Yeah see that a minute ago when it was 6-1, the comeback of lance cronin who is on loan as Preston Edwards got sent off last game and they needed him on loan, he is a legend there aswell.
Again weird, we normally we get a lot of goals but a day that we don't concede which is rare, we don't score/
Ends the losing streak yes but a 0-0 at home to an average side (no offence to Rotherham) makes it feel like a defeat. 8 points off the last play off spot and the top 6 are starting to break away from the rest so bar a complete reverse of form where we go on a 5-10 game winning streak, the playoffs looks out of our reach now. Given the amount that has been spent on players coming in coupled with the disappointment of last season this season has been simply not good enough. I respect Hess for what he's done in the past but love for a club doesn't mean you're a good manager so I think he should go in the summer, get the next up and coming manager from non league and start from scratch like what happened when Pulis came in 1995.
Now I hate to tell you this everyone. The fans may have voted with their feet tonight but when I took to mine with the many empty seats. I can honestly say that I watched one of the best performances (particularly) in the first half this season! Do not let the 0-0 fool you as it appears we have found ourselves a new right back who has no intention of giving up his place. Jack Evans was absolutely fantastic.
Good to hear that Jack Evans was great from the small time in the team all I have heard is great and when he was in the under 18's he done well. Good to see we have our new player/
from someone that lives in oxford, to see my team gillingham fc now eight points behind that team in the last play off place...is not good! hess it's all gone very wrong and if you should be manager next season...expect it to be alot rougher in every respect for gillingham fc and you! attendences, players at the club, budget, fan support(att), progression, squad tactics etc etc etc. for the rest of this season, if after the next couple of games, we still don't have 6 points, we need to give our young players there chances, so we can see who to build our squad around for the future. if tonight is anything to go by...other than king...essam, evans and gazzaniga, have done themselves proud. thats why, if only a little to late, hess needs to give those other lads a showing for those last 14 or so games i.e. o.lee, carter, miller, rance, brunt, davies, brown etc, so we see if there up to the task...what have we to lose, plus we get to see these kids in real time football...where it matters! of tonights game, kedwell needs resting or bringing off the bench, because he's wasting far to many chances, along with weston. hess as we know needs support (coach) or to step back as assistant to someone (mark robson?)...who never should of left the club in the first place!!! get rid of oli, lawrence, richards, weston and if possible montrose...far to much wages for luxury players who offer nothing to gillingham fc and us moving forward...yes thats also down to our current manager who has so much to answer for...his comments that are not backed up, poor football, no desire & effort from his players for one another, poor tactics, options nowhere to be seen, plan A & B not followed up...clueless! hess either go or change things in a positive way...fast !!!
We have a new star on our hands, my worry is now is can we keep him because if other teams get to know about him he will be moving fast.
Just a quick note on the attendance of all last night's matches. Swindon vs. Shrewsbury was 7,990 We had 3,248 Aldershot vs. Southend was 2,949 Northampton vs. Macclesfield was 4,529 Oxford vs. Barnet was 5,848 Cheltenham vs. AFC Dons was 2,603 And Crewe vs. Accrington Stanley was 3,179 So 4th highest of the night. With Swine going (pains to say) top is it any wonder they had a higher attendance? Tuesday attendances are always notoriously low for league 2 what with a reduction in children with it being a school night, people working and a run of (3 in 4) home games it's not just poor form that is keeping people away like many would have you believe.
and Essam, King & Payne had very good game. King's distribution was intelligent - not hoofball a la Richards. Payne was a delight to watch. Tomlin tried hard without any luck, Kuffour was ok. Weston was still well below par. The midfield sat too deep, especially in the 2nd half and didn't create any real chances for the forwards and it didn't help that Kedwell was disappointing. Collectively we do have good players. Collectively ( and individually ) the players have been poor ( too many times .) I hope I'm not speaking too soon when I think that, at long last we appear to have proper fullbacks ( although, as yet not ones that operate as wing backs .) The ( more than ) basic ingredients in the playing staff are there -Do we have the coaching staff up to the job ?
The one thing that was really evident last night was in the first half, right backs being closet to me, how their was plenty of energy and pace down the right. Second half something I have been saying for some while now, with the left side being closest to me, was non existent. Tomlin when he started the second half, went immediately out to the left wing but no one found him and it was though he was non existent, even waving his arm about. So he then pushed in side and we could not break the Millers down the same way that we did in the first half. I am not quite sure what that is saying about the tactics but imo we could work it from the back on the right but on the left we have a problem that has been vacated by previously Rooney and Nouble.
our team brb is one dimensional and i don't think our manager even see's it...still !!!. on lastnights game, i really hope simon king can stay fit and get back to some sort of form we know he had been blessed with before his injury nightmare...how did king look out there BRB and is it time to let kedwell come on from the bench, rather than play a full game...because it sure sounds like it, would you also, when charlie lee is back...change c.lee or o.lee(who came on as sub) for curtis weston ??? is spiller our answer to the leftside when he's back...hopefully this weekend with charlie lee !
King had a good game. As stated his distribution was mostly intelligent - rather than just a clearance. I have realistic expectation that he will be as good as before! Kedwell's style of play is not working. The last couple of games he seems to have reduced his chasing of the ball - but to be fair to him there hasn't been the creativity from the midfield for Kedwell - that's where Weston & Montrose have been particulary disappointing. Spiller was playing well in midfield before injured - is needed ahead of C.Lee. as for O.Lee - didn't see enough to judge. Overall we still lack pace to give a different dimension when going forward - we're moving forward too slowly, making it difficult to break down defences.
I think I am going to tend to agree with I'm alwaysright not because he is but because he is on this occasion!!! No seriously, to answer the questions. King was something completely different out there yesterday, he did not just clear a ball because it was the simplest thing to do, he would clear anything coming in with a purpose and direction. Several times going in low with his head and putting his neck on the line with passion and above all commitment. I cannot speak highly enough of Simon King, it is just on this occasion Evans deservedly grabbed the headlines. We need to remember though that Evans and Essam are inexperienced and are prone to error and several times I saw King giving direction to the young lads. Simon King made sure the defence kept its shape and positioning. Now in regards to Weston and Keds, I did not want to see Weston in the line up but Keds I did, however, I was right and wrong, right that Weston should not have been in the line up and wrong because Keds politely had an off night. I was asked a question last night what happens if Birchall comes back? Well the answer was quite simple and plain to see last night, however, please remember I am only basing that on last night's performance. Back to Curtis, he tried to be clever, word to the wise though, forget all this acrobatic stuff, get the bloody ball and stand your foot on it and cut out all the fancy crap. This is League Two not the Premiership via SKY TV. Leave that to the lads that can actually pull off the trickery, long balls and darting runs, namely most of last nights team apart from Weston. When he does well I will say so but last night was not one of those nights. Just one question comes to mind, if Evans was doing all the running going forward etc, etc, who was in front of him? I think the point I am trying to make is no width. With players like Evans on the right that is not a problem. Though Danny Jackman at left back, did well but seems misplaced but I would still rather have that set up than no confidence Martin back. Spiller is going to come back very soon, I wonder if he will be able to fill that gap on the left, the problem is though will Hessy change tactics? Based on last night it appears our manager has adopted a do or die approach to his expectations in regards to formation. I wish him the best of luck and will continue to support him until the end of the season. Although last night it came good but you will never convince me leaving space on the left is the right tact. Finally, I nearly forgot to mention from last night, that several times in the second half, when balls were crossed in to the centre of the Rotherham penalty box, can someone explain why on every occasion we had no one in the middle, I couldn't work it out.
