Fans forum due in December 2024

[Redalert1970]

It's still December Billy not April Fools Day lol

[Billy bodger]

It's still December Billy not April Fools Day lol

Yes but before we left the Julian Callander and it was replaced with the Gregorian Calendar New Year was celebrated on April the 1st. Then when New Year was moved to January 1st, those still celebrating New Year on April the 1st were considered FOOL’s .

What if, it was the wrong way round!! Wouldn’t Jan 1st be January Fool’s Day?? So only 2days out!! (Not Three Months).

[Billy bodger]

It's still December Billy not April Fools Day lol

Redalert:- Not the sort of announcement I was hoping for, but still an announcement!!

Good luck to Kayden Harrack, always give his all when he played, just didn’t work out for him.

Looks like there could be a few surprises cold be in store.

[al1]

Fans forum tonight at the Mazuma 7pm!

[glagys]

Is it available via zoom ?. Or other such platforms?

[al1]

Think it will be recorded and put on social media later

[Keith]

As a world champion straw clutcher, I'm hoping they'll use the forum tonight to announce a couple of signings, to give us all a feel good factor! If anyone sees Michael Mellon's car at the ground, let me know!

[redrobo]

Think Michael will have a choice of car parking space at either Chesterfield or Walsall.

[black morse]

As a world champion straw clutcher, I'm hoping they'll use the forum tonight to announce a couple of signings, to give us all a feel good factor! If anyone sees Michael Mellon's car at the ground, let me know!

You are joint champion with RR!

[Billy bodger]

From the answers given at the forum, from my understanding of them, these are the things we can take for certain:-

The Price Jason is selling for has been lowered from when he put the Club up for sale 2.5 yrs ago, (Sorry no sums discussed).

The prospective new owner and his associates are still in the process of submitting papers to pass the due process of being a fit and proper person to own a club.

The prospective named new owner is still in the process of completely unentangling himself from Sarbjot Johal!!

No actual date of when the sale will go through, except hopes.

The thought process on who Derek will be bringing in are that they will be loan players.

The Club is running at a loss.

Apologies on students being included in the statement on tickets for the Chelsea game.

The number of tickets agreed was 3,000 for the Chelsea game because they had three choices, 1,000, 3,000 or 6,000. A decision was taken on 3,000 because if they had agreed to 6,000 and not sold them all there would have been a financial hit back on Morecambe.

If I’ve misunderstood and therefore relayed any of the answers wrongly, I will be more than happy to be corrected.

[Redalert1970]

So nothing we didn't already know then

[Billy bodger]

So nothing we didn't already know then

No not really, others might have concluded differently, but I had a good pint though and darts was on TV, so fine

[Angler1]

I thought they said funds were available to strengthen the squad..

[vvm]

Cheers for the update

Suppose it's nice to be informed on the sale progress but until it's done it's hard to believe/care about anything that's said. Submitting papers really shouldn't take that long but you know it will be months.

Focusing mainly on loans makes sense, it's probably the best way to maximize quality in regards to the budget we'll have available. Hopefully the parent clubs will be covering some of the wages. It's a gamble as we could be stuck with players like Ethan Walker or Julian Larsson like last season. It's one we need to take though as I don't feel just bringing in steady, well known league 2 quality players will be enough.

Football is fucked if we're running at a loss. If we're at a loss with our minuscule budget then everyone else must be at a loss too.

3000 Chelsea tickets probably fair. We might have squeezed a few more out but not 6000.

[nobbyshrimp]

Imo for what’s it’s worth, loan players is better at the half way stage as we don’t have funds to waste paying fees then sign permanent signings in summer unless we can discuss someone mutually terminating a contract of course.
Ps
Over £1/2 million from Chelsea + other rounds should ease the losses

[Billy bodger]

I thought they said funds were available to strengthen the squad..

Yes they did, the opinion from the panel is it will be loan players, as I put, we will see.

[Billy bodger]

The cost of running the Club are high and we run at a loss because the agreed budget from the current owner does not cover the running of the Club. As probably most Clubs Morecambe has to rely on revenue from other avenues, such as, Sponsorships, gate receipts, grants from public bodies, financial revenue gains from Cup Competitions, our Corporate facilities (match day and hiring out of facilities on non match days) and on occasions loans or non refundable loans (donations) and finally sale of players.

I haven’t the full figures at hand, but the Clubs turnover was in the region of £5.6 million (down from £6.4 the year before) with losses in the region of £250,000 included in that in May 2023.

