Jim Bentley explains decision to return to Morecambe in first interview since being appointed

Jim Bentley explains the decision to return to Morecambe in first interview since being appointed as their new manager.

The 49 year old has been reappointed until the end of the season, only days after parting company with former boss Ashvir Singh Johal.

Bentley, who was manager of the club between 2011 and 2019, has a huge task on his hands, with the Shrimps sitting 23rd in the National League with 21 points from 28 game splayed and are 7 points from safety.

Morecambe Football Club is pleased to announce the appointment of Jim Bentley as the club’s new First Team Manager until the end of the season.

Welcome back, Jim 👏#UTS 🦐

— Morecambe FC (@MorecambeFC) February 1, 2026

CLUB STATEMENT:

Morecambe Football Club is pleased to announce the appointment of Jim Bentley as the club’s new First Team Manager until the end of the season.

Jim returns to the club bringing extensive managerial experience and a strong understanding of the club’s identity and values, developed through his previous, long-standing association with the Shrimps.

His football knowledge, leadership, and genuine connection to the club position him well to guide the team forward.

He has built a reputation for creating organised, competitive teams that mirror the commitment and resilience of their supporters.

His familiarity with the club, its people, and the local area allows him to step into the role with immediate focus as the squad prepares for the remainder of the season.

Speaking after his appointment, Bentley said: “When I was asked to come back as manager, I was excited. I’ve had a couple of calls about other roles, and I didn’t feel it. They’ve asked me to come back here and I’m more than happy to do that.”

The Board has expressed its full support for the appointment, citing Jim’s strong ties to the club and his ability to bring players and supporters together.

Everyone at Morecambe Football Club welcomes Jim back and looks forward to his impact both on and off the pitch.

Interviewer: Jim, welcome back. Walking back into the stadium as manager again, what emotions did you feel the moment you arrived?

Jim: Crazy, you know, everyone knows the feelings I have for the football club and to drive up and it’s been a whirlwind 48 hours, but yeah, emotional. The club means a lot to me, so it was nice to walk through the door and, as I say, there’s been a few conversations since Friday night, moved quite quickly and I find myself here now, so yeah, pleased to be back.

Interviewer: And you’ve had a long history with this football club, when the opportunity came up to return, was it an easy decision for you or one you had to really think about?

Jim: As I say, it’s been a mad 48 hours, you know, if I just go back, I’ve not done nothing for 10, 11 months, I’ve had offers in the game, management offers, etc, a few other little bits and pieces, but it just hasn’t felt right, you know, when you get to, I’m 50 in June and I think life’s important, I’ve had a little scare since I’ve left, a lot’s happened to me personally, you know, since I’ve left the football club and, you know, I’ve had that time to reflect and reset your life, so to speak, and plan for the rest of your time, you know, take into consideration your, you know, what you’ve got, your pensions, your properties you own and all that, and I’ve come up with a plan, which I’m quite happy with. And as I say, there’s been one or two bits and pieces that have come up that hasn’t felt right, but I got on the road for the first time on Thursday, you know, and my plan was to do a little bit, I had something on Friday, but Saturday, Sunday, ease into it and then, you know, really start the following week proper, but I’ve seen the news come out, obviously I don’t live in the area, but I keep tabs on what’s happening, because it’s always been the, you know, I never tone him, but it’s always been the first results I look for is Morecambe, and I’ve seen the unfortunate news of Ashvir leaving, you know, and you know, I’m gutted for him, that hasn’t worked out, and I’m sure the club have wished him all the best, and I echo that as well, you know, I hope he goes on and gets back in the game, but you know, we’re in a sticky position, you get the phone call, you know, by Friday evening, can we have a meeting, I’ll go and meet Ropinder on Friday night with Pat as well, and then meet the owners on another journey on Saturday to meet the owners, and you know, I’m pleased to be back, I probably wouldn’t have gone back to any club, back into the game at this present moment in time, it’s not to say I’d never do it in the future, who knows what’s around the corner, you know, I feel that for three months as caretaker, what I can give, the feeling I have for this football club, the respect, you know, 70 and a half years of my life here, you know, got a great relationship with the people, you know, the fans, the local area, the community, you know, put my heart and soul into the place when I was here, and it’s close to my heart, so I offer quite a lot in that regards, and yeah, I don’t think at this present moment I’m the medium or long-term future as manager of this football club, you know, but I do think I’ve got a lot to offer for the next three months and try and get us out of this sticky situation, and you know, I’ve stayed this football club through many, you know, with my staff, you know, Kenny McKenna and the staff and all the players, and the upstairs staff, the non-football and staff directors, etc, etc, we’ve gone through some real tough times, you know, certainly when I was a manager, you know, and we come through it against all odds, you know, and then we’ve left the club and, you know, it’s had its ups and downs, but, you know, it’s three months, I’ve done it for eight years as a manager, it’s three months, and hopefully I can do it again, so when they asked me to come back and be caretaker, getting back to your original question, I was excited, I’ll be honest, you know, when I’ve had a couple of phone calls about other roles, I haven’t really felt it, as soon as they asked me to come back and help them, I was more than happy to come back, and as I say, all I’m interested in is three months, doing what I can, putting all the hard work in, generating a bit of atmosphere, you know, getting the lads doing the business on the pitch, they’re the most important people at the football club, they’re the ones got to go out and perform and win games and get us out of this position, and then, as I said to the owner and the board, you know, I’m more than happy, because of my feelings of the football club, to be involved in some capacity moving forward, you know, to help this football club get back to where we all want it to be.

