FourFourTwo's Morecambe season preview 2023/24 - can Derek Adams get his squad firing amid off-field issues?
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The Morecambe season preview 2023/24 is bleak, as they endure their first relegation in the club's history.
Though Morecambe are well-run day-to-day, ownership concerns dominate.
Relegation hasn’t made things easy for manager Derek Adams, for whom survival looks a more realistic aim rather than a repeat of 2020/21’s historic promotion from League Two, especially given the massive turnover of players.
Morecambe season preview 2023/24, the fan's view: Darren Clifford (@cllrdclifford)
Last season was the first in our history in which we were relegated. But we fought to the end.
This season will be different because we’ll get to meet Ryan Reynolds.
The big talking point is who is going to take over the club... eventually.
The pantomime villain will be one of Jason Whittingham [selling owner yet to find a buyer after nine months] or Sarbjot Johal [20-year-old prospective owner yet to offer proof of funds to the EFL after nine months], who are in a fight to the death on that one.
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I won’t be happy unless we have a new, responsible, decent and moderately interested owner.
Our key player will be anyone decent we sign, maybe Yann Songo’o, part of our 2020/21 play-off winners. This is the fifth time Derek Adams has signed the experienced centre-back. I’ll take anybody who can kick a ball.
Yann Songo'o is linking up with Derek Adams once again (Image credit: Getty Images)
Look out for 19-year-old Adam Mayor, if we can keep him. He was fantastic at League One level, so he should smash it this season.
The active player I’d love to have back is Connor Ripley, our Port Vale-bound goalkeeper last season. He was magnificent on and off the pitch and should be playing at a much higher level than League One.
The thing my club really gets right is corporate hospitality. They win lots of awards – so much so they’ve even got their own trophy cabinet.
The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is that while he does play what some people call negative football, he’s a pragmatist who gets results, plus he’s a decent, thoughtful man. Adams is a fantastic motivator and sports psychologist, and he fought last term with one hand tied behind his back.
Derek Adams of Morecambe (Image credit: Getty Images)
If he left, he should be replaced by anybody who would even agree to join Morecambe in our present situation. Even Ted Lasso would probably walk the other way.
I’m least looking forward to playingGillingham. The town and the ground have no redeeming features – even compared to Barrow, it’s bad.
We’ll finish in the bottom half, but then stabilise thanks to the hard work on and off the pitch and rise again.
Season previews for the Premier League, League One and League Two are all available HERE
Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.
