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Derek Adams is looking forward to resuming his relationship with the Morecambe directors following his return to the club.

It’s a fortnight since Adams’ third spell in charge of the Shrimps was confirmed as the club remains up for sale, having been on the market since September 2022.

The club’s owner, Jason Whittingham, has attracted plenty of fierce criticism for his failure to sell in that time – with some of that coming from the board.

Co-chairmen Rod Taylor and Graham Howse, along with directors Charlie Appleyard, James Wakefield and Mick Horton, remain in place from Adams’ previous stints; some welcome continuity for the manager.

l-r: Morecambe co-chairmen Graham Howse and Rod Taylor, manager Derek Adams and director James Wakefield Picture: Michael Williamson

Smaller budget doesn't bother Morecambe boss

He said: “The directors and the chairmen have been very supportive of me as a person and I think that is really important in any football club.

“You look over the majority of football clubs in the Football League, that is not the case.

“Managers are used as a commodity and, as I quite openly say, get quite quickly thrown out.

“At this football club, they’re not renowned for sacking managers; they’re looking for a football club where it has stability.

“We’re trying to get that. Rod and Graham have been here for many years and (are) really supportive to the community, through the Trust and supporters.”

Adams’ return came five weeks after Ged Brannan’s departure for Accrington Stanley, with a number of names having been linked to the role during the interim period.

Asked if he was surprised to be contacted by the club, he said: “I think that can always be the case because you don’t know the situation with various board directors.

“All the board directors have been very supportive in that and I’ve always had good relationships with my previous chairmen.

“I think that’s really important because I looked after this football club. We’ve sold, over my time, over £1m, maybe £2m – including the Wembley (play-off final) experience.

“You look at the amount of money that they’ve generated in a short space of time, that tells you how well they know that I’ve done for the football club.

“We’ve dealt with the budgets. I don’t complain, I don’t ask for any more than they can give, so they’re happy employing a person that will look after the coffers for them.”

Morecambe manager's vote of confidence in the board