The upshot is it should be understood that we run at a loss is not really a surprise and the BOD’s work hard to mitigate those losses. We are a business, albeit it with the deep rooted passionate and emotional bunch of supporters, (ie, me posting this 4am in the morning, the cat woke me up!!) but it is the nature of the beast and I think it is fair to say we punch above our weight in many respects.

If this is rectified by the Club ever being successfully taken over it’s fair to say that’s unknown but it is extremely hoped that it will be, unfortunately money and success do not always go hand in hand, that’s in life as well as in football.

Bloody hell I sound like Rod but it’s a cliché that is true.

[P/T Indie]

I wasn't there but did they say Jason is now hoping to be out by the start of next season!!!!!

And did they say why it's taking so long for the new owner to submit the necessary papers?

[Wild Bill]

What was the reaction when it was stated that Momi was still working on his paperwork to submit to the EFL? This is complete BS and we've had this line since Sarbjot first came on the radar a couple of years ago.

[Old Man Kensey]

What was the reaction when it was stated that Momi was still working on his paperwork to submit to the EFL? This is complete BS and we've had this line since Sarbjot first came on the radar a couple of years ago.

Sadly it isn't BS but is the actual position. The Board have no control over what Momi provides to the EFL or when he does it for that matter. They have told him everything that he needs to do and provide. The fact that he hasn't followed their advice is the worrying part.

The board reiterated that they have no control over the sale of the club, and it is between Momi and Jason to agree on a price and conditions and for Momi himself to pass the EFL tests.

Momi is still trying to separate himself from Sarbjot, which again is worrying.

[black morse]

What was the reaction when it was stated that Momi was still working on his paperwork to submit to the EFL? This is complete BS and we've had this line since Sarbjot first came on the radar a couple of years ago.

Sadly it isn't BS but is the actual position. The Board have no control over what Momi provides to the EFL or when he does it for that matter. They have told him everything that he needs to do and provide. The fact that he hasn't followed their advice is the worrying part.

The board reiterated that they have no control over the sale of the club, and it is between Momi and Jason to agree on a price and conditions and for Momi himself to pass the EFL tests.

Momi is still trying to separate himself from Sarbjot, which again is worrying.

I'll be even more worried if Momi finds a way to convince the EFL to accept him. It will certainly not be a reason to rejoice. The only way the club is going to be safe is for Jason to sell to someone who can pass the EFL test and, at the moment, there is no sign of this on the horizon.

We have hope but only the player!

[Keith]

What was the reaction when it was stated that Momi was still working on his paperwork to submit to the EFL? This is complete BS and we've had this line since Sarbjot first came on the radar a couple of years ago.

Sadly it isn't BS but is the actual position. The Board have no control over what Momi provides to the EFL or when he does it for that matter. They have told him everything that he needs to do and provide. The fact that he hasn't followed their advice is the worrying part.

Perhaps not "BS", but extremely worrying. If everything is above board and transparent, then it should take a few weeks at the most. Wigan's sale went through in days, not years.

Jason is now hoping to be out by the start of next season!!!!!

I said this time last season, if I was considering buying the club, I'd wait until the end of the season to see what League we're playing in next year, as the value of the club will drop [again] if relegated [again].

It's going to be pantomime season for a long time yet.

[Old Man Kensey]

It was also mentioned that administration isn't the answer and probably wouldn't end well for us, unless a buyer was found in a very short period of time.

[Wild Bill]

Its not BS from the board, as they can only report back what they are told. However, everything Whittingham, Johal and Momi have said sounds like BS. I now believe they have no interest in submitting to the EFL or running the club properly. They are simply using the club for their own interests.

If by some miracle we survive in L2, its all players out again, possibly Adams out and another summer of scrapping around for bargain basement players. The fact that we are only looking to bring in loanees says that there's no plan beyond getting to the summer as a L2 club.

[Billy bodger]

One of the questions I was going to ask was is anything in place for next year but was beaten to it.
In the end I sympathise somewhat with the board. The degree of planning needed requires a budget and they don’t know the budget (or who the owner might be!!) and a certainty of knowing what our league status will be and that has to pan out yet.

It’s a case of them on the day to day running of the club to get us to the end of the season with all the probable hurdles as a set of BOD’s have at Morecambe FC. Then waiting to be told what’s happening in the many aspects of what it takes to run a club.

It’s down to the owner and I think it is the case of we will be here and we will do our best to navigate the Club through it.