We asked Morecambe fan and Shrimps Trust podcast producer Joel Shooter some questions about Dale's new manager Jim Bentley, who spent 17 years at the club as a player and manager.

1) Can you give us a general overview of Bentley's time at Morecambe, both as a player and manager?

Bentley’s association with Morecambe was an incredibly long one, starting when he joined as a player in 2002. He would go on to captain the team to promotion from the Conference (as it was back then) to League Two in 2007 for the first time in the club’s history, something which would already confirm ‘legendary’ status at the club. He continued to captain the team into the Football League, and unsurprisingly had a reputation as a powerful centre back who you could rely on to head goal kicks back into the opposition half 90% of the time. Also had a knack for set piece goals and thundering volleys. He took up the role of reserve team manager while his appearances on the pitch wound down, which made the step into being first team manager when Sammy McIlroy left in 2011 quite a natural one. After a few solid mid-table finishes as manager, budget cuts began to take a toll and league position under Bentley understandably slipped. Various off the pitch issues added a lot of extra stress, and I think by the end of his reign it seemed a good time to go and for both him and the club to get a bit of a fresh start.

2) What style of play and formation should we expect to see from him?

Formation wise, Bentley generally tended to veer towards a 4-2-3-1 in his last few years at the club, although throughout his time did successfully use other formations. For example, our highest finish under him came in 2014/15 generally using a 3-4-1-2. I’d say he leans more towards a back four, but don’t be surprised if he mixes things up or goes with something else to suit either personnel or opposition. In terms of style of play, some of the football we played under Bentley at his best was quite free flowing and attacking. But towards the end of his time, things got very turgid as budget cuts and pressure to stay in the league had an inevitable effect. I’d like to think you wouldn’t see this replicated now he’s at Rochdale. I imagine a lot of the off field issues like players not getting paid probably took a toll, but with another fresh start following a break I think there’ll hopefully be some exciting stuff played at Spotland.

3) He seems to be a very popular personality among Morecambe fans, why is this?

I’ve never met Bentley properly (barring a quick selfie in a car-park), but if you speak to anyone who has then they can’t speak highly enough of him. He was a hugely passionate and determined player on the pitch, and carried that passion for the club through into his time as manager. As you’ll hear from his interviews, he’s a great talker and has a big personality. The testimony from players is worth taking note of too, a lot of them speak to his excellent man management skills and ability to put an arm around the shoulder at times. By all accounts - from media, fans and players - he just seems a really good bloke!

4) The club appear to have kicked on since he left and are now playing in L1 of course. Do you feel he laid the foundations for that success or that he held the club back from it's potential?

It’s a good question this, and one that has caused a few squabbles amongst our fanbase! I think Bentley laid foundations in that he kept us in the league in incredibly difficult circumstances. In 2016/17 we had a period when players weren’t getting paid due to ownership issues, but he managed to motivate and steady the ship. As I’ve alluded to before, I think by the end he was probably worn out by the constant relegation battles and financial hardships, and it did seem like we were a slowly sinking ship. New ideas and some new energy were things that were definitely needed. But the initial job he did in keeping us in League Two was a fantastic one in the circumstances.

5) During Bentley's reign, Morecambe always seemed to be tipped for relegation but always steered clear, do you think he is the right type of manager to lead us away from the relegation zone?

He’s definitely got the experience for handling a relegation battle! I think he should be, he’s great at galvanising a squad and being able to put an arm around the shoulders of players that need it. Despite the bad start, it looks like there are some decent players at Rochdale so he should have a bit to work with, and I’m sure he’ll be looking to get some business done in the last days of the transfer window if he can.

6) We have quite a productive academy at Rochdale. Does he place much faith in younger players?

That kind of changed over the years I think. Initially, yes. He blooded a few youngsters from our academy and while most didn’t work out, Aaron McGowan is one who’s gone on to have a really good career so far (now vice captain at Northampton). Towards his later years, I think the pressure of relegation scraps meant he was less and less willing to give young players a shot - he even took a bafflingly long amount of time to give Callum Lang (on loan from Wigan) a proper run in the team! That said, he’s also got a good track record of picking up young players from academies further up the food chain and getting the best out of them. Tom Barkhuizen is a great example, who’s gone on to become a good Championship player, but you also have players like Ryan Edwards (captaining Dundee United) and Sam Lavelle (regular for Charlton). I think this fresh start coupled with Dale’s historically productive academy will give him encouragement to place a bit of faith in some of the youngsters. I can see he’s already given some minutes to a 15 year old in the Papa John’s!

7) Is there a specific profile of player you think he will look to sign?

I can’t really think of a specific player profile or style if I’m honest. We honestly had all sorts, from wiry technicians like Jamie Devitt to giant target men like Vadaine Oliver. If I had to pick some kind of theme though, it would be players who have maybe lost their way a little or seem a bit ‘cast-off’ by other clubs. Devitt is actually a really good example - he seemed to be at a little bit of a difficult point in his career before Bentley took him in, helped pick up a few pieces and he then showed what a fantastically talented player he is.

8) Any former Shrimps you think might be on his radar?

I can’t really think of any if I’m honest. Having a look back over some of the players he’s had in recent years, they’ve either retired/dropped into non-league or gone on to bigger and better things. I would have said maybe Luke Conlan, a left back who he signed at Morecambe and Fylde, but he’s under contract so I can’t see that happening quickly. Other than that, no former Shrimps really spring to mind.

9) It seemed to be a strange decision for him to leave the club to drop into non-league with Fylde, was there any bitterness from the fans about that move?

I wouldn’t say so. I think a lot of fans did feel it was probably best for Bentley to move on as it was starting to feel like we were slipping slowly towards relegation. However, it’s important to caveat that this was at the end of eight years with the last few having been particularly stressful. I think you’d be hard pressed to find a Morecambe fan with any kind of bitterness or resentment towards him.

10) How do you think he will fare at Spotland?

I’d like to think he should get on well. It’s not an entirely dissimilar sized club to Morecambe, and in the short term his goal is to repeat a trick he has a great deal of experience in - avoid relegation. Long term, hopefully he will be able to build something that can work a bit more towards just avoiding relegation, and you’d think Rochdale’s academy could help with that. Also, I’m not sure you can go wrong with characters like Bentley and Toumani Diagouraga at your club!

Photo: Action Images

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