Interviewer: And what conversation did you have with the CEO and part of that convinced you this was the right project at this time?

Jim: That was it, just honest and open, you know, I think it was more personality, seeing what my thoughts were, seeing what their, me seeing what theirs were, as I say, it totally come out the blue, it was, you know, I’ve not been chasing a job in football, I’ve enjoyed my time off, you know, and I’ve just had Christmas, you know, I’ve been in the game 33 years, I’ve just had the first Christmas with no football, you know, which is a bit weird, but I’ve found other things on a Saturday, which, you know, I’ve enjoyed, I’ve seen the other side of life, you know, I’ll go to Everton and new ground and I’ll go and watch them regularly with friends, I’m meant to be going to Fulham away next week, on the train to watch Everton-Fulham, but, you know, that’s life, it’s weird, you know, they’ve given me this shout, I’ve gone and met Ropinder and Pat, I’ve spoke about the club, you know, I’ve spoke about my thoughts from the outside looking in, you know, they’re a new ownership group and my hat goes off to them because of what happened previously, you know, I come to the Altrincham home game and I was actually here the day before and, you know, you could see the relief that these people come along and save the football club, so, you know, we’re, I’m very, very pleased that they’ve come and done that, so, honest, open conversations on both occasions, on the Friday night and the Saturday night and, yeah, it doesn’t, I don’t need much convincing to come back here and have one last pop at it, to be honest.

Interviewer: Football has evolved a lot since you were last here at the club, have you adapted or added anything new to your managerial approach since your last time here?

Jim: I have, I’ve learned a lot, you know, at different clubs, different situations, working with different people, you know, this was my first managerial job, obviously, I ended up becoming the longest serving manager in the top four divisions when I was here, but, you know, I work with Kenny closely, he’s one of my best mates and, again, he was fantastic for the football club, but when you go away and you sample different ideas and, you know, different coaches, different people that you’re with, you know, that’s part and parcel of a journey for any coach or manager, you know, is taking bits that you like off certain people and maybe sidestepping a couple of others, so you do, you evolve, you know, as a person as well, you know, it wasn’t so long since when I left, you know, Covid kicked in, I had my own health scare, so, you know, there’s a lot of things that have happened in that five, six years, six years, whatever it is, since I left the club, so you learn a lot about yourself and you learn a lot about your capabilities and your weaknesses and your strengths and I do think, obviously, time and those experiences make you a better person and a better, you know, at your job, at your profession.

Interviewer: Morecambe fans will remember your previous time here fondly, what would you like to say to them directly?

