His career as a manager got off to a great start, sitting top of League Two after nine games of the 2011-12 season. That good start could not be maintained, and Morecambe slipped to finish fifteenth. That set the tone for what has happened since, with eleventh being their highest placing in Bentley’s seven seasons at the helm. The League Cup has offered a few good moments in his time as manager, with high-profile wins over Championship sides Barnsley, Blackpool and Rotherham, but such moments have been few and far between. An outside observer would question how Bentley has survived after so many poor seasons, but the struggle on the pitch has been matched by the one-off it. Financial problems have never been far away, and the club has operated under severe constraints at times. The 2016-17 season saw a transfer embargo placed on the club. Players were paid late on three occasions, and Bentley questioned his own future at the Globe Arena on more than one occasion.
The club barely maintained its Football League status once again in 2017-18, an unlikely 0-0 draw at promotion-bound Coventry on the final day ensuring survival on goal difference. Their average attendance was just 1,492 – the lowest in the Football League – although in practice attendances occasionally dipped below a thousand. It must not be forgotten that Morecambe is a town of 35,000 people that will always struggle to support League football regardless of how the team performs.
Against that background, perhaps Bentley should be admired for keeping the club in the Football League at all. Morecambe certainly think so, offering him a further two-year contract in October 2013, another in August 2015 and a three-year deal in October 2017. An illustration of the unusual relationship between Bentley and his supporters came in December 2016. Bentley was sent to the stands during a game against Cheltenham and received a £1,000 fine from the FA. Supporters held a collection at the home game against Notts County in January and handed the money raised to Bentley. His emotional reaction, when presented with the money on camera, was genuine. With the help of EFL sponsors SkyBet, he then repaid the gesture by providing a free pie and pint to every supporter at the home game with Cambridge the following month.
With the takeover of the club by Bond Group Investments completed in May 2018 and all debts cleared, Bentley at least has a level playing field on which to build his challenge. With that three-year deal sticking out of his back pocket, he has time on his side as he tries to move his club away from its accustomed position at the foot of League Two.
Key:
P = Promoted; R = Relegated; SF = Lost in play-off semi-final; F = Lost in play-off final; PO = Won play-off final; D = Demoted.
Figures are league games only; cup matches and playoffs are not included.
League position shown is either the position at the end of the season or the position at the time of departure.
Writer: Scotimp
Who Are The League Two Managers? No.14: Jim Bentley (@ShrimpsOfficial):https://t.co/Xcx3c43rJz#MorecambeFC #Shrimps #EFL
— Vital Lincoln City (@VitalLincoln) July 24, 2018
https://www.facebook.com/VitalLincolnCity/posts/1778821728820731
