Morecambe owner Whittingham 'can't wait to get out'

Morecambe fans have held protests against owner Jason Whittingham, including banners during their recent FA Cup third-round tie at Chelsea

Morecambe owner Jason Whittingham says that he cannot wait to get out of the club, amid a protracted takeover of the Shrimps.

Whittingham, through Bond Group Investments, took over in May 2018 with the club at risk of relegation to the National League.

The same potential fate awaits them this term, with the Shrimps bottom of League Two and six points adrift of safety, with a takeover by Punjab Warriors still to go through.

Asked by BBC Radio Lancashire how much he hoped that by the end of February he would no longer own the club, Whittingham said: "With every fibre in my body.

"I can't wait to get out of Morecambe. In a positive way, I no longer want to be the owner of the club.

"But I will support the club until such a time as someone else is the owner."

In a wide-ranging interview with BBC Radio Lancashire, Whittingham also said:

• Following Bond Group's takeover in May 2018, the initial intention was to own the club for just two years

• He agreed, in retrospect, that he should have communicated better with the club's fans and the wider media

• Funding that was secured this week to run the club for the rest of the season did not come from a third party

• Although the current focus is not on a possible relegation from League Two, the club "still has value" even if it does drop to the National League

• He does not worry about the club going out of business, believes they will be playing football next season and he will still be at the helm if a takeover falls through "if he has to be"

• He has previously "had two potential owners in front of the EFL" with one not going through the entire takeover process and the other not passing the league's respective ownership tests

• Funds not materialising to back the club in January 2023, during their final season in League One, came on his watch

• Late payment of wages last season was "regrettable" but "a grey area" as wages were paid "in the same month they were intended to be paid"

• The club's transfer budget ahead of Monday's deadline represents a "25-30% increase" on the original budget

Morecambe 'not going down same route as Worcester'

Whittingham's interview comes at the tail end of a transfer window which had initially seen the club unable to sign players until they offered sufficient proof of funds to the EFL that they could operate until the end of the season.

Co-chairman Rod Taylor previously said the club were "not in immediate jeopardy" despite the financial challenge.

They secured the funding earlier this week which has allowed them to sign players and mount a challenge to preserve their EFL status with 19 games of the season remaining.

"Financially, the club is fine for the rest of the season, and anyone on the board could confirm that. So despite supporters' misgivings, there's no problem for the rest of the season," Whittingham added.

"The transfer embargo has been lifted, so [manager] Derek Adams is frantically scurrying away in the market to see what he can pick up for the team."

Whittingham was part owner of rugby union club Worcester Warriors, who eventually lost their place in the Premiership in 2022 having gone into administration.

In the aftermath of Worcester's demise, Whittingham was disqualified as a company director for 12 months and later put Morecambe up for sale, however over two years on a takeover is still to take place.

Whittingham added that Morecambe would not meet the same fate as the Warriors.

"[It was] a very different beast, Worcester Warriors," he added.

"Off the back of Covid, the truth is that Covid financially damaged that club to a point where it couldn't survive post-Covid, as with London Irish, as with Wasps. This club is not going down the same route.

"Morecambe was fortunate through Covid that it had an insurance payout to support it, but the insurers didn't pay out for any of the rugby clubs just because of wording."