Jim: It’s nice to be back, I’ve not been to many games, I’ve watched a few games, obviously, with being off, you know, if I’m not at the match and I’m looking to watch someone on a Saturday afternoon or a Tuesday night on the iPlayer I’ve been watching, so I’ve watched a few games as a fan from afar and I can see the, you know, there’s been a bit of negativity, obviously, what’s gone on before, thankfully the club, you know, and thankfully to the owners to come along, we’ve still got a football club here and the fans can play a massive part, I was at that Altrincham game and it was like a celebration, you know, everyone coming together and the position that we find ourselves in now, I think it’s even more important that they come together even more, at home, away matches, around the town, generating interest, you know, because at the end of the day, the most important thing is the football club and it’s, everyone wants what’s right for it, everyone wants what’s best and the fans have got a massive part of playing that, it’s their football club at the end of the day, you know, the owners won’t always own it, I won’t always be here, people come and go, but the people of Morecambe will never, you know, will never walk away from their football club, so it’s massive that they put their disappointments, any negativity, you know, we’ve all seen it at any level from the Premier League down, you know, I just want them to really bottle all that and put it away for another day and just bring the energy, bring the enthusiasm, bring the back and the support, get behind the players, get behind everyone at the football club, you know, it’s very, very new, people are learning on the job at the football club, people are going to make mistakes, you know, stuff’s happened, we find ourselves in a difficult position, we’ve got 18 cup finals left in three months and the crowd have got a massive, massive part to play, so as I say, park everything negative and just bring all the energy and the enthusiasm and the support for every game that we go into.

Interviewer: And realistically now, what are the immediate priorities between now and the end of the season?

Jim: Style. I’d done the Radio Lancashire on the first day, the first game, you know, and I said to Derek Quinn, with what had gone on with regards to the pre-season, five players on contract, all the negativity, you know, all good football clubs are based on a steady structure, you know, and ownership, etc, and as I say, I’ve seen my fair share of it since I’ve been here, you know, and moving grounds, ownership problems, you know, I could write a book on the football club, you know, a lot of things I had to keep in house, a lot of things people knew, but we’re in a position at the minute that hopefully this is rock bottom, you know, we’re second from bottom of the division, and you know, sometimes, I’ve had it at one of my previous clubs in Rochdale, I felt at that time I went in, they were at rock bottom, and the only way was up, you know, it was probably a bad time for me to go in because of all the negativity that was going on. Thankfully, you know, they’ve got new investment, the structure’s right, and they’ve gone from strength to strength, they’re doing well, and I see Morecambe now as that, you know, it’s not so long ago I was in League One, I’m playing in FA Cup games at Premier League teams, and now suddenly we’re second from bottom of the National League, you know, and in a really difficult position, but as I say, what’s gone’s gone. The most important thing, the short term, the very short term, is preparing right for Tuesday night at Altrincham away, and then comes Saturday as a home match, you know, first time back at home, get everyone here, get everyone, get the place bouncing and get behind the players to go and get three points hopefully, and that’s what we’ve got to do, we’ve got to win games quickly, get ourselves up that table, get ourselves over that little line in the league table, and, you know, enjoy the running, embrace the challenges that lie ahead, stick together, there will be ups and downs, sometimes it gets worse before it gets better, but ultimately that’s the aim, is to keep this club in the Football League, as that used to say over the years, in the National League.

Interviewer: And do you enjoy that challenge of coming into situations like this, where you need to lift a group and turn momentum?

