Thankful for the directors we have

[LA1Shrimp]

Exceedingly good post GoneShrimping.

Ezz has further enforced my point that its mainly fans who call Morecambe tin pot and a small club to mask the huge failings we have seen on the field this year.

[SupermarketShrimp]

We have a large squad out of necessity not choice. If we'd stuck with what we had we'd be down by now.

Here's some more stats:

Out of 8 summer signings only Andy Fleming has started more than half the games.

Our top scorer has scored just 7 goals with three of those coming in one game. Stewart Drummond, who some people want to pension off, is second highest in the goals tally again.

Our player with most assists is at Scunthorpe and the player with the second highest is at Torquay United.

Our left back thinks he plays for a 'pub team'

Funny or depressing?

Both.

[broadwayshrimp]

Small fan base. Hard core maybe but we've built that year on year. 10,000 came to Wembley; 6,000 plus to games against Aldershot and Dagenham only a year ago.

The fact is our average home gate this season, although up on last, is still less than 2500. To quote the Wembley, Aldershot and Dagenham games simply demonstrates the effect glory hunters have on the one off big games and the same would be true of any club. The fact is we do have a relatively small fan base not least because of proximity to a host of premier league and championship sides.

Small catchment area for fans. Carlisle population 71,000 within ten miles of centre 101,000. Morecambe and Lancaster population 150,000.

but how many other clubs compete for Carlisle's population of 71,000.

[ezz]

Or.....I'm being realistic, we have a hardcore support of say 1500, the town don't supoprt the club as well as they should. Our catchment area is awful hence why most players end up at lower teams but in bigger areas like southport (plus they have a very good scout).
We rely too much on agents ratehr than good old scouting, which is a huge problem, but it doesn't change the fact that wevARE punching over our weight.

We did not come up with a league 2 squad, we couldn't even win the conference out right, most of the players we came up with had been at the club for quite a few years.

[ezz]

To add to my last post, whilst our wage bill has increased the quality and committment of the players have decreased, blame it on the manager because he brought them in but at the start of the season I heard no complaints, infact most were raving about our potential squad.
Now that its all gone to pot, its easy to moan in hind sight.
We probably do need a new manager and a big clear out, i'd like to see players without big reputations and ego's and go back to playnig with passion and committment even if it does sacrifice quality.

Wouldn't mind stealing southports scout, instead of forking out money for players we could have attracted for free in the first place.

[Shrimpy]

ezz, Southport do not have a scout, it's their manager Liam Watson who does all this work to bring promising youngsters to the club.

Sammy doesn't put in anywhere near the same amount of time that Liam Watson and many others do into managing their clubs and this is why we'll always be beaten to the punch in regards to securing promising youngsters. Sammy should be out there watching non league games trying to find the likes of Baker, Duffy, Aley, Kissock, Noone and many others that Southport have sold on for a profit, the fact he doesn't is another damning indictment of his managerial skills.

Whilst you are right that we are punching above our weight in terms of club size the size of our club doesn't correlate to the clubs wage budget, it's much much higher than it should be and we've got Peter McGuigan to thank for that. We are very much punching below our weight for the amount of money we spend on the playing squad.

[LA1Shrimp]

Jesus I wish people would get over Southports scout/manager, Duffy and Baker have both done well following being there. How do you know the manager/scout was responsible for going out scouting them and then signing them, they could have both been trialists, agent finds, or like most of Southports players players released from Merseyside/Manc premier league clubs trying their luck at local clubs.

Before anyone jumps in about Zac Aley, he wasnt anything to do with their scout. He went of his own accord to trials for their academy and was signed by Blackburn soon after, largely due to the scouse influence in Blackburns youth set up (Iain Brunskill).

[Shrimpy]

Not what I hear about Aley nik. Southport received a fee for him from Blackburn.

[LA1Shrimp]

Yeah they received a fee as he was a scholar there, he was under contract at Southport in the same way any academy player is so a fee was involved, I believe it was about £40,000.

Still my point stands that he had little to do with this so called super scout as he went their on trials as part of their academy and featured in about 20 games for the first team as a sub.

If Rovers were to come and say one of our youngsters it would be like giving McIlroy kudos.

[Shrimpy]

Fair point nik, however the question has to be asked what are Southport doing to position themselves to pick up the likes of Zak Aley and make £40,000 profit before he's barely kicked a ball in their first team that we aren't?

[ezz]

jesus I wish people would stop going on about Southports scout/manager???

Apart from once or twice in this thread, when has anyone gone on about their scouting talents?
They attract more promising players than us, because when bigger clubs let players go they are very close by to give them a shot at trying to make it in the football business.
Were not as close, even though were higher up geographically were not very well placed.

Our wage budget may be high for our income.....again nobody knows what our income or wage budget is so you have absolutely no proof. But again, most the players that joined at the start of this season, fleming, mccready, rundle, scott and shuke most people expected great things from them. Obviously it hasn't worked out, which is easy to place blame now but nobody was complaining when they were first brought here by Sammy.
Hopefully the globe and its 'higher' income revenues will help us progress and buy even more quality, not just players that come with a good name.

[LA1Shrimp]

I totally agree Shrimpy, as I have said our recruitment policy is woeful, our youth set up is very limited due to the financial implications of a proper academy/scholar system, which with new premier league proposals lower league academies will disappear anyway. Our youth teams are basically the players that weren't selected at Premier league, championship, lg 1 or 2 level, so realistically if your 16 and not attached to a top level club your not going to make it at any level as a pro. In effect if your not at a championship or prem club your going to struggle to make it as a pro.

Ezz I'm sorry but our academy is made up of 90% scousers and mancs, so your geographical theory goes out the window.

