After last season when we should of reached the play offs after brillant first half of season but had an awful end of season. I really cannot see an improvement and feel we will struggle to stay up. Especially with the injuries already and poor pre season performances.I think we may just stay up, so i will go for 18th.
Pre-season form:- Played 5. Won 2. Lost 2. Drawn 1. Goals for 5. Goals against 7. At the moment something seems desperately wrong, since Jed took over from the gang of 4, he has systematically got rid of them, and the rest of the backroom staff. Every time he has changed the staff or replaced old players with his own people we have deteriorated a little more. All of the pre-season games were against lower or non-league opposition, in all of them we have been devoid of idea's. I just hope he can work some kind of a miracle in the next seven days, or maybe we need to look at getting the Orient manager, what was his name.
Personally I don't think pre-season form is anything to go by, it's just constant tinkering between all those available. As for where we will finish I'm struggling to even have a guess.
It has and I agree in part with your point certainly, but I will wait and see what the new changes bring. I'm not feeling dis-heartened, just the usual in hope.
Every season is a good season.......just that some are 'more good' than others. That's the positive spin out of the way........ Aaaaaaargh this is not looking good and has not since the beginning of the year. Selling the family silver is not the answer......if the team was such a nearly team last season we need to look at what we were doing well and expand on that. At the rate of injuries that we are attracting at the minute the Gills team will resemble the Labour party shadow cabinet.........Do you have a pulse? Can you wear the shirt? Can you make it next Saturday? Great.......you're in. Grooooan.
I've just realised that I didn't actually say where I think we'll finish, so based on what I've seen of pre-season, and the fact the team and pattern of play look no better than the last 4 months of the season, I'm going to say lower half between 14th and 20th. any new signings or tactical changes could see this alter.
Not optimistic and not impressed, dont think we will be anywhere near the top and will be lucky to stay up with team as it stands. I hope I am wrong but I fear league two is on the horizon.
I think I'll go 16th - not very optimistic right now although I'm sure come Saturday I'll have blind faith in us winning 5-0.
Unless we get a decent striker in (not one with potential, we've had enough of them) and preferably someone who's scored goals in our division or above, although we would probably have to pay a fee, so that's probably out,then I fear we will struggle. 18th for me
The team will finish bottom according to all the indicators. Ending the season with 4 straight home defeats, no wins in 8, just 2 wins in 13 was really telling us something. The Taylor legacy dumped when it was the finest inheritance for years is the real crime. Most people had a nagging suspicion in the first half of last season that JED had little clue as to why the team was doing well and when things went wrong it looked like proof that he hadn't a clue. So the response to comfort the fans might have been some astute activity in the transfer market. Instead we have acquisitions more suited to a relegation battle (which in a way is a declaration of ambition). No bright young things to develop, an old pro from Newport, a really old blast from the premiership past looking for one last payday, the departure of the club's most able player in Loft (I know he had a lot of injuries last year but his longer term record is not that of an injury prone player). Oh dear. So JED, prove us wrong. You have a maximum of about 8 games to get a minimum of 12 points. Build your team around Knott. Find a big guy to play alongside Cody because otherwise he is ineffective. Get those potentially excellent fullbacks Jackson and Garmston fit or get them replaced. Don't be surprised when Dack disappears the day before a crucial game in August. You have brought in too much experience so look hard at some youngsters who nearly made it in the Championship. Otherwise let us hope PT can come back and the Chairman promise him at least 18 months of teambuilding if he can stay up in 16/17.
Whilst agree that JED was not able last season to get us out of the slump, still think we would already be in league 2 if Taylor was the manager. Yes he brought in some youngsters but was to negative and think Dack would now be playing non league football rather than looking at championship clubs.
The gang of 4 turned things around for us, all the time they were still in the back room our style and form continued, as Jed started to replace them with his own guys, our style of play changed and our form started to suffer.
Strangely enough back in September 1957, Newport County was my first ever Gills match. We lost 1 - 0 and finished the season in 22nd place, so I am quite used to watching rubbish.