It’s a strange and unsettling situation at Morecambe FC.
On Wednesday, owner Jason Whittingham’s Bond Group announced a surprise “last minute bid” from an unnamed “UK buyer” to take over the club.
“This buyer will make their own statement shortly to introduce themselves and set out their plans for the club over the coming seasons,” Whittingham said in a press release.
But wait - Morecambe FC had already agreed to sell the club to Panjab Warriors.
On 6 June, Morecambe said the English Football League had given Panjab Warriors the green light to take over the club.
Panjab Warriors’ planned takeover of the club took a strange club late last month, when the Morecambe FC board of directors said the potential sale was on the brink of collapse.
In a statement, Panjab Warriors accused Morecambe FC of “being held hostage”.
“We now suspect the club is being used as leverage in unrelated personal financial matters - a move that threatens its very survival,” BBC Sport Lancashire reported the financial group as saying.
The latest twist comes after Morecambe were relegated to the National League after 18 years in the Football League.
The club directors on 2 July had planned on putting the club into administration after the Bond Group (which owns the club) failed to pay staff wages in June - if the club was not sold to new owners. The directors subsequently resigned and then rejoined Morecambe FC to facilitate the sale to Panjab Warriors.
The Bond Group said on 4 July that it had agreed to a sale to Panjab Warriors with its expected completion on Monday.
That, of course, did not happen.
And if that’s not enoguh for you - there’s more.
You know things are bad when a club and its board of directors released 15 (FIFTEEN!!!) statements in less than 10 days.
On Monday, Whittingham in a statement alleged that “there has been a campaign of abuse on social media against my family members, including elderly and young.”
“All vulnerable people, including women, who they are clearly attempting to intimidate and bully,” he said.
He also accused those people of “putting off at least two potential buyers” and said those people will be investigated “even after the club is sold”.
So where does that leave Morecambe FC? Well, who the shrimp knows.
The Shrimps Trust on Wednesday said it has “not been made aware of an alternate buyer” to Panjab Warriors, adding that it’ll provide another update once it has a better understanding of what’s going on. Boy, I’d like to have an understanding myself.
All this is to say, I don’t think anyone knows what’s going on.
And this is an excruciatingly frustrating trend in non-Premier League clubs whose existence can quickly metamorphose from stable to teetering. Just look at Sheffield Wednesday, Bury, Bolton, Wigan, Derby, Portsmouth or Wimbledon.
This is one end of the football spectrum. On the other end, the winners of the Club World Cup will receive $125 million.
I don’t know what we’ll wake up to Thursday morning. I hope we wake up to a clearer picture of Morecambe’s future so its town and fans can have some semblence of hope amid a remarkable collapse.
I fear the worst.
Fitzie’s track of the day: Summertime Sadness, by Lana Del Rey
And now for your links:
Tottenham Hotspur on Youtube: “Rest of the squad return for pre-season testing! | Inside Training”
The Athletic ($$): “Why Tottenham want Kudus: Attacking versatility, take-ons and penetrative dribbling”
Football London: “Every word Thomas Frank said on new Tottenham coaches, pre-season training plans and his big wish”
The Standard: “The ‘big wish’ Tottenham have already granted Thomas Frank to take squad to ‘next level’”
Behyond Radio: ““Sign the damn paperwork” – Morecambe MP’s plea to Shrimps owner as Commons backs football Bill”
Lancaster Guardian: “Morecambe to kick off the new season at Boston United”