What can we do?

[black morse]

Old Chinese proverb...Know your enemy and know yourself: in a hundred battles you will never be defeated.

Do we know anything about Jason that might be useful?

[Angler1]

Maybe the clubs supporters could some how get together and help each other, there are probably a few clubs in the same predicament . This would make one large voice representing all clubs with this problem..

[Phoenix Shrimp 2017]

What can we do?

At the moment as a fan base I would suggest not a lot. Jason is so remote from the club that any lawful protests are a waste of time. Unlawful protests such as pitch invasions may make the media but will also hugely damage the club so in my opinion are an absolute no no.

Jason is a businessman. Not sure how much he spent acquiring the club but he surely won't want us to go belly up because he'll end up with little or nothing left of his investment. So it's a waiting game! At some point he'll have to put a more realistic valuation on the club and then it's just a question of whether the mythical consortium of local businessmen etc' are actually there waiting to acquire and prop the club up. Since 2017 we haven't exactly had a good track record of owners have we, with a succession of charlatans and chancers in the frame?

At the end of the day if the worst comes to the worst and the club goes under we are looking at reforming the club and starting again presumably still at the Maz. Macclesfield and Bury have gone down that road and are currently drawing in 3,000 plus crowds and are at the top of their respective leagues. Some of our happiest times as a club were in non league and AFC Wimbledon proved it's not impossible to go all the way back into the EFL.

[Phil Anderer]

Has there ever been a more disengaged fanbase than ours in a situation like this?

I actually find that quite offensive. It's not that we're disengaged, but we want to do something that helps the club, whereas protests as they had at Reading can do nothing but hurt the club. As I've previously said, Jason doesn't give sh!t. The only way to get him engaged is to get him where it hurts, so either financially or doing something that seriously damages his reputation, and given how badly Worcester damaged his reputation and he still doesn't care, I've no idea how we do it. That isn't disengagement, that's trying to find something that is in the club's best interests, which is surely what we all want at the end of the day.

[shrimpsontoast]

Maybe the fans (or more particularly the wealthy fan benefactors who are presumed to exist) could get together and offer to lend the club the money that it needs at a more favourable rate than the rate offered by the owner. If the owner then compelled the directors to accept his offer instead (I think he could in theory do that under company law, have a quick Google of shareholder powers), then we would definitely have something to complain about…

[Old Man Kensey]

Exactly what point(s) would your joint demonstration be proposing to make OMK?

I'm not proposing anything, as I'm not sure what is the best form of protest to take.
Nothing will make a difference to Jason's attitude or position.
But we really need to do something, even if it is just to make us feel a little bit better.

My idea of something run jointly with the board would offer the media something a little different.
Raise the situation in the mainstream media is our best hope really.

[black morse]

How long is it since a club AGM? Thought we had to have one every year!

[redrobo]

How long is it since a club AGM? Thought we had to have one every year!

Very good question.

As a shareholder in our club I can't recall there having been one since Jason and Co took control.

Is that legal... or as owner(s) have they the right NOT to hold an AGM....

IF it's illegal then maybe those of us as Shareholders can take some kind of action against them and get the EFL involved.

[Seasider9601]

I thought it was legal Neil and had to happen I must admit.

Not heard anything for a few years now in that regard.

Is it (as I think) a Legal requirement @gone_shrimping ??

[Billy bodger]

There are so many Morecambe Fans when you read their blogs on this website that can not be labelled as disengaged and like Phil I find it somewhat offensive to be labeled in that way. We just want to do things differently and through this website maybe just maybe a way of getting action against JW might start to take shape.

As I have stated Owners of clubs have to be fit and proper people to run a football club and the LFA have a ten point test.

As Black morse has suggested is there anyone with any information that might be useful to bring to the attention of the LFA, where JW fails one or more of those tests.

My understanding is that the LFA can then put an administrator in charge of the sale of the club. JW would still be the owner but it would mean it is the administrators who can accept any bids. I would think the administrators would not value the club anywhere near JW’s valuation and JW would have to take the offer accepted by the administrators.

The sticking point of the sale of the club is JW’s valuation which has by all accounts have been met by potential buyers walking away. This is one of the reasons for the board’s statement at the back end of last year.

The accounts will have to be settled soon so they will be Intrested reading.

[redrobo]

There are so many Morecambe Fans when you read their blogs on this website that can not be labelled as disengaged and like Phil I find it somewhat offensive to be labeled in that way. We just want to do things differently and through this website maybe just maybe a way of getting action against JW might start to take shape.

As I have stated Owners of clubs have to be fit and proper people to run a football club and the LFA have a ten point test.

As Black morse has suggested is there anyone with any information that might be useful to bring to the attention of the LFA, where JW fails one or more of those tests.

My understanding is that the LFA can then put an administrator in charge of the sale of the club. JW would still be the owner but it would mean it is the administrators who can accept any bids. I would think the administrators would not value the club anywhere near JW’s valuation and JW would have to take the offer accepted by the administrators.

The sticking point of the sale of the club is JW’s valuation which has by all accounts have been met by potential buyers walking away. This is one of the reasons for the board’s statement at the back end of last year.

