After 18 years in the Football League...

[BerlinWaller]

Are we in a better or worse position than when we went up?

We have had 18 seasons of EFL money, 2 of those is the third tier and do we have anything to show for it?

We still train on public pitches
Is our Academy better? Remember that we produced the likes of Drummond, Thommo, Danny, Hunter, Hardiker, Perkins and others whilst a non league club.
We have a nice stadium but if the rumours are true, it will be 2 stands only most of next season.
No investment in any facilities other than the ones paid for by the Trust

We are going back down to NL in a worse state than when we came up for me

[black morse]

We have memories!

After 2 years in League 1 we can do a Bradford and pretend we're a big team in a small league

[Redalert1970]

What's the rumour about only opening 2 stands ???

[BerlinWaller]

The Berlin wall is to be shut for some home games.

The new GM's role seems to be cutting costs where ever he can.

[redrobo]

I assume we are talking about the current away end. If so there will be a need to use the away end for the visits of Rochdale Oldham and possibly Halifax. Not sure about any other teams who might bring enough fans to warrant such an opening BUT the need for stewards will see a welcome reduction in cost as the need for stewards will be less.

If true about the Berlin Wall then a big mistake in my opinion as quite a few of fans who have been loyal over the years regard it as home and quite rightly

Maybe the new GM would welcome suggestions on cost cutting as fans see it.

[KenH]

The new GM's role seems to be cutting costs where ever he can.

We should have been cutting costs for the past decade. But we've been too reliant on a succession of owners putting money in or selling off assets instead to cover up inefficiency and waste. It's only the past few years under Martin that we've been good with marketing and hospitality popularity etc - pretty bleak under previous "marketing managers/directors".

[marky No.1]

Hopefully our long journeys down to the Southern teams are reciprocated by them visiting us as being a new ground for them.
We will nowhere near have the same team and squad that we had in 2006/07 so we are in a worse position.

We will be a prime target as an ex EFL Club

[Wild Bill]

In many ways we are in a far better position than when we were last in the conference. The stadium is generally better although the north stand was a much better home end. Our fanbase is also much bigger. It may all go downhill from here but with the right owner we could be a force again and back in L2. Let's see

[marky No.1]

We will learn a lot about ourselves after the 1st 10 games

[CityShrimp]

It will be interesting to see how attendances hold up next season, that will probably say a lot about where we are compared to 2007.

[Redalert1970]

If we have a good start the crowds will stay pretty decent.. We must try and get off to a flyer but won't be easy

Quite a few clubs will bring 500 plus next season including clubs like Carlisle, Hartlepool, Halifax, Rochdale, Oldham and York

[Andy D]

potentially a lot better, we've proven we can get more than 3000 Morecambe Fans at home games

plus a better ground what makes money on non match day’s.

we should be more self sufficient.

but we have a Leech of a Owner, who’s making it unachivable

[Keith]

I think we are in a much, much worse position now, than at any other time since the early 1980's. Our very existence is precarious. I genuinely believe, if the ownership situation is not resolved soon, we will face another relegation battle, but this time, with four teams going down. If we end up in National League North, we will go out of business, because the infrastructure, debt and interest repayments will be far too expensive for us to manage.

The move from Christie Park managed to massively devalue the Christie Trust, so the community 'asset' has been reduced.

I fear for our future now, more than ever before.

If, and it is a HUGE 'if', we can get the ownership sorted, and the debt manageable, then we may be able to develop into a mid-table side, potentially getting into the play-offs at some point, and be in a better position than before, but that is a long way from certain.

[marky No.1]

It is sacrilege that an absent person can "buy" a business on the strength of it's assets by borrowing the money and then lending it to the business at a higher rate of interest, whilst having a B.O.D. look after said business for nothing!!

Shouldn't be legal, but that is what the Club signed up for, there are a lot of frying pans and even larger fires out there

[Andy D]

The move from Christie Park managed to massively devalue the Christie Trust, so the community 'asset' has been reduced

there as been quite a bit of talk about the Christies Trust.

how water tight is the Christies Trust, could Administrator's legally sell it?

is the Christies Trust just like a family will when somebody passes away and others can contest it?

[Valkyrie_Wings]

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.

https://shrimpstrust.co.uk/jb-christie-trust/

its watertight there's no way to lessen it at all

[Valkyrie_Wings]

The move from Christie Park managed to massively devalue the Christie Trust, so the community 'asset' has been reduced

there as been quite a bit of talk about the Christies Trust.

how water tight is the Christies Trust, could Administrator's legally sell it?

is the Christies Trust just like a family will when somebody passes away and others can contest it?

others cant unless they want to fight the council and the courts

[redrobo]

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.

https://shrimpstrust.co.uk/jb-christie-trust/

its watertight there's no way to lessen it at all

I assume that the Trust is responsible for the area within the red lines.

If so has the Trust given permission to the owner of the monstrous new development to use the access road for their access at the rear of the property... And if so are they being charged for that right...because I certainly think they should be...

[marky No.1]

I assume that the Trust is responsible for the area within the red lines.

If so has the Trust given permission to the owner of the monstrous new development to use the access road for their access at the rear of the property... And if so are they being charged for that right...because I certainly think they should be...

The original house plans had their access near the main road (pretty much where they have left an opening in the wall) but this access was denied so the new entrance opposite the Club Shop was given.
On that basis I presume it was agreed?

Years ago when the training pitches were for sale, Jason said it was only useful land to the Club as the owners wouldn't have access to it without permission - not long after Tyson had access.
Will be interesting on match days with traffic and cones confronting Range Rovers, pick ups and Bentleys

[KenH]

If so has the Trust given permission to the owner of the monstrous new development to use the access road for their access at the rear of the property... And if so are they being charged for that right...because I certainly think they should be...

Right of access will almost certainly have been included as part of the deeds when the trust sold the land to the club and when the club sold the land to whichever director bought that plot back then, and subsequently conveyed to the owner of the new build house when the director sold the land to them. Rights of access is pretty standard when carving out a large site into smaller plots. Same would have happened with the Hurley Flyer plot which likewise has access from the Trust land rather than direct access from Westgate. Direct access to either plot would never have been granted by LCC planning so close to the main entry/exit point of the stadium, so a different access point will have been part of the deeds when the plots were carved out of the full site. Access to the new build house is virtually a mirror image of the access to the Hurley Flyer. No sane person would buy a plot of land like that without there being a right of access.

[Brian Sheldon]

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.

https://shrimpstrust.co.uk/jb-christie-trust/

its watertight there's no way to lessen it at all

It's been moved once, why can't it be moved again?

[Brian Sheldon]

Shouldn't be legal, but that is what the Club signed up for, there are a lot of frying pans and even larger fires out there

It's what the previous owner signed up for, I wouldn't say the club did.

[Lonesome Prawn]

“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.”

Given the state of local Council finances it doesn’t seem possible that Lancaster City Council would want to take it on as a public park/recreation ground if there was no Morecambe Football Club…..back to the High Court for someone?

[Keith]

Given the state of local Council finances it doesn’t seem possible that Lancaster City Council would want to take it on as a public park/recreation ground if there was no Morecambe Football Club…..back to the High Court for someone?

A phoenix club, in the North West Counties, or whatever would be most likely.