Morecambe v County: Match Thread (09/12/2023)
Dec 6, 2023 15:58:12 GMT
gazz, hatter_in_macc, and 4 more like this
Post by autistichatter on Dec 6, 2023 15:58:12 GMT
Right then, Morecambe away and what can we say? Well for a start they have been up for sale since September 2022 and their (largely voluntary) Board have publicly said that a significant change of approach to finding a buyer by the Club's owner, the Bond Group, is needed. There were talks with a potential bidder some time ago but that has gone cold. Tyson Fury was talked about, yes talked about, as a potential owner but that has also come up empty. The Shrimps lost £800k following relegation from L1 in 2022/3. They also copped a 3 point deduction, suspended until June 2024 for paying players late.
All rather worrying for them and their manager, Derek Adams left in Nov to manage Ross County back in Jockland, Ged Brannan getting the hot seat on an 18 month deal. Yet in spite of 4 recent L2 losses on the bounce they sit 12th in the table, 4 points of the playoff zone, with a record of P 18 W 8 D 3 L 7 F 26 A 28. Their H form is fairly good - P 9 W 5 D 3 L 1 F15 A7. All in all fairly respectable, especially with all the question marks off the pitch, albeit they still seem to ship goals.
Their Ws are Walsall (h) 2-1, Bratfut (h) 3-0, Salford (h) 1-0, FGR (a) 1-2, Cole U (a) 1-3, Rock Bottom Sutton (a) 2-3, Tranmere (h) 1-0 and AFC Wombles (h) 4-1. Their Ds are Notts County (h) 0-0, Swindon (h) 2-2 and Accy Stanley (h) 1-1. Their Ls are Mansfield (a) 3-0, Harrogate (a) 2-0, Gillingham (a) 2-1, Barrow (a) 1-0, Grimsby (a) 3-2, Wrexham (a) 6-0 and Newport (h) 1-2. That's pretty modest, most of their Ws coming against weaker teams and most stronger teams taking the points, only AFC Wombles getting an L.
Their top scorer is 6ft striker, on loan from Bur*ley, Michael Mellon on 10, followed by 6ft MF JJ McKiernan on 5 (he scored 4 goals for Eastleigh in 41 apps on loan last term), next up forward Adam Major on 3 (he has 6 in 47 total games for Morecambe). There are 6 other players each with 1 goal, although that does not include 6ft 5 striker Tom Bloxham, on loan from Shrewsbury, who has bagged a couple in cup matches and appeared 20 times in all this season.
I covered some of their transfer dealing in the summer on my Who Dey thread but I'll add some deals done later on - including Tom Bloxham on season long loan from Shrewsbury, Jacob Davenport (yes that one), MF JJ McKiernan joined from Watford as a "raw talent", 30 year old much travelled Ex Halifax striker Jordan Slew signed a one year deal, Michael Mellon joined on season long loan from the Team That Are Not To Be Named, 20 year old Cardiff MF Eli King also came in on a season long etc, he had 15 games in L2 last term for Crewe.
Ex Gillingham D David Tutonda (54 apps in 2 seasons there) was followed by Bristol Rovers CH James Connolly (30 apps in L1 for them) on season long loan and then Blackburn's CF Ethan Walker also came in on season long loan (he has also played for Alty, Staley Vegas, Carlisle and AFC Fylde when at previous club Preston, he has 1 goal in 30 total apps).
Back in the summer I saw them as a lower table side and, although they have briefly flirted with the playoff zone, I find it hard to see anything different so far. They have done well to build a squad, and I'm sure they will have some quality, especially through their loan players, but beyond being organised and hard working they should not strike fear into anyone. If County turn up, (which they didn't against Barrow last season.....) and play anything like then I see this as likely to be Morecambe's 5th defeat on the trot. Anyway, as ever, fingers crossed it's not a banana skin.
All rather worrying for them and their manager, Derek Adams left in Nov to manage Ross County back in Jockland, Ged Brannan getting the hot seat on an 18 month deal. Yet in spite of 4 recent L2 losses on the bounce they sit 12th in the table, 4 points of the playoff zone, with a record of P 18 W 8 D 3 L 7 F 26 A 28. Their H form is fairly good - P 9 W 5 D 3 L 1 F15 A7. All in all fairly respectable, especially with all the question marks off the pitch, albeit they still seem to ship goals.
Their Ws are Walsall (h) 2-1, Bratfut (h) 3-0, Salford (h) 1-0, FGR (a) 1-2, Cole U (a) 1-3, Rock Bottom Sutton (a) 2-3, Tranmere (h) 1-0 and AFC Wombles (h) 4-1. Their Ds are Notts County (h) 0-0, Swindon (h) 2-2 and Accy Stanley (h) 1-1. Their Ls are Mansfield (a) 3-0, Harrogate (a) 2-0, Gillingham (a) 2-1, Barrow (a) 1-0, Grimsby (a) 3-2, Wrexham (a) 6-0 and Newport (h) 1-2. That's pretty modest, most of their Ws coming against weaker teams and most stronger teams taking the points, only AFC Wombles getting an L.
Their top scorer is 6ft striker, on loan from Bur*ley, Michael Mellon on 10, followed by 6ft MF JJ McKiernan on 5 (he scored 4 goals for Eastleigh in 41 apps on loan last term), next up forward Adam Major on 3 (he has 6 in 47 total games for Morecambe). There are 6 other players each with 1 goal, although that does not include 6ft 5 striker Tom Bloxham, on loan from Shrewsbury, who has bagged a couple in cup matches and appeared 20 times in all this season.
I covered some of their transfer dealing in the summer on my Who Dey thread but I'll add some deals done later on - including Tom Bloxham on season long loan from Shrewsbury, Jacob Davenport (yes that one), MF JJ McKiernan joined from Watford as a "raw talent", 30 year old much travelled Ex Halifax striker Jordan Slew signed a one year deal, Michael Mellon joined on season long loan from the Team That Are Not To Be Named, 20 year old Cardiff MF Eli King also came in on a season long etc, he had 15 games in L2 last term for Crewe.
Ex Gillingham D David Tutonda (54 apps in 2 seasons there) was followed by Bristol Rovers CH James Connolly (30 apps in L1 for them) on season long loan and then Blackburn's CF Ethan Walker also came in on season long loan (he has also played for Alty, Staley Vegas, Carlisle and AFC Fylde when at previous club Preston, he has 1 goal in 30 total apps).
Back in the summer I saw them as a lower table side and, although they have briefly flirted with the playoff zone, I find it hard to see anything different so far. They have done well to build a squad, and I'm sure they will have some quality, especially through their loan players, but beyond being organised and hard working they should not strike fear into anyone. If County turn up, (which they didn't against Barrow last season.....) and play anything like then I see this as likely to be Morecambe's 5th defeat on the trot. Anyway, as ever, fingers crossed it's not a banana skin.
