“Winning will always come above everything else”: Morecambe boss outlines his footballing approach
Adam Lakeland says winning will be the most important thing for his Morecambe squad to take on board once the new season begins.
The Shrimps are back in regionalised football for the first time since the mid-1990s, with a third relegation in four years dropping them back to National League North for the 2026/27 campaign.
Lakeland has been charged with getting them back to non-league’s top flight, having penned a three-year contract in stepping down a division from FC Halifax Town.
That willingness to take a step back, along with positive references regarding his teams’ style of play, has brought an enthusiastic response from the Morecambe supporters.
Lakeland said: “It’s great the appointment has been met so positively and hopefully we can keep that positive feeling going.
“All my teams have been slightly different in terms of style.
“I’d like to think that’s the strength of a good manager and a good coach, that you can find different ways.
“Ultimately I want to win and I think many people have got caught up in football now, where it’s about style.
“For me it’s about winning. If you can win and play well and you can win and play a nice brand of football, then that’s exactly what you want to try and achieve.
“Sometimes – as will be the case in the National League North next season – you’ve got to win ugly, you’ve got to be prepared to roll your sleeves up, graft, fight and win games when you can’t play brilliant football.
“I’d like to think all my teams have had an identity of being fit, being organised.
“I really pride myself on my teams being fit, having pride in keeping the ball out of the net, being defensively strong whilst having the ability to play good football, be a threat on transition, be good from set plays – everything that you need to have to be an effective team.
“We’ll have to see what personnel we still have in the building, we’ll have to see what personnel we can get into the building and then we’ll instil our principles and hopefully build a successful team – but winning will always come above everything else.”