Can We - Can We ????

[Catte]

Barnsley will not take their foot of the accelerator they have been through this before and they know if you drop 10% from your performance then come the play off matches you are not at it and heartbreak is on the cards.

Wanderers will be at it especially because it is Accrington and how they behaved towards us when we were in financial melt down, funny how they now strive to make room for as many of our fans as they legally can. No time for them their Manager and owner, would open a decent bottle if they were relegated.

I think it is in Derek's hands now and he knows what it takes and how to get it, statue outside the ground if he engineers this survival?

[Gone_Shrimping]

Barnsley will not take their foot of the accelerator they have been through this before and they know if you drop 10% from your performance then come the play off matches you are not at it and heartbreak is on the cards.

Wanderers will be at it especially because it is Accrington and how they behaved towards us when we were in financial melt down, funny how they now strive to make room for as many of our fans as they legally can. No time for them their Manager and owner, would open a decent bottle if they were relegated.

I think it is in Derek's hands now and he knows what it takes and how to get it, statue outside the ground if he engineers this survival?

I listened to the Accrington guy , Dan Jewell , on Radio Lancashire or Radio Accrington as we call it the other night. Sounds like Accrington and Bolton aren't on good terms to say the least. He mentioned Charles's transfer.

Hope Bolton can bang in about 5 tomorrow night just to ensure the goal difference position

[Cisco Kid]

I think it is in Derek's hands now and he knows what it takes and how to get it, statue outside the ground if he engineers this survival?

Derek already deserves a statue outside the ground! The most successful manager of all time. For us (Morecambe) to be even talking about League 1 survival is dreamland.

[KenH]

Derek already deserves a statue outside the ground! The most successful manager of all time. For us (Morecambe) to be even talking about League 1 survival is dreamland.

Absolutely and fully agree. He doesn't deserve the stick he's had to put up with from some of our so-called fans, but it's notable that with a couple of exceptions (long term fans who should know better), that most of the critics are new fans who've only started coming to games since we won promotion and will have little knowledge (or interest) in the past, especially the hard times since the move to Westgate and financial/ownership troubles over the past decade or so, and seem to expect entertaining Premier League style performances every game. Those who criticise Derek for lack of entertainment have clearly forgotten (or weren't at) most games under Jim which were likewise pretty dull, just grinding out boring draws with the "happy with a point" attitude, that enabled Jim to defy the bookies every year by not being relegated back to non league. In a lot of ways, Derek and Jim have very similar management and playing styles, not because of lack of ambition or lack of managerial ability, in fact the opposite, they know it's the only way to survive when most (if not all) other teams have a significant higher playing wages budget, higher crowds, etc. We need statues for both Derek and Jim, and that's coming from someone who actually thought it was right for Jim to leave at the time, but the time isn't right for Derek to leave this Summer - whichever league we are in, Derek has a lot to offer if he can have a clean slate and bring in the players he wants, even with a low budget.

[Keith]

I've definitely been critical of Derek through this season, and I still think that if we'd played like we have recently, in earlier games, in particular Oxford, Milton Keynes & Cambridge, we'd have been safe by now. Saturday was superb, and exactly what we've been needing. Stockton of last season put in an appearance, and the midfield were getting in to attacking positions. Gnahoua had a good game, although, as is often the case, his final ball decision-making, went lacking. One particularly frustrating moment in the first half, when he jinked his way in to the area, but with a player to his left, took another touch and fell over, but, the important thing, he, and others, were getting into the area. Often in previous games, Crowley and Weir were needing to go too deep in search of the ball, and then had no forward pass. Recently, we've been making positive runs, so that we could build quickly.

At last, Derek has them playing how he wants, and it is working. Will it ultimately be too late? Perhaps, but we'll at least be going down with a fight.

If we perform another great escape, Derek deserves a contract for next season for pulling off another miracle.

If we go down, Derek deserves another contract based on his previous success at League Two and to try and build a side that will play how he wants, right from the start.

I'll find relegation frustrating because I think we could/should have done better against our other relegation threatened rivals, but, playing in League One has been an incredible achievement, one I never thought I'd see.

Relegation/lower mid-table scrap in League One or upper mid-table/play-off chasing (or better) in League Two next season? I'd plump for another League One relegation battle, and playing Huddersfield, Reading or Cardiff and (at least) three from Plymouth, Ipswich, Sheffield Wednesday, Barnsley, Bolton or Derby!

As 'Wild Bill' said recently, no matter what, this will be our second-highest finish in our entire history.

