"This sale seems to have been going on for God knows how many days": Promotion winner hopes Morecambe owner leaves
Former Morecambe promotion winner Alex Kenyon has called on club owner Jason Whittingham to sell up and move on.
Bond Group Investments put the Shrimps up for sale in September 2022, in which time wages have been paid late on three occasions, the club has operated under embargoes, a points deduction has been enforced and two relegations suffered.
Panjab Warriors had received EFL clearance to complete a takeover last month, only for Whittingham to insist a new buyer had come forward; triggering the prospect of legal action from the Panjab Warriors group.
That comes with players and staff still awaiting two-thirds of June’s wages, an HMRC bill to be settled, no directors in place, school events at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium being cancelled and the club’s kit manufacturer waiting to sell 2025/26 merchandise.
It’s a situation which saddens Kenyon, who played 269 matches in an eight-year spell with the Shrimps and has experience of what those waiting for wages are going through right now.
“I hope he (Whittingham) sells up, leaves and everything gets back to normal,” said the 33-year-old, now the assistant head coach at AFC Fylde who are due to host Morecambe in a pre-season match on Saturday.
“Unfortunately, I’ve been in the same position as the players and staff are now but at least that was in the middle of the (2016/17) season rather than over the summer.
“It also didn’t take as long for the money to come through either. This sale seems to have been going on for God knows how many days.
“I remember when it happened to us. We’d moved into our new house and the first month of having that mortgage was when we didn’t get paid.
“We needed to pay bills but all my savings had gone on the house. I was OK in the end, thankfully, but the lads at the club right now, they’ll have bills to pay and a third of their wages isn’t going to cover them.
“A third of your wages, if you’re a Premier League player, would cover them but they won’t be on Premier wages so, hopefully, they’ll be OK.”
Morecambe’s relegation back to the National League is in stark contrast to the last of those 269 games Kenyon played for the club.
That was a late appearance off the bench when the Shrimps beat Newport County AFC in winning promotion to League One at Wembley in May 2021.
This Saturday’s game had been in doubt amid claims that Morecambe’s players were refusing to play until a change of ownership took place.
However, speaking on Wednesday afternoon, Kenyon said it was very much business as usual and he was looking forward to catching up with some familiar faces.
“I’ve spoken to a few people and I’ve been told that the Morecambe players are aware of the game and that it’s going to be played,” he added.
“That day when we won promotion was probably my proudest achievement in football and, thankfully, it was at a club I loved and played for over eight years.
“It was fantastic for the club to get into League One and it’s something I’ll always look back on and be thankful that I was lucky enough to be involved in it.
“It will be great to see Les (Dewhirst, Morecambe kitman) again, Derek (Adams, Morecambe manager) is still there obviously and, on the playing side, Yann (Songo’o) is still there so it’ll be good to see some old faces.”
Kenyon’s observations were followed by news that a number of minority shareholders have backed an application of taking a ‘minority shareholder action’ against Whittingham and Bond Group.
Wright & Lord Solicitors, one of the club’s principal partners and main stand sponsor, have outlined what that entails.
They said: “Wright & Lord Solicitors have obtained a barrister’s opinion on the merit of taking a ‘minority shareholder’ action against Bond Group Investments Limited and Mr Jason Whittingham under section 994 of the Companies Act 2006.
“On the strength of that advice, a group of minority shareholders has quickly formed to back the application.
“The process will effectively be a petition to the High Court seeking an order that independent directors are appointed, the company’s affairs are overseen and seeking an order of the High Court that a sale of Bond Group shares takes place.
“A letter of claim has been sent to Bond Group Investments Limited and Mr Whittingham today setting out the action which we are instructed to commence if the sale is not completed within 48 hours.”