This is not a kneejerk reaction post, I am simply stating the complete obvious. We will not make the play-offs this season, which given the money we have spent and players we have in our squad is a complete disaster. That means Hess has had 2 goes whilst being backed more then any other manager since we were relegated from the Championship, therefore if we want to gain promotion next season, which I believe to make us sustainable as a business is a 100% must, we have to have a new manager. Hessy's tactics are completely inept, does anyone know what formation we were playing at any point last night?!? Because I don't, nor did the players by the looks of it. Why on earth is Oli starting instead of Kuffour, who tore the Crawley back 4 to shreds on Boxing Day, anyone that was there that day would also know that. If I was Crawley last night and saw Kuffour on th bench, it would have given me a massive confidence boost before the game had even started. Fish, jesus God don't get me started on this bloke, how can Hess back him when he literally cannot pass the ball. As i said not a kneejerk reaction, a conclusive input from 2 seasons of watching us massively underachieve and when you think that Rotherham have just sacked Andy Scott so they can mount a promotion push next season, we should be doing the same.
Clearly not a kneejerk (we can rely on some dribble from Lenny for that) because a kneejerk would reflect on a decent performance last night against the strongest side to visit Priestfield in the league this season. it could have gone either way but Crawley just about deserved for their allround resilience. It looks like a 4 way fight for two play off places between Oxford/Crewe/Cheltenham/Gills and I suspect they will finish in that order but it is very open with Cheltenham sinking like a stone. I thought Hessy got most things spot on last night. Most important he kept faith with the team that produced a great result , there were far too many changes earlier in the season and the key to success is consistency of selection. It went slightly awry when Kuffour came on and 4 2 4 was not going to work against Crawley's strong midfield but this was quickly corrected. It was just a pity that Essam had 20 minutes when he could not keep his feet and his slip cost us the goal but the lad shows much promise. In fact the back four was rock solid. Fish was immense and his two first half interventions saved cert goals. Sure, he had 4 or 5 wayward passes but we had the luxury in the first half of seeing a "flying" winger caught up by a speedy Gills fullback (not happened since Nosworthy but of couse Nosworthy's distribution was much worse than Fish's). Seriously Fish is in his first season as a fulltimer and needs to be given the same tolerance as the other juniors, he is a great prospect. My take on the season is that Gills are top 6 standard but not top 3 and Hessy has done a really good job. Fix the errors continue developing the youngsters stop the yellows and promotion beckons next year with a prospect of staying up. Replace Hessy? Thin Wolves, think QPR.
Bristol mate were you at a different game to me?! I thought we were terrible last night, we continuously thumped it to their 2 centre halves to eat up all night and the defence was out of position everytime they bought the ballf forward. I don't remember us stringing more then 2 passes together all night and Im sorry but Fish has no potential and is simply not good enough to play at this level. I rate Essam, but he was poor last night, King was slow, Payne who has for me been mustard all season was nowhere to be seen. Without a doubt our best player was Danny Jackman and im glad he got MOM, but to be honest there was limited competition. Our squad and the investment in it should be top 3, no doubt about it, Hessy has failed again and there should be a change early in the summer. Wolves and QPR are different situations, we need to get things right for next season and im sorry to say this as i love Hessy as much as the next Gills fan, but he is without a doubt not good enough to get us put of this division.
I know what I watched and agree with your conclusion on Jackman but you are up the wall with your analysis of Fish. The problem with Kedwell and Oli up front is that they need a lot of creativity from midfield when they are up against strong defences like Crawley. If Jackman is at fullback and Payne is off his best then there is precious little creativity on midfield. Hessy understands this full well but he is constrained with what he has got to select from. At least the back four were strong and perhaps Essam will make a better choice of studs next time...it cost a point.
"Hessy understands this full well but he is constrained with what he has got to select from." He brought vitually the whole of this squad in, and it doesn't seem that he had any contraints. I said weeks ago that if the playoffs are out of reach after we play Burton then he should walk. If we can still get in the playoffs then fine, but if we fail to get promotion, then Scally should look at the reasons why and act accordingly. Apart from Crawley,Swindon and possibly Shrewsburythe teams above us ,Southend Cheltenham,Oxford and Crewe, finished last season low down the league,yet it seems with very little investment they're running high. Why is that?
Exactly right Vinney, he has had his chance with good backing and failed to deliver, twice, something needs to be done to get us up next year as i forsee financial problems if we remain in this league much longer. Bristol, are you Matt Fish? Or a close relative?! Because if you actually did go to the game last night and indeed any other game he has played in, and actually knew anything about football then you would realise that the bloke cannot play.
My comment about constraints was intended to apply to what he had available last night. I did write rather boringly about yellow cards and suspensions last week. And no, I am not related to Fish and had never seen him until he showed up in the Dover team and did not allow Gills forwards a kick when they beat us in the Cup last year. I defended him because last night on two occasions in the first half he made goal saving tackles in the penalty area when no other Gills defenders had the sheer pace to cover 5 yards in half a second. He singlehandedly kept Gills in the game up to half time. You have of course rumbled me as someone who knows nothing about football. i only lasted a couple of years as a pro that was a long time ago and I never played at more than half the grounds in league 2. What is worse I know a few of the managers. In fact my only football credential is the current holder of the prediction league title and I am in the relegation zone this year.