[Gone_Shrimping]

Derek already deserves a statue outside the ground! The most successful manager of all time. For us (Morecambe) to be even talking about League 1 survival is dreamland.

Absolutely and fully agree. He doesn't deserve the stick he's had to put up with from some of our so-called fans, but it's notable that with a couple of exceptions (long term fans who should know better), that most of the critics are new fans who've only started coming to games since we won promotion and will have little knowledge (or interest) in the past, especially the hard times since the move to Westgate and financial/ownership troubles over the past decade or so, and seem to expect entertaining Premier League style performances every game. Those who criticise Derek for lack of entertainment have clearly forgotten (or weren't at) most games under Jim which were likewise pretty dull, just grinding out boring draws with the "happy with a point" attitude, that enabled Jim to defy the bookies every year by not being relegated back to non league. In a lot of ways, Derek and Jim have very similar management and playing styles, not because of lack of ambition or lack of managerial ability, in fact the opposite, they know it's the only way to survive when most (if not all) other teams have a significant higher playing wages budget, higher crowds, etc. We need statues for both Derek and Jim, and that's coming from someone who actually thought it was right for Jim to leave at the time, but the time isn't right for Derek to leave this Summer - whichever league we are in, Derek has a lot to offer if he can have a clean slate and bring in the players he wants, even with a low budget.

Spot on. Some of the ones on Facebook that start threads wanting Derek out have been supporting Morecambe about 3 or 4 years.

They expect Morecambe with our budget or lack of budget to be playing like Barcelona.

Derek deserves to be manager next season and let's hope we have decent new owners and a more competitive budget for him to bring in players. He has worked wonders this season and the lads he has brought in either on loan or permanent signings have all played well and given Derek 100% in order to give us a chance of staying up.

[marky No.1]

Those who criticise Derek for lack of entertainment have clearly forgotten (or weren't at) most games under Jim which were likewise pretty dull, just grinding out boring draws with the "happy with a point" attitude, that enabled Jim to defy the bookies every year by not being relegated back to non league..

We would have been relegated from L2 a few times if it was 4 down

[Little Shrimp]

I think Derek and Jim are both worthy of their plaudits, although I wouldn't really put them in the same category stylistically other than both having been in relegation battles with us.

We all have a very clear idea of the style that Derek wants to play. It's low possession, but effective possession. Always passing forwards when possible, mixing up long and short passes, using a target man to bring others into play, solid defensive shape then speed on the counter, focus on creating high quality chances rather than just knocking the ball around 30/40 yards from the opposition goal.

It's not quite come to fruition this season, but there's a very clear 'Derekball' brand. I don't think Jim ever really had that, and speaking to a Rochdale fan at work one of his frustrations with Jim was that there didn't seem to be a particular plan/style that the team were being coached towards.

Agree with Keith that the last few games have really seen what I'd consider more of a Derek Adams side come together (one up top, btw ). Gibson/Austerfield striking up a good solid midfield base has given Weir and Crowley a platform to work from. Imo we had that vs Bolton (Shaw instead of Austerfield) and Cambridge, just the players underperformed vs Cambridge and then Melbourne got injured! Also massively helps when Stockton is on it and properly provides in that target man role.

[jbc.shrimp]

We're still dependent on results around us, but an interesting stat. Lincoln haven't lost in there last 5, yet Exeter have lost every one of their last 5.

[redrobo]

We're still dependent on results around us, but an interesting stat. Lincoln haven't lost in there last 5, yet Exeter have lost every one of their last 5.

That stat worries me BUT if we are on our game and EVERYBODY gets behind our lads for the full 90 even if we go a goal down then we might just do it.....fingers and toes crossed.

[broadwayshrimp]

We're still dependent on results around us, but an interesting stat. Lincoln haven't lost in there last 5, yet Exeter have lost every one of their last 5.

That stat worries me BUT if we are on our game and EVERYBODY gets behind our lads for the full 90 even if we go a goal down then we might just do it.....fingers and toes crossed.

They're due one. Its Lincoln not Plymouth, Ipswich, Sheff Wed, Barnsley, Bolton or Derby

[Keith]

...the last few games have really seen what I'd consider more of a Derek Adams side come together (one up top, btw ).

As I said previously, I've not got a fundamental dislike of one up front, but I felt that Derek stuck with it for too long when it wasn't working. Now it is (again) great!

As you say, Gibson/Austerfield partnership is working well, which is addressing the lack of balance that you've mentioned in the past.