INTERVIEW: Morecambe FC director says bringing back Derek Adams was "the best decision"

A Morecambe FC director says bringing back Derek Adams as team manager was "the best decision" and the board 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 his third spell at the club.

The 48-year-old Scot joined for the 2024/25 season on a rolling contract 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 steer the club to a second season in League One in 2021/22.

He was close to keeping the Shrimps up in 2022/23 but the club was relegated back to League Two. With Morecambe lying in ninth place in the league he left again in November 2023, taking over at Scottish Premiership side Ross County, before resigning 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 Shrimps finished 15th in the league.

The board and fans alike have also been worried about the ongoing saga surrounding the ownership of the club.

LISTEN to James Wakefield speaking to Beyond Radio

Mr Wakefield (pictured below) said: "We've obviously had a period without a first-team manager and there was a few weeks there where we couldn't move forwards and get on with the business of appointing a manager or appointing other key positions at the club because we're in conversations with the owner and watching the sale process quite closely.

"It's fair to say that over the course of the past couple of weeks we've got reason to have a bit more confidence and also fundamentally we've got to get on with the business of being a football club, and you can't do that without a first team manager and a first team, and also without a general manager and a head of finance, both of which we've advertised as well.

"We know Derek and he knows everything about the club, and we know he can operate very effectively and very quickly, so it was a relatively simple decision from that point.

"You can objectively look at Derek's record, in particular operating on more limited budgets versus those he's competing with, and operating with a need for real speed, and he outperforms anybody else I know of as a football manager in those situations.

"He knows the club well and also he's always taking jobs and looking to compete and actually win rather than just survive. The fact that's in his DNA, it does make a big difference for us.

"We know he's performed in these sorts of situations, and for us particularly in the last few years has done incredibly well. So it makes sense. It's objectively the best decision."

Adams' first task will be to recruit for the new season in League Two, 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've got a few players on the books and Derek knows most of those quite well and we'll back his decisions in terms of the players he wants to bring in and for what reasons," said Mr Wakefield.

"I don't think Derek's philosophy in terms of how he sets up a squad and how he operates will have changed enormously and Morecambe fans have seen that over the course of his last couple of spells at the club, and they've seen how effective he can be, especially in recruiting, and recruiting quickly and effectively. That's Derek's job. He's the football expert."

Mr Wakefield also said the decision to appoint a manager was a "positive thing to be able to do" amid the current situation surrounding the club's ownership.

In a statement in May, the board of directors warned of a "catastrophic outcome" unless the club was sold, and urged owners Bond Group (run by Jason Whittingham) to sell to an un-named buyer in the USA who they said has made the "most credible" offer since the Shrimps went up for sale in 2022.

Read more: Morecambe FC board warn of ‘catastrophic outcome’ unless club is sold after meeting with owner - Beyond Radio

"I think it's important to note that we're able to make this decision and start to recruit to those other key positions because we've got greater confidence and feeling more positive because of actual developments that have occured over the past couple of weeks," said Mr Wakefield on Monday.

"I can't disclose in public what those developments are but all I can say is as a board of directors we're sitting and looking at the situation and thinking actually yeah, we're comfortable enough now to be appointing a manager and to be recruiting other people into key roles.

"No football club can operate without a manager and a squad and the ability to be competitive on Saturday afternoons and Tuesday evenings.

"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 make the step forward. We're more confident then we were."

The club is also recruiting for a new General Manager 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 really good management structure and that operates very well," said Mr Wakefield.

"The team that's in place at the club at the moment is excellent and can do a cracking job and we're comfortable that can continue to run the club effectively.

"I just want to open up the field as wide as possible to get the best person to do the job of running the organisation. It's a General Manager with scope for that role to be broader."

Over the weekend, the Shrimps Trust supporters' group launched a fundraiser aiming to secure the future of the club.

Read more: VIDEO: Trust explain importance of ‘Save Our Shrimps’ fundraiser - Beyond Radio

When asked about this, Mr Wakefield said: "Ultimately I know the vast majority of people in the Trust are only operating with the best intentions of the club at heart. If it shines a light on us and moves us to a point where we can get new ownership that's excited about the future of this football club, then for me it's a good thing."