I can safely say I was never overly enamored with the signings we made, I saw Morecambe play Blackburn a week before the season and the likes of Shuker and Rundle looked poor. Fleming looked like he could play although lightweight (he was dominated by the excellent Alex Marrow and Michael Potts) and McCready was given the run around by Nick Blackman (npo shame in that scored goals in the SPL) and Mr A Trialist. Shuker has scored about 30 goals in 300 league appearances, what in that got people excited. The only signing on paper that was positive was Scott who unfortunately has become Mr Glass. I think sometime people get carried away and because we've signed them we tend to look past the clubs they have been released from etc.

Nobody lets good players go for free.

[Shrimpy]

our youth set up is very limited due to the financial implications of a proper academy/scholar system, which with new premier league proposals lower league academies will disappear anyway. Our youth teams are basically the players that weren't selected at Premier league, championship, lg 1 or 2 level, so realistically if your 16 and not attached to a top level club your not going to make it at any level as a pro. In effect if your not at a championship or prem club your going to struggle to make it as a pro.

Completely agree nik which is why we need to place less emphasis on setting up our own youth system which people seem to clamour for on here and instead concentrate our efforts in picking up any players in their late teens, early 20's we feel could do a job for us at League 2 level when they are released by the local Premier League and Championship clubs.

Of course this would mean someone at the club (preferably the manager) would need to have an in depth knowledge of all the local Premier League and Championship youth teams so we know which ones to target when they become available. I doubt our current manager has this knowledge.

[LA1Shrimp]

We play championship youth teams in the youth alliance so should have a good knowledge and match reports of all prem games are circulated regularly between clubs. We have an abundance of prem championship clubs who play there reserve games within an hours drive. One viewing of most those players should tell you whether or not they could do a job for us.

Zac Aley has been available for loan since August - he bossed us playing at left back pre season and scored against us on the left wing in Jauary - yet we tried to get Josh Morris who is in every Blackburn 1st XI squad and categorically not available for loan. I think that says it all about our knowledge of elite level reserve team football.

[Posh]

To add to my last post, whilst our wage bill has increased the quality and committment of the players have decreased, blame it on the manager because he brought them in but at the start of the season I heard no complaints, infact most were raving about our potential squad.

To be fair, who is going to rubbish a new signing before he's even tried to show his worth. Even those with doubts temper them as they don't want to be doing a player down. For example, with Adam Rundle I said:

Without wishing to put a dampener on things I'm going to reserve judgement. Released by Carlisle, Rochdale and Chesterfield he's obviously not made it at those clubs for whatever reason. From what I understand he's got something but we're going to have to get it out of him on a regular basis.

I could have been stronger but that would have been unfair. In truth he was released by Darlington as well and only joined us for the money as he revealed in an interview.

[SupermarketShrimp]

jesus I wish people would stop going on about Southports scout/manager???

Why - his budget is 5k a week on a part time basis. He works part time and works tirelessly. That wouldn't even get you our back 4.

We could go on about Coleman instead, even Graham Turner at Chesterfield as he got Hereford up using purely the loan market!

There is no positives to McIlroys legacy I'm afraid. I can't think of one good reason why he should stay unfortunately.

[steve mfc]

jesus I wish people would stop going on about Southports scout/manager???

Why - his budget is 5k a week on a part time basis. He works part time and works tirelessly. That wouldn't even get you our back 4.

We could go on about Coleman instead, even Graham Turner at Chesterfield as he got Hereford up using purely the loan market!

There is no positives to McIlroys legacy I'm afraid. I can't think of one good reason why he should stay unfortunately.

Promotion to the football league, not a bad legacy i would say.

[LA1Shrimp]

Which brings us back to point a our recruitment policy or lack of

[LA1Shrimp]

Whatever southports budget is people seem to be basing tgis guys genius status on the fact we bought two players from them we have gone on to sell at a profit. We don't kbow how much input if any he had in their development. Apart from those two what have Southport achieved?

[steve mfc]

Precisely they are 20th in the conference, he may have found a couple of gems but that doesn't make him a football genius.

[Duffman]

Whatever southports budget is people seem to be basing tgis guys genius status on the fact we bought two players from them we have gone on to sell at a profit. We don't kbow how much input if any he had in their development. Apart from those two what have Southport achieved?

Craig Noone to Plymouth is another one he's now playing for Brighton, John Paul Kissock is touted to be the next one. Even on-loan Aley was signed by Blackburn from Southport.

[Morecambe Jack]

jesus I wish people would stop going on about Southports scout/manager???

Why - his budget is 5k a week on a part time basis. He works part time and works tirelessly. That wouldn't even get you our back 4.

We could go on about Coleman instead, even Graham Turner at Chesterfield as he got Hereford up using purely the loan market!

There is no positives to McIlroys legacy I'm afraid. I can't think of one good reason why he should stay unfortunately.

What a pathetic post. No positives? You have to be kidding me. Even CC has enough respect for Sammy to acknowledge he got us into the football league, never mind 3 years of great success and some decent cup victories. It is for those reasons why I think Sammy deserves to chance to put right this season.

[Duffman]

Jack even Sammy doesn't think he can do it any more.

He will be forever remembered as the man the got us into the football league and every single Morecambe fan I'm sure respects him for that. However, there is no future in his current player policy which is for me why it's time. What I don't think you realise is the majority of players at the club now will be here next season. That combined with Sammy's way of recruiting will see us in trouble again next season.

[LA1Shrimp]

Duffman as I mentioned earlier aley trailed for their academy made a handful of first team squad apps, they played very little part in his development.

[Duffman]

Duffman as I mentioned earlier aley trailed for their academy made a handful of first team squad apps, they played very little part in his development.

According the Rovers official site, Blackburn took him on trial and then bought him for an undisclosed fee. If Aley was only on trial at Southport, Blackburn wouldn't have had to pay them a penny.