Jim: Yes, that’s for some reason, that’s all I’ve ever done, because people might say, oh, you know, you only kept us in the division. Listen, I’m telling you now, not myself and Kenny and the staff and any player that represented us, you know, the Diego Lemos, the Joseph Cala, all the stuff that used to go on, the bond group coming in, the late payments of wages, the embargoes, the non-payments of wages, you know, I sometimes think it was a little bit, it was underestimated what we achieved, because people don’t know what go on, you know, I could tell you so many stories where we’ve got nowhere to train, you know, if pre-match meals are only half hours because of the money, you know, so many things, but what we did, we kept them in the division every year, obviously new investment come in, I think it was Charlie Appleyard and James Wakefield who come in and you know, if I use an example, Les, me and Les used to battle for about seven years to get him a laundry, and as soon as I left, within two weeks, there was a laundry, so, you know, I was looking to strengthen the team, which we did the year before, the likes of Richie Bennett and Aaron Collins, Piero Mingoia, you know, off the back of Jason Oswell moving, and based on that last day of the season, we were fourth in the division, the season after we tried to do it, there’s no money available, I didn’t see eye to eye with the old owners, you know, I think I was proving right with my full process with them, that’s why I left the club, but then six players come in, so they went from strength to strength after I left, and fair play, Derek Adams’ done a great job and got them up into the next division, so, but you move on, you go, because you’ve done it here, farther than a sticky position, I went in there and I fully, 100% believe, you know, the last three games that we had, we took seven points, kept two clean sheets, momentum players coming back from injury, etc, etc, and then Covid kicked in, which ultimately cost us on a point per game, and then unfortunately the club got relegated, you know, when at Rochdale, as I say, Rochdale was a very, very difficult one, they were really rock bottom as a club, you know, some good people, as I say, I’m pleased that they’re back to where, you know, they’re on the up, and then Southport, my last job, you know, I went in there, one point from 14 games, eight from the season before, and one point from the six games that season, I think we’re seven points away from getting out the bottom four, I think five games later we were out the bottom four, and looking upwards rather than downwards, a little bit up and down, but ultimately we got the job done and stayed in that division, so that’s been my, so to speak, in every job that I’ve had, so, you know, it brings its stresses and all that, but I’m a totally different person now, as I say, when I left it was my first job, I took everything to heart, I didn’t know how to manage myself, the stress levels, etc, etc, you know, I’m a lot more, I look at life totally different now, I’ve learnt a lot, as I say, and all I’m interested in is putting my heart and soul into this football club, because as I say, I’ve been good to this football club, this club’s probably been better to me than I have to them, and I’d to give something back, and by giving something back is 18 cup finals that we’ve all got to embrace, we’ve all got to get behind the team, win as many games as we can, and hopefully get to that magic number, whatever it may be, which is outside that bottom four in the National League.

Interviewer: And finally, when the fans watch your Morecambe side over the coming weeks, what do you want them to see?

Jim: Hard work, competitiveness, togetherness, aggression in the right way, desire, you know, represent the badge on the front of the shirt, in the manner that which I did, you know, I would have done anything to get three points on a Saturday, because I was always talking on up, working class, if someone’s willing to put money in your bank, the least you can do, you know, food on your kid’s table, the least you can do is empty the tank on match day, and show a real desire to win games of football, and that’s what I based my whole playing career on. Some people, you know, some people liked me, some people didn’t, that’s life, some people would be pleased I’m coming back, some people won’t. It is what it is, but ultimately I’ve got the best interest of the club at heart, I love the club, and I want them, fans, and the community to get right behind it, the club and the players on any match day, any 11 players on the pitch at any one time, and those players to represent this town, and respect and appreciate the position that we find ourselves in, it is what it is, you can’t do nothing about it, the league table doesn’t lie, but we’ve got 18 core fans to do something about it, and together, you know, togetherness is massive, desire and work rate, team spirit, etc, is massive, and momentum, build some momentum, you’ve seen up and down the country it’s happening, you know, the last couple of weeks, like some Man United, Celtic, you know, where people are going in, taking the care, taking it all, getting a few positive results, and that’s ultimately what I’m trying to do, and I hope, well I’m not hoping, I’m going to demand that those players, any player that are on the pitch at any one time, represents this football club, this town, in the right manner, a town and a club that’s had a lot of negativity thrown at it over the last couple of years, and you know, we’ve got to enjoy it now, we’ve got to embrace it, we’ve got to enjoy the running, get as many points on the board as we can, and come that last game of the season, we can all shake each other’s hand, be pleased with what we’ve achieved, and move on into a brighter future under the new ownership.