CLASSY BENTLEY KEEPS DRIVING THE SHRIMPS ON
MORECAMBE boss Jim Bentley is the third longestserving manager in the top four tiers of English football – and the last few months have tested him to the hilt.
With ownership issues dogging the Shrimps and the players being paid their wages late, the 40-year-old Scouser has had to work overtime fighting fires.
Yet an unbeaten start to 2017 ahead of the weekend, which continued with a fine 1-0 win at Leyton Orient in midweek, has shown the spirit at the Globe Arena and pulled the club clear of danger in League Two.
“Personally, it’s been hard for me because I’m at the forefront of it all,” he said. “A lot of people want to speak to me about what’s happening at the club. But I try to stay out of that side of things because it’s not my department.
“We are having a difficult time off the field, but hopefully everyone pulls together and we can sort our problems out.
“You’ve just got to get on with things. In life things happen and you can’t be down about it and you can’t mope around. You’ve got to come out fighting. The players have shown that, the backroom staff have been fantastic and I’ve got a great assistant in Ken McKenna who’s very experienced.
“The experienced lads have really come good for us. The likes of Barry Roche, Michael Rose, Kevin Ellison, our 30pluses, and Peter Murphy and Dean Winnard, our captain and vice-captain, have really got amongst the group.
“There hasn’t been any whingeing about it, perhaps a little tiny tonguein-cheek moan but they have got on with the job and they’ve shown great character, a great desire to work hard every day.”
The Morecambe players and staff found out they had been paid their January salary ahead of their game in east London – and celebrated with a hardfought success.
“We’re five unbeaten in 2017 and it was a fantastic win tonight,” he said after the narrow victory in east London. “Leyton Orient could have closed the gap on us so we’ve given ourselves a bit of breathing space. We have to focus on every individual game and put every effort into it.”
Bentley has become a pillar of the Lancashire outfit, joining in 2002 as a player, helping them into the Football League and to establish themselves among the top 92. He became manager in May 2011 and only Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger (20 years) and Exeter’s Paul Tisdale (ten years) have been in situ
longer. Yet he admits he is ambitious to move up the football ladder and test himself at a higher level in the future. “I’ve got a great relationship with everyone at Morecambe,” he told The FLP. “This is my 15th year. I’ve been a player, captained the side at Wembley when we got promoted. I’ve seen all the ups and downs, we’ve moved to a new stadium and I’ve really enjoyed it. “I’m third-longest serving manager in all the leagues, although I’m only 40 - and that just shows how mad football management is, but you’ve got to aim for the top and I’d love to manage Everton one day because that’s my team. “I want to get to the top and I’m a big believer that you can achieve a lot by working hard and with a little rub of the green. I’m learning all the time, really enjoying it and hopefully I can go on in years to come and get to that top level.” While Bentley has become a managerial veteran, his adversary in midweek was a rookie. So what advice would he give Leyton Orient’s Danny Webb? “Management takes over your life, it’s 24/7 and it’s very, very difficult but you’ve got to work hard and be true to yourself,” he added. “Be honest and give it your all. “Danny’s got a team that have come out fighting. They did okay against Carlisle and certainly tonight they didn’t deserve to lose the game. If he keeps going like that, I’m sure they’ll pick up their fair share of points between now and the end of the season.”