Plea to Jason

[Redalert1970]

I know you probably don't read this board and probably don't even care what happens to this amazing club but lots of fans and staff do CARE

I have supported my hometown club for 44 years and watched it climb from virtually nothing with crowds of 200 to now in the football league with crowds of 4000

Please please please sell the club and don't destroy us like you did to Worcester Warriors

If the US people wanting to buy the club are genuine please sell to them ASAP otherwise the public of Morecambe will be left without a great football club too support

Sorry for the rant but everyone on this board and beyond love this football club and we all deserve better than what we been put through right now

[Keith]

...otherwise the public of Morecambe will be left without a great football club too support

Thankfully, the foresight of a man who died 95 years ago, still protects us. There will be a Morecambe FC of some description. Whittingham may be close to killing our Football League dreams, but Morecambe FC will survive.

[KenH]

...otherwise the public of Morecambe will be left without a great football club too support

Thankfully, the foresight of a man who died 95 years ago, still protects us. There will be a Morecambe FC of some description. Whittingham may be close to killing our Football League dreams, but Morecambe FC will survive.

Not too sure about that. Doesn't the terms of the Trust say the land has to be used for community sports, with no proviso that it has to be Morecambe Football Club, or indeed any football club. Could it not be leased out to different users, such as Vale of Lune Rugby Club (there are often talk of plans to build housing on the land around their pitch as it's close to the new by pass). Or even maybe the college or Uni to use for their own purposes as long as it's also available for community use??

If the club goes into administrator, the administrators will be talking to all potentially interested parties and will sell/lease to the "best" buyer, and whatever form Morecambe FC may rise up into may not be the "best" buyer.

[John L]

Doesn't the covenant state that should the football club cease to exist, the land has to be kept for recreational use? If that's the case then I assume we're not necessarily protected by that, only if the football club continues to operate?

[mrpotatohead]

Shittingham won't be reading this, and he won't be taking much notice of the boards letter , because its in his nature to disregard others, cheat and lie.

[Old Man Kensey]

Making any sort of plea to Jason is a pointless exercise.
He clearly doesn't care about the football club with over 100 years of history that he is destroying. He doesn't care about the fans having sleepless nights wondering if they will have a football club come kick off in August.

So, what can we do? As a group of supports what can we actually do?

Demonstration outside the ground, drag Sky Sports/BBC down here, with the members of the Board serving refreshments to show that we are all together in this?

We need to do something, even if it changes nothing, just for our own sanity.

[vvm]

Talks of a peaceful protest outside of Jason's residence on Twitter. Sounds like potentially dangerous territory but can understand people's desperation.

[black morse]

Just read an article about Tyson which gives his net worth somewhere between £80 and £180 million. In the article he talks very sensibly about not giving money away to his kids as he believes in people earning their own money and wants his kids to make their own way in life. However, he has often spoken of his love of all things Morecambe and maybe he could consider helping us out in these dire circumstances. It should be pointed out that the Board of Directors are blameless and do all their work for free. Tyson is well thought of in Morecambe and would be a hero/legend if he saved our club.

[Redalert1970]

Would be fantastic to turn on social media and hear some positive news but it's not happening

Don't think Tyson is interested to be honest

[KenH]

Just read an article about Tyson which gives his net worth somewhere between £80 and £180 million. In the article he talks very sensibly about not giving money away to his kids as he believes in people earning their own money and wants his kids to make their own way in life. However, he has often spoken of his love of all things Morecambe and maybe he could consider helping us out in these dire circumstances. It should be pointed out that the Board of Directors are blameless and do all their work for free. Tyson is well thought of in Morecambe and would be a hero/legend if he saved our club.

Tyson is said to be "moving" to the Isle of Man tax haven so doesn't sound the kind of benevolent owner we need to keep throwing money at the clubs losses if he clearly begrudges paying UK taxes!

We need a proper business person who will initially invest the sums required to develop the club and make it profitable and sustainable and get something back themselves through legitimate means, i.e. either profits or sell it on once it's no longer a loss making basket case.

We've had a decade of dodgy owners who havn't a clue and had ulterior motives. Last thing we need is someone like Tyson who'll enjoy the publicity of "saving" the club and then forget about it, leaving Rod, Graham & co again to muddle through in later years when the money supply runs dry!

[Gone_Shrimping]

Tyson owns the G3 training pitches and look at the state they are in.

The most we can hope of from Tyson is that he transfers his ownership of that land and the Berlin Wall Land and Gym etc into the J B Christie Trust so that no future asset strippers can covet them.

