In the midst of an ownership crisis, Morecambe is fighting desperately to stave off administration. I’s northern football correspondent Mark Douglas discovers a team in a “bleak situation” that “cannot go on.”
When we do get to talk, Rod Taylor is all over the apology trail.
The Morecambe co-chairman is an extremely busy man. In addition to serving on the board of the club’s thriving community sports programme, he owns and operates a successful hotel and care facility in the town.
However, that was not the reason behind his lack of response on Wednesday of last week. Taylor attended the funeral of Cliff Crabtree, the football team’s oldest supporter, who passed away at the age of 93, as a member of a delegation from the team.
Since everyone in the community knew Cliff and his devotion to the team, Taylor convinced Derek Adams, the team’s manager at the time, to stop the club coach en route to an away game on Cliff’s 90th birthday in order to give him gifts.
He was an amazing individual. It was only fitting that we have a representation there because people like Cliff are a part of this football team,” Taylor says.
Stories such as these are what give solace to the desperate circumstances Morecambe is currently facing. Just over a year ago, this proud community club was competing in League One against Ipswich Town. According to Taylor, their two-year “ownership fiasco” has left them in danger. And he’s not making this up.
They only have two professionals on their roster, no manager at the moment, are under a transfer embargo, and last month’s player and staff salaries were not paid on time. There are worries that May’s salary
day approaching, the same might take place once more in a few weeks.
Their esteemed CEO, Ben Sadler, who has contributed significantly to maintaining order behind the scenes, is leaving for Walsall, which will exacerbate the situation.
The League Two team lost three points as a result of April’s late payment, and senior players threatened to boycott their final game against Swindon Town.
Before manager Ged Brannan, who had done a fantastic job leading the team into play-off contention after losing six loan players in January, resigned to become assistant manager at Accrington Stanley, captain Farrend Rawson called the situation a “shambles.”
Brannan’s exit was particularly difficult. The 52-year-old expressed his sincere regret at leaving, but he felt compelled to do so because of the club’s uncertain future. Employees at Morecambe’s level have bills to pay, food to put on the table, and mortgages to consider.
With unexpected candour, Taylor admits to me, “We are in a dire situation.” “It cannot continue.”
One man, Jason Whittingham, the owner of Morecambe, whose Bond Group has been in charge for six years, is at the centre of all of this chaos.
If the name sounds familiar, it was Whittingham and co-owner Colin Goldring who oversaw Worcester Warriors’ 2022 slide into a contentious administration that resulted in their expulsion from the Premiership due to a debt of more than £15,000min.
Morecambe is currently in danger of going into administration since it is unclear if Whittingham and the Bond Group will be able to continue paying the club’s operating expenses.
The unhappy couple ought to be divorcing each other. Although Taylor claims there has been “genuine interest” in the club during its more than two years on the market, there is concern that the current owner is asking for too much. According to sources, Whittingham has previously asked for up to £5 million for the team, which is wildly excessive considering Morecambe’s £1.2 million in losses the previous year.
Taylor acknowledges that the figures have been “way overvalued,” but he won’t be drawn on them.
Is that how it is right now? Right now, I’m not really sure what his goals are. However, keep in mind that the buyer of the club is purchasing a losing enterprise,” he advises.
Whittingham’s supporters no longer hold much affection for him. Even though he was once quite outspoken and had interviews with the rugby press as recently as 2022, he has been silent for several months.
Since a proposed takeover by 21-year-old soft drink entrepreneur Sarbjot Johal collapsed last year without ever putting the EFL’s owners and director’s tests to the test, he has not spoken to the confidence of Morecambe’s supporters. When I tried to contact the Morecambe owner for this piece, he did not reply.
Though he appointed them to run the club while he searches for a buyer, Morecambe stands apart from other EFL basket cases in that its board, which includes Taylor and a few other devoted lifelong supporters, is independent of Whittingham and hasn’t been afraid to criticise his ownership.
Taylor’s profile positions him as a spokesman, but he is also the club’s top salesperson, so it is puzzling that Whittingham has largely kept him and the board “at arm’s length” from the sales process.
Fans still look to the board, a group of committed but unpaid directors, to keep things together while Whittingham seems to be hesitating about the club’s future. There are a lot of positive things happening at Morecambe, despite popular belief, according to Taylor.
He points out that the team only pays a peppercorn rent to play at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium and has no external debt. They haven’t participated in the Northern Premier League for thirty years. However, buyers should find them to be a “attractive prospect” given their 17 consecutive seasons in the Football League and 4,000-strong crowds.
“The community sports programme is thriving, the academy is producing, the events and commercial are excellent and have performed exceptionally well over the past 12 months with excellent people involved,” he claims.
“The women’s football team, which joined the programme last year, is very encouraging. There are a lot of positive aspects, but the ownership situation has obviously been problematic for the past two years and is seriously hurting us.
One of two things must happen quickly for the club to step away from the precipice: either Bond Group agrees to fully finance the club’s future operations, or they sell to a responsible buyer.
It doesn’t seem likely that the former will occur. Taylor states, “Neither do I nor any of my board colleagues have any confidence in that.”
Regarding the latter, there was a glimmer of hope that a sale agreement might be approaching, as a sincere interest in purchasing Bond Group outlay had been expressed by a US organisation.
It appeared more upbeat the previous week. Although who knows, that did fade a little bit towards the end of the week. Says Taylor.
“I am aware that the owner is in the process of speaking with possible buyers.” In the coming days, a video conference with Whittingham is scheduled to obtain a comprehensive assessment of the circumstances; however, it is hard to shake the impression that the club Whittingham is making a circle around the drain.
According to Taylor, “I believe there will be serious talks with Bond Group early this week.”
“A company cannot exist on handouts. It must operate as a limited company because that is how it was formed. The owner must give us a clear directive this week; that much is certain.
Whittingham might still be forced to make a decision if the club is placed into administration, or the “nuclear option.” However, it would also result in job losses and a nine-point deduction for the upcoming season, which is already looking challenging considering that Morecambe lags far behind rivals in terms of managerial certainty, player retention, and player recruitment.
Taylor acknowledges, “I couldn’t say administration can be ruled out as an option, it can’t be.”
That depends on the business owner providing the necessary funds and ensuring that it is sustainable. Should that turn into a circumstance where it isn’t and When something stops being viable and is unable to pay its bills, that’s a whole other discussion.
It would definitely make me wrinkled. However, you must exercise responsibility. That’s not the business you want.