The accounts will have to be settled soon so they will be Intrested reading.

Not holding my breath.....had no info for the last few years, so not expecting anything different this year.

[sandgrown]

I spoke to Morecambe's Dave Guest (BBC North West) yesterday and asked if he could help to raise our profile on the situation with our owners, he said he would pass it on to the right colleague.
fingers crossed and watch BBC North West most days.

[Billy bodger]

Where we are fixated with JW, is it actually the Bond Group that own the majority shares in Morecambe FC and if so is Colin Goldring still a co-owner of the Bond Group?

[Old Man Kensey]

Where we are fixated with JW, is it actually the Bond Group that own the majority shares in Morecambe FC and if so is Colin Goldring still a co-owner of the Bond Group?

https://find-and-update.company-informa ... nt-control

Not been involved since Nov'22.

[shrimpsontoast]

I’m not the person to do it and I wouldn’t want to suggest that anyone else in particular is well placed to do it, but it seems to me that fans on here (including myself) could benefit from a thorough education on (a) company law including the duties and powers of shareholders and directors and (b) the duties and powers of the EFL.

Perhaps if that was well understood by all, people could begin to have a constructive and well informed discussion about next steps and their likely impact on the club.

BB I’m almost certain that what you say about the fit and proper test and the supposed power of the EFL to instigate a club sale if an existing owner were to subsequently fail the test is not correct.

[al1]

As far as I know all EFL clubs must have 2 'fans forums' per season,last season I think we had only one.Perhaps the Trust can chase this up please!

[KenH]

I thought it was legal Neil and had to happen I must admit.

Not heard anything for a few years now in that regard.

Is it (as I think) a Legal requirement @gone_shrimping ??

It used to be, but not any more. If at least 5% of the shareholders call for an AGM, the Board have to hold one. But unless that happens, they don't.

However, there remains a legal responsibility for the Board to send a copy of the full accounts to all shareholders. Is that actually happening?? Perhaps a shareholder could confirm.

[KenH]

I’m not the person to do it and I wouldn’t want to suggest that anyone else in particular is well placed to do it, but it seems to me that fans on here (including myself) could benefit from a thorough education on (a) company law including the duties and powers of shareholders and directors and (b) the duties and powers of the EFL.

Perhaps if that was well understood by all, people could begin to have a constructive and well informed discussion about next steps and their likely impact on the club.

A very good idea and something I think should be done by the supporters Trust. I'd assume that there are template/skeleton notes about such matters, maybe from the Football Supporters Association who appear to be the governing body for supporter's trusts.

[Seasider9601]

Is that actually happening?? Perhaps a shareholder could confirm.

Nope. Not received anything at all Ken for a good few years now.

[redrobo]

Is that actually happening?? Perhaps a shareholder could confirm.

Nope. Not received anything at all Ken for a good few years now.

Ditto....

Bond Group / Jason hold 80% of the shares.

So the remaining 20% are held by individuals who could if got organised into a pressure group theoretically demand an AGM.....BUT would Jason give a hoot....

[Billy bodger]

I’m not the person to do it and I wouldn’t want to suggest that anyone else in particular is well placed to do it, but it seems to me that fans on here (including myself) could benefit from a thorough education on (a) company law including the duties and powers of shareholders and directors and (b) the duties and powers of the EFL.

Perhaps if that was well understood by all, people could begin to have a constructive and well informed discussion about next steps and their likely impact on the club.

BB I’m almost certain that what you say about the fit and proper test and the supposed power of the EFL to instigate a club sale if an existing owner were to subsequently fail the test is not correct.

With being not legally minded or trained I may of been way of track as JW may not fail any of the tests. You may be right if he did fail one or more of the test the league couldn’t instigate a sale, but the Club is already up for sale, so would they actually just take the sale over?

But you are right we need somebody legally minded to look into the EFL’s 10 point test for fit and proper Owner’s and Director’s of a football club. JW and his Bond Group co owner resigned their directorships and Golding if I’m right has now nothing to do with the club.

The rules for this changed in the Summer of 2023 but JW is over the new fresh-hold of 25% of the ownership of shares and therefore over “the definition of Control” the EFL just recently set.

May I just say that I hope there is no pitch invasion it would be folly and the ensuing sanctions of such actions would be very, very bad for Morecambe FC.

[black morse]

EFL have urged the owner of Reading to either fund the club correctly or sell it.

[Gone_Shrimping]

EFL have urged the owner of Reading to either fund the club correctly or sell it.

Yes , I saw that mentioned on Sky Sports.

Whether the EFL will bother for us and would Jason take any notice

[Billy bodger]

As I’ve just heard the Reading owner has been urged (whatever that means) to fund or sell the club! As he is clearly in breach of EFL rules.

Just don’t go getting pitch invasion in your heads, it’s a different situation.

The key here is the owner being in clear breach of the rules.

It shows the route that may be taken.

[BerlinWaller]

Gary Neville, Lineker, Shearer, Richards, Ian Wright- just some of the names talking about Readings troubles. Amazing what a bit of action can stir up.