to splash the cash ISN'T a viable option. In fact, if there was an end to the ridiculous "little old Morecambe" rubbish and a new "can do" attitude around the place, things may improve and we may attract the attention of the mythical "Mr Rich".

Little old Morecambe isn't a slur but fact based on the size of the town and it's inability to sustain a Football club under its present guise, most fans would bite your bloody hand off to go back to the happy, family club they once had down the road where you might of had far more glory days to still hark on about.
MFC: This is YOUR club.................Be a part of it! Trouble is there's nothing left to be a part of when it boils down to it.

[MfcChris]

I agree about the ‘defeatist attitude’ comments.

I normally hate the constant comparisons with what Coleman has achieved at Accy, but positivity is a big difference between Jim and Coleman.

Jim chooses to play himself and the team down, to manage expectations which in a way is fair enough. But John Coleman, in exactly the same boat, always gives you the impression that he expects his team to win, whether the opposition is a Sunday league side or Man City. It works.

We do have a good team. And this season we’ve played good football, yet we don’t win games. I really think that the Morecambe sides of years gone by have had much less quality in the ranks and yet they were competitive and achieved safety each season.

The problem is mental - we just aren’t ‘winners’. I do wonder if that is coming from the manager. We go out, play some decent football, go a goal down and then heads drop and we don’t recover. How many times have we made a late comeback in a game, like the 4-3 against Crewe? That spirit in the team isn’t there any more.

Spot on. Coleman's interviews are amazing. He tells everyone they are going to win 46 games. Nearly impossible obviously but he does believe they can.

Jim's interview a few weeks ago, like other interviews, was appalling. Basically saying we are scraping the barrel with getting non-league players and players that are past it or struggling. What employee wants to hear that they are only here because they aren't good enough for anyone else and that they are our 4th choice signing.

[paulshrimp]

If you have some time take a look at the online Guardian. In the sports section there is an article about Accrington Stanley and how they have got to where they are now. Like most fans of MFC I have no idea of what is happening behind the scenes with the new owners in terms of ongoing investments and improvements. I would just hope that we are somewhere on the road to following Accy!

[marky No.1]

"If you wanted a David and Goliath you would say Man United and it would always be Accrington Stanley. As of late, we are not that. We are trying to get away from that.” A second FA Cup fourth-round appearance in three seasons and a remarkable title triumph in between illustrates the progress made. “Oh I don’t want that to be the end,” adds Coleman on winning League Two last year. “You should always strive to be better.”

Preparations are under way for Saturday’s visit of Derby County on the morning The Guardian takes a look behind the scenes at the Wham Stadium. A commercial deal is being struck to hire digital advertising screens to go around the perimeter of the pitch. They will generate extra revenue on top of the £150,000 for being live on BT Sport and will be removed on Sunday.

Last season Accrington won League Two on the second-smallest budget in the division, posting a modest profit as they did so. This season, with the lowest budget in League One, they sit 14th. A club that was once synonymous with financial failure and averages gates of 2,850 is now self-sufficient, debt-free and owns its own ground.

[paulshrimp]

Thank you, Marky. I was never any good at this cut and paste crap.

[HALMA 1983]

"If you wanted a David and Goliath you would say Man United and it would always be Accrington Stanley. As of late, we are not that. We are trying to get away from that.” A second FA Cup fourth-round appearance in three seasons and a remarkable title triumph in between illustrates the progress made. “Oh I don’t want that to be the end,” adds Coleman on winning League Two last year. “You should always strive to be better.”

Preparations are under way for Saturday’s visit of Derby County on the morning The Guardian takes a look behind the scenes at the Wham Stadium. A commercial deal is being struck to hire digital advertising screens to go around the perimeter of the pitch. They will generate extra revenue on top of the £150,000 for being live on BT Sport and will be removed on Sunday.

Last season Accrington won League Two on the second-smallest budget in the division, posting a modest profit as they did so. This season, with the lowest budget in League One, they sit 14th. A club that was once synonymous with financial failure and averages gates of 2,850 is now self-sufficient, debt-free and owns its own ground.

Coleman has always embraced that underdog tag because it galvanised both the team he sent out and the fans, truth is they Giant kill on a weekly basis in that league they could only ever dream of being a part of
It's really clicked into place at the Crown ground that's for sure

[Posh]

The sooner we get a local owner with community ethics, like an Andy Holt, we can become a better club.

No point in hoping for something that's unlikely to happen. PMG had it on the market for a few years and the "rich local owner" never appeared, so why do you think someone is just around the corner?

Ken, you couldn’t have got my comment more wrong if you tried. I don’t want a local Mr Rich, just someone who knows the local area, and like Andy Holt, turn the club round, make it profitable and actually do it by working with the community. It’s not rocket science or even rocket salad.

As for no one out there, there was a local interested party who had the funds and the backing but wasn’t willing to buy before the Coventry game. We need to a deal to survive so we did one. There are options out there.