How Morecambe FC was saved from the brink
PLUS: Hospital trust forced to apologise for death of Ronald Sunners
Hello and welcome to The Lancashire Lead.
As a long-suffering fan at Southport, Jamie Lopez is a man that knows considerably more than I do about football. So it’s a pleasure to welcome him onto The Lancashire Lead pages again this week to write about the now-completed takeover at Morecambe FC.
It’s likely to be a long way back for the Shrimps, with just five confirmed members in the senior squad at the time of writing. But it’s a victory for those fans, the area’s MP and countless more who have battled so hard to secure the future of such an important part of the town.
As we scheduled today’s newsletter, the news came that Reform UK at Lancashire County Council are supportive of hanging the Union and St George’s Flag in a safe way - saying it can create a sense of civic pride. They would, however, take action to remove something if it is a danger to road users. We’ll be seeking clarification on what would constitute a danger to road users.
We also report on the death of a man at Royal Preston Hospital, unusual in that Lancashire Teaching Hospitals has apologised to the family of the man, admitting their error, before it reaches an inquest.
Green shoots at Morecambe FC as prolonged takeover saga finally comes to an end
By Jamie Lopez
Last week, Morecambe FC - a proud, 105-year-old football club - stood on the brink.
Just days remained before the National League would no longer accept assurances that the Shrimps could complete their fixtures and if this didn’t come, the club would be booted out and almost certainly into extinction.
In the proceedings months, the first team had been relegated from the Football League for the first time since returning in 2007, players and staff had repeatedly not received wages, almost all of the first team had departed and the opening games of the season had been postponed.
The owner, Jason Whittingham of the Bond Group, had become public enemy number one, seemingly refusing to finalise any sale of the club while unable to continue financing its operation.
Over the past months and years, it had been clear a sale was needed and after many false dawns and unkept promises, Panjab Warriors were finally announced as the new owners last weekend.
Joel Shooter is one of the trustees of the Shrimps Trust - the volunteer group which has worked tirelessly in a bid to help secure a future for the club.
Joel originally spoke to The Lancashire Lead last Wednesday, days before the completion of the deal was announced. Even then, the months and years of uncertainty and broken promises meant he and fellow supporters were not able to fully accept any progress was absolute until formally confirmed.
While defiant about the fans’ and the town’s ability to rebuild a football club from scratch if needed - as seen over in Bury - the fear of what could be lost was apparent.
Speaking on Tuesday, Joel was far more upbeat and described the current feeling as “hopeful”, with cautious optimism seemingly the prevailing mood.
He said: “Personally, I feel that Panjab are genuine and trying to build the club and invest and are here for the long term which is something that Jason Whittingham and Bond Group didn’t seem to be here for. As we got to the end of their tenure, they weren’t even able to fund the club.”
Les Dewhirst has been the club’s kitman for the past 30 years. Speaking to the BBC, he made clear the impact the change will have. "I've been in my savings, but others had it tougher than me. They know that they can be normal again, not borrowing off friends, not thinking they have to go to the food banks or rely on donations."
The whirlwind start to life in the new era saw the immediate departure of long-serving and popular manager Derek Adams, a man reported to have helped support staff financially from his own pocket and seemingly ideal for the unenviable task of building an entire squad with the season already underway.
Part of Morecambe’s various sanctions from the football authorities has been a ban on registering new players, while the repeated failure to pay wages meant those under contract have been allowed to leave for free. At the time of the takeover, just five players were still on the books, while every other team in the league has now already played two matches.
The new manager is Ashvir Singh Johal, who takes on a huge challenge in what is his first managerial role. Not only is he the only Sikh manager in the top six divisions of English football, at 30-years-old he is also the youngest.
He said: “I think the immediate priority is going to be to identify the players that we need in this building to make sure Morecambe Football Club this season can perform well in the National League.
“For me, that's the priority. Make sure the fans have got a team that really performs well on the pitch that gives their all, but also we start to build a Morecambe style of play that really represents what this town is about and that's underpinned by hard work and everybody giving their all in all moments of the game.”
For Joel and many other Morecambe fans, there is a real willingness to see the new management and ownership succeed, even if lots would have felt more confident with the continuity of Derek Adams remaining in charge.
“It’s been quite the 24 hours with the managerial change so a lot to take in but we’re definitely feeling better than we were a week ago. I don’t think there can be much doubt about their enthusiasm. The time and money they’ve put in is quite significant. Hopefully it can work out.
“At the end of the day, how well the plan that Panjab have with the club will pan out we’ll have to see, but what we can say is they are here and genuine.
“We’ve gone from the club being on the brink of collapse to being set for the next couple of years.”
Morecambe and Lunesdale MP Lizzi Collinge had been vocal in her efforts to ensure a sale went through and to protect the club for the sake of the fans and wider community. After the deal was finally announced, she welcomed the change and insisted she will be watching what happens next closely.
She said: “I'm so pleased to see this awful saga come to an end. Now we can look forward to focusing on the game.
“I want to say a special thank you to everyone who has campaigned so hard for this outcome. The Shrimps Trust in particular has played a central role. Their all-volunteer team has been working night and day and have gone above and beyond.
“There are so many other people to thank as well - the staff for their loyalty when they were treated appallingly, the former directors who stuck around through thick and thin, and the Panjab Warriors UK for their persistence.
“I also appreciate the support of Steph Peacock, Lisa Nandy and the PM Keir Starmer who have all taken an interest in the Shrimps and recognised the importance of the club to Morecambe and the importance of the whole football pyramid.
“Finally, to all the fans who have been so loyal to the Shrimps and have been a huge source of strength throughout - I look forward to seeing you all on the terraces!”
Recommended reading this week
🎓 Lancaster University has defended its management and governance from accusations of poor leadership, poor risk management and a lack of independent scrutiny, as it considers potentially making more than 400 staff redundant. Robbie Macdonald reports.
🔴 A trio of independent Lancashire county councillors have said they will join the new political party being founded by Jeremy Corbyn. The three Preston representatives – who are members of the official opposition at County Hall – have signed up to the movement, which will sit firmly on the Left of the political spectrum. Paul Faulkner has the latest.
🌳 A council said it is investigating following concerns land close to a main road was being used for residential purposes. Residents had complained that there had been excavation works on the site and a number of trees had been felled. Blackburn with Darwen Council confirmed a Planning Contravention Notice (PCN) had been issued to the registered landowner. From the Lancashire Telegraph.
‘My dad died begging for help because he wasn’t being treated properly’
By Luke Beardsworth
A hospital trust has apologised to two daughters who shared how Royal Preston Hospital ‘ruined’ their last memories of their father.
Ronald Sunners was taken to hospital on 8 January this year struggling to breath due to having COPD.
But daughters Rose and Stacie say that their pleas for hospital staff to treat their father in the same ‘brilliant’ way they had before fell on deaf ears.
Ronald died in hospital on 10 January and Lancashire Teacher Hospitals has concluded an internal investigation into his death. Independent scrutiny will follow from Lancashire’s coroner at an as-yet undetermined date
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