Shrimps Trust hopes urgency spreads to Morecambe boardroom
Shrimps Trust chair Tarnia Elsworth hopes Morecambe’s fans protest tomorrow emphasises their sense of trepidation to the club’s board of directors.
Fans will protest against the club owner, Jason Whittingham, over his failure to sell the club after 26 months amid its descent to the foot of League Two and a litany of off-field issues in that time.
The club is in a unique position whereby the directors running the club on a daily basis have previously been in open conflict with the owner regarding the sale process.
It’s approaching the 12-month anniversary of a statement in which the board said it had no confidence in the owner’s management of the club’s sale.
Then, in February, co-chairmen Graham Howse and Rod Taylor spoke about takeover interest at a fans forum.
Nine months on and no change of ownership later, Elsworth hopes that, by trying to bring Morecambe’s situation to a wider audience, it starts to speed up a possible resolution.
She said: “It’s also potentially putting pressure on our board.
“They are Morecambe fans but they are wearing conflicting hats and we need them to feel pressure.
“We need them to feel the urgency we’re feeling. It feels like the urgency disappears when we get a good result or Jason sends an email saying progress has been made; we need to keep pressure up.
“We’re really keen to collaborate with everyone to make sure, one: we keep the pressure on Jason and, two: to make the prospective buyer get things done.”
It’s one thing saying a sale process is underway but completing it is another matter entirely.
The EFL publicly called out would-be buyer Sarbjot Johal in February 2023, saying it required more paperwork before any such buyout could be signed off.
Johal was subsequently linked with a takeover at Wigan Athletic, who were eventually acquired by Mike Danson.
Having provided the EFL with everything it required, the green light to Danson’s deal was given in a week-and-a-half.
In contrast, Morecambe’s prospective buyer has reportedly been aware of the documentation required for at least three months.
Elsworth said: “That’s the indication from the EFL; if they get what they want, they can sign it off within a couple of weeks.
“The longer that Jason and a prospective buyer take, the more the mistrust builds up.”