Derek Adams' infamous Scottish football rant comes back to haunt him as Morecambe nightmare crashes to new low
Derek Adams was just a month into his second spell as Ross County manager last season when he launched into an astonishing rant about Scottish football and the Staggies
Derek Adams made the headlines for all the wrong reasons last year with an infamous tirade about Scottish football - but those very words are now coming back to bite the former Ross County boss, whose Morecambe team currently the only team in Britain who are yet to score a league goal.
The 49-year-old was less than a month into his second spell in charge of the Dingwall club when his comments in the wake of a 1-0 home defeat to Dundee last December sparked uproar up and down the country. Adams tore into the standard of football in Scotland, describing it as "shocking" before claiming that the teams he had managed in the English fourth tier prior to returning north of the border - Plymouth, Morecambe and Bradford City - were "miles better" than the Staggies team he had at his disposal.
Days later, Adams stood by his astonishing rant but admitted regret in directly making reference to one of his former clubs. In January 2024 he also defended his decision to come back to Ross County but conceded that he had not done his "homework" on the club before accepting the role.
But after a run of just two wins, three draws and seven losses from his 12 games at the helm, Adams resigned from his position after a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Motherwell in February, with his second tenure in the Highlands lasting just 79 days. Earlier this summer, the ex midfielder returned to Morecambe for a third stint at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium. Adams led the The Shrimps to the promotion to League One via the play-offs in his first spell with the club in 2021, but five games into the current season has garnered an unwanted record that contradict the claims in his outburst last year.
Morecambe have lost all five of their matches in League Two and are the only team in the UK who are yet to find the back of the net so far in the league this season. They did manage to get on the scoresheet in a 2-1 defeat to Wigan in the EFL Trophy but were also heavily beaten 3-0 by League One Huddersfield in the first round of the EFL Cup.
The Lancashire club finished 15th in England's fourth tier last season but their recent woes have cast doubt over their very survival in the Football League. Adams' ill-fated tirade has not made him a popular figure in Scottish football circles and Ross County fans may not be the only ones rejoicing at his recent plight.