BURY today find themselves looking for a new manager after Ryan Lowe quit the club to join Plymouth Argyle.

The club legend stepped down after weeks of speculation over his future and will be joined at Home Park by assistant boss Steven Schumacher.

With the financial crisis mounting at Gigg Lane and the club no nearer to being sold by chairman Steve Dale, Lowe said the decision to move his family to the South Coast and join recently relegated Argyle was made with “a heavy heart”.

A statement released on Lowe’s official Twitter account read: “I would just like to say a big thank you to all the fans that believed in me and my team over the last 10 months. It’s been one of the best times of my life.

“You deserve a lot of the credit for the support you have shown us, to not only win promotion but the style that we did it in. Thank you.

“However, the time has come for me to say goodbye.

“To all Shakers fans, the staff at the ground and at Carrington, the youth team staff, and finally my players, this has not been an easy decision for me and my family and I leave with a heavy heart.

“I said I would bring the good times back on the pitch, I did, and I hope the club can continue them in the near future.”

The Shakers only have nine squad members contracted for next season and were rocked this week by the exit of Nicky Adams, who has signed for Northampton Town.

The Bolton News:

Their situation has been described as a “shambles” by former striker Andy Bishop, who has pleaded for Dale to sell the club as quickly as possible.

“Ryan had done an unbelievable job and it was no surprise to me that he had options elsewhere,” he said.

“The club needs new ownership, and it needs to happen quickly.

“The way the club’s staff and the players have been treated is a disgrace and for a player like Nicky Adams to feel he has to leave – they should be building a team around someone like that.

“The whole thing is a shambles. I hope the chairman bucks his ideas up, listens to the offers on the table and moves on.

“This should be the time they are sorting out the squad but the whole place is up in the air now.

“It’s a great club and it’s such a shame.”