Well congratulations to you! I'm sure many of us, including myself, could offer stories such as you have but would prefer to keep anonymous. Regardless of your fantstic 'credentials' in commenting on the ability of a player, how you can think that Fish single handedly kept us in the game is absolute insanity, he stopped 1 cross i think, then set up about 4 chances for them by clearing straight to an Attacker or generally being out of position. During your 'pro' days as you claim, i'm pretty sure you weren't a defender, as you have no idea on defensive positioning, I'm so glad you didn't go into Management after your glittering career... You are a Hess lover, I get it, a lot of people on here see him through rose tinted glasses because of what he did as a player, but he has to be seen as his team is currently, and that is failure.
I have to say most of the team was poor last night, but i did think Fish was very poor and Gazzaniga had more than one dodgy moment, Kuffour should have started instead of Oli as well, the midfield was non-existent though that didnt matter as it was completely bypassed for most of the game UTG
Fish has promise but he's seriously lacking in confidence. That was something I suffered from too when I played at the San Siro.
With a fully fit King,Fuller,Spiller and Birchall along with the players who have performed this season like Jackman,Payne C lee and Whelps we should cruise this league. Although not always Hess's greatest fan he has had these injuries but he has brought some fantastic players in. I don't think we will make the playoffs but I reckon Hess should have one more go !!
These posts perhaps better reflects the reality of the situation. We're all frustrated - especially if the performance is below expectations - but in the bigger picture there have been too much of the season and team selection outside of the control of Hess - such that when poor(ish) performances such as last night, then we become intolerant and slightly resentful that we have not had more success. Born Again Gill - you missed out a few contenders - that would make up a decent squad - if not for injuries. Regarding Fish - I have previously voiced my thoughts. Last night he did one or two good bits - but is very poor in his distribution - giving away the ball too often.
The injurys argument does not hold. Hessenthaler has been fully backed in the loan market this season whilst having one of the largest squads in the division. Scally has backed Hess to the hill and thus far, it's just not clicked.
I think Hess should stay, we have shown as a team throughout the season that we can be good but just lack something when the going gets tough, saying he should go after this defeat after the game at the weekend is wrong, not much more that I could say, it is your opinions, but I think he has worked hard this season.
Yes, it does. Loan signings are all very well but thats what they are, a loan. They come to the club for a short period of time, then leave again, giving no consistency. Short term impacts have been great, long term we're still yet to see. When players have been injured, look at the impact once they came back. King, Jackman, Payne & Lee all improved team performances when each came back. Imagine having Fuller, Spiller & Birchall week in, week out. On a side note, how many of us know the ins and outs of other clubs squads, finances & expectancies in the league? It BAFFLES me how many forget how Hess kept us in the Championship finishing in 13th, 12th & 11th place on probably the smallest budget in the league.
Gillslad why does him having kept us in the Championship 10 years ago have any bearing on whether he is right or not now for us?! We have failed to get promoted 2 years in a row, when Scally in his own words stated "anything less then promotion will be a failure" so he has backed him both in buying players and the loan market, Hess has failed to deliver. He is and will always be a club legend, but he cannot get us out of this league, and we need someone who can because I can see another exodis this summer which will put us off track again, therefore we will end up like bradford who are scrapping in the lower half of the league, much like when Scally first arrived. Something has to be done.
I agree with the fact that he needs to go if we fail to make the play-offs again. No issues with the man himself as he bleeds blue and white, but tactically I feel that he misses a trick or two and I personally think that better managers will be there come the end of the campaign. But all this talk of sacking him or him walking now before the end of the season is ludicrous. What would bringing in a manager on a temporary basis with a depleted squad and 10 games to go achieve? Let him attempt to finish what he's started.
The reason for bringing someone in,with say 6 or so games to go (assuming the playoffs are out of reach by then) would allow a new man to assess the players in match conditions. If you remember,Hess came in after the season was finished, and had to rely on Mark Robsons opinion of the players and then Robson left, so he couldn't have known that much about them. He obviously had to give players like Oli, Nutter Julien, etc, the benefit of the doubt and then we were into the start of the season, and he had to gradually out those players that he didn't rate. This is his team,this season though,and sadly they seem to be failing ,bar a fantastic last 9 game run. But failing to get into the playoffs has to be considered a failure, and Hess will have to pay the price.
If the play-offs are out of reach then sure, why not? But we're not completely out of the picture yet and I for one won't be interested in discussing (at length) the topic of a new manager until the play-offs are dead and buried. But Vinney you make all the correct points regarding personnel. Sometimes pre-season isn't enough time, especially if some players are out of contract etc. On the above note, does anyone know off the top of their head who is actually out of contract come May/June? Oli and Lawrence aside.
