INTERVIEW: Morecambe FC director says bringing back Derek Adams was ‘best decision’

A Morecambe FC executive says bringing back Derek Adams as team manager was “the best decision” and management is “feeling more positive” about the club’s future.

James Wakefield was speaking to Beyond Radio hours after Monday’s news of Adams’ return for a third spell at the club.

The 48-year-old Scotsman has joined the 2024/25 season on an ongoing deal, having previously led the Shrimps to promotion to League One for the first time in the club’s history in 2020/21.

Adams then left to manage Bradford City, before returning eight months later to lead the club to a second season in League One in 2021/22.

He left again in November 2023, taking charge of Scottish Premiership side Ross County before stepping down in February.

Morecambe have been without a first-team manager since Ged Brannan left for Accrington Stanley at the end of the 2023/24 season.

The board and fans alike have been concerned about the ongoing saga surrounding the club’s ownership.

Listen to James Wakefield talking to Beyond Radio

Mr Wakefield (pictured below) said: “We’ve obviously had a period without a first-team manager and there were a couple of weeks there where we couldn’t go ahead and get on with the business of appointing a manager or to name other keys. positions at the club because we are in discussions with the owner and are following the sale process quite closely.

“It’s fair to say that in the last couple of weeks we’ve got reason to be a bit more confident and we’ve also got to deal with the business of being a football club and you can’t. do that without a first team manager and a team, and also without a managing director and a finance chief, both of whom we advertised.

“We know Derek and he knows everything about the club and we know he can run it very efficiently and very quickly, so it was a relatively simple decision from that point on.

“You can look objectively at Derek’s track record, particularly operating on tighter budgets than those he competes with and operating with a real need for speed, and he outperforms anyone else I know as a football manager in those situations .

“He knows the club well and also always takes jobs and is looking to compete and win rather than survive. The fact that it’s in his DNA makes a big difference to us.

“We know he’s evolved in those situations and, especially for us in recent years, he’s done incredibly well. So it makes sense. It is objectively the best decision”.

Adams’ first task will be to recruit for the new League 2 season, which starts on August 10.

The club had just five first-team players under contract after 16 were released in May.

Read more: 16 first-team players released by Morecambe FC as club confirms retained list – Beyond Radio

“We have a few players on the books and Derek knows most of them quite well and we will support his decisions in terms of the players he wants to bring in and for what reasons,” Wakefield said.

“I don’t think Derek’s philosophy in terms of how he builds a team and how it works will have changed massively and the Morecambe fans have seen that in his last few spells at the club and seen how effective he can be, especially in fast and efficient recruiting and recruiting. This is Derek’s job.

Wakefield also said the decision to appoint a manager was a “positive thing for us to do” in the context of the current situation surrounding the club’s ownership.

In a statement in May, the board warned of a “catastrophic outcome” unless the club was sold and urged owner Bond Group (Jason Whittingham) to sell to an unnamed US buyer about who said he made the “most credible” offer since the Shrimps were put up for sale in 2022.

Read more: Morecambe FC board warns of ‘catastrophic outcome’ if club not sold after meeting with owner – Beyond Radio

“I think it’s important to note that we are able to make that decision and start recruiting for those other key positions because we have more confidence and feel more positive because of the real developments that have happened in the last two weeks. ” Mr Wakefield said on Monday.

“I can’t reveal publicly what those developments are, but all I can say is that as a board we sit and look at the situation and think that yes, we are comfortable enough now to appoint a manager and recruit others people in key roles.

“No football club can function without a manager and a team and without the ability to be competitive on a Saturday afternoon and Tuesday night.

“We still face some significant challenges. That’s true for most football clubs most of the time. It’s a positive thing to be able to take a step forward. We’re more confident than we were.”

The club is also recruiting a new managing director and head of finance.

Former Morecambe CEO Ben Sadler (pictured below) left the club last month for a new role at Walsall FC.

“Ben has put in place a very good management structure that is working very well,” Mr Wakefield said.

“The team that is in place at the club at the moment is excellent and can do an excellent job and we are comfortable that he can continue to run the club effectively.

“I just want to open the field as wide as possible to get the best person to do the job of running the organization. He’s a general manager who has the opportunity to make that role broader.”

At the weekend, supporters’ group the Shrimps Trust launched a fundraiser to secure the club’s future.

Read more: VIDEO: Trust explains importance of ‘Save the Shrimp’ fundraiser – Beyond Radio

Asked about this, Mr Wakefield said: “Ultimately, I know that the vast majority of people in the Trust operate with only the club’s best intentions at heart. you get new ownership who are excited about the future of this football club, then for me that’s a good thing.”