[black morse]

Just read an article about Tyson which gives his net worth somewhere between £80 and £180 million. In the article he talks very sensibly about not giving money away to his kids as he believes in people earning their own money and wants his kids to make their own way in life. However, he has often spoken of his love of all things Morecambe and maybe he could consider helping us out in these dire circumstances. It should be pointed out that the Board of Directors are blameless and do all their work for free. Tyson is well thought of in Morecambe and would be a hero/legend if he saved our club.

Tyson is said to be "moving" to the Isle of Man tax haven so doesn't sound the kind of benevolent owner we need to keep throwing money at the clubs losses if he clearly begrudges paying UK taxes!

We need a proper business person who will initially invest the sums required to develop the club and make it profitable and sustainable and get something back themselves through legitimate means, i.e. either profits or sell it on once it's no longer a loss making basket case.

We've had a decade of dodgy owners who havn't a clue and had ulterior motives. Last thing we need is someone like Tyson who'll enjoy the publicity of "saving" the club and then forget about it, leaving Rod, Graham & co again to muddle through in later years when the money supply runs dry!

You're absolutely correct Ken H that is what we need but judging by the amount of interest shown in the last couple of years we are not going to get it and the club is on it's knees. We could well not survive as a club very shortly so we need some action NOW! If these Americans are going to buy very soon then fine (though we don't know how reliable they might be).

[RedRedWine]

Doesn't the covenant state that should the football club cease to exist, the land has to be kept for recreational use? If that's the case then I assume we're not necessarily protected by that, only if the football club continues to operate?

Worst case scenario: Morecambe Football Club.Limited goes into liquidation and the lease is disclaimed by the liquidator. In this instance the JB Christie Trust is there to catch the club and continue to provide the facilities at Westgate.... so I suppose it depends who the current JBC Trustees are, but it would be difficult to imagine the facility ever being used by anybody other than a football team representing the town of Morecambe given that presumably the trustees all have the clubs interest at heart. Only if this was not the case, would the land revert to recreational use. The land that the stadium is built on has no commercial value or development potential - which includes the carpark immediately behind the away terrace (not the gravel one) which forms part of the JBC Trust.

[John L]

Thanks Stu, that does make things sound clearer!

[Cisco Kid]

Not sure it is quite as simple as administration, taking 12 points and dropping down a league and wiping the slate clean.

Yes the JB Christie Trust is in place, but on top of that land is a very expensive to run building. Not the same as Christie Park, where we could virtually turn the lights off between matches and there are no staff or running costs. How much are the rates? How much are the water rates? How much electricity and gas do we use? How many fans will simply disappear because we are back to Non league?

Best case scenario is a new owner and fast. No manager, no players, staff unsure and nervous. this could not have happened at a worse time of the year. If Jason sells now, we have a chance.

Next best scenario is Admin and then a new owner prepared to invest in the club buys and we have half a chance of league survival, or we go down to the National League with a robust plan to get back. Administrators wont come in one day and sell the next. it is a lengthy process that they will be being paid by the day and in no rush to hurry the process along. We could start the season in Administration. -12 points with Administrators making the decisions on manager and players.

Worst case scenario is that there is a liquidation, asset stripping of the building and stadium (this means everthing within the stadium that can be sold, will be sold, from all the kitchen equipment, the furniture, PCs the managers desk, to every single seat. Even Christie The cat), and the building stands to rot. How long would the JB Christie Trust be able to justify that? they wouldn't have the means to refit.

This is very telling from the Shrimps Trust:
"If the Company goes into liquidation and the Lease is disclaimed by the liquidators, the Trust is there to catch the Club and continue to provide the facilities at Westgate.

Note: The original Trust words explaining what was to happen if the Club ceased to exist were interpreted by the High Court when granting the Order to allow the sale of Christie Park and the granting of a new longer lease to Morecambe Football Club Ltd at Westgate. It was accepted by Lancaster City Council and the High Court that the land was intended to benefit the Club, so even if the existing Company ceased to exist, the Club should be the beneficiary. Only if there is no Morecambe Football Club would the default position be relevant i.e. the use as a public park"

My understanding is that if the worst case scenario plays out then it reverts to the council if the JBC Trust cannot sustain it. How long would the council let it rot for? They don't have any money to maintain or run a stripped building, an overgrown pitch and a vandal magnet that could be dangerous very quickly. With the JBC Trust dissolved, the land back to the council, how long before they sell it to developers with good justification? The sheer scale of the building could be a huge albatross around the neck of anyone with desires to raise a 'phoenix club' (see second paragraph for running costs).


Very worrying times that will play out one way or another very soon.