I know it's been done before but not for a couple of years and this thread always generates interest so let's see what everybody's all time Gills XI is. Only rule is they have to be players since you started supporting/went to your first Gills game. I shall start the proceedings: Formation: 4-4-1-1/ 4-5-1 GK: Jason Brown RB: Nyron Nosworthy CB: Barry Ashby CB: Simon King LB: Danny Jackman RM: Nicky Southall CM: Paul Smith CM: Andy Hessenthaler LM: Matt Jarvis CAM: Paul Shaw ST: Cody McDonald As it's quite obvious, I started going in our Championship days and it's that squad that dominates here with one or two others thrown in including @brb 's favourite Cody Mac. Well everyone, get thinking about yours!
Could be a while before i think this one through...will Cody be in my starting 11...we will have to wait to see
As always it's impossible to compare players of different eras, but as someone who started watching Gills in the year before their FIRST 4th tier championship year (although admittedly with little understanding of the tactics of the game at that time..) I've got a few more names to play with. I might get round to sorting out a full team, but it would include John Simpson, Brian Yeo, Dick Tydeman, Brian Gibbs, Steve Bruce and Tony Cascarino, so on the basis of the attack selection I'm probably looking at 4-3-3
First of my selections would be; GK: Ron Hillyard my favourite all time Gills player. If only we could turn back the clock. CB: Steve Bruce at the back, absolute solid and the stick Sage used to get if he didn't pull his line, born leader. CB: Simon King not sure if he can play alongside Bruce but hey it's for fun. ST: Peter Feely let's remember this lad got into a Chelsea side with the best players you would ever see outside of money. I need some more thought before updating my list.
I find myself unable to answer these sort of questions, over 60 years of players to choose from how can it be whittled down to just 11 men. every decade has seen good and bad years, every decade has seen good and bad players, the 80's are probably one that always sticks in the mind as being good, yet it wasn't a period of major success. As a youngster in the early 60's winning the championship was a good time, a lot of the players from that team could enter any list, winning the championship in 2013 and there would be few if any on my list. I guess my answer is I don't know.
Yeo was just before my time, I think i'm correct in saying his career finished the year we got promotion from Div 4? If so then not sure i would have witnessed his skills, I saw the West Ham friendly, so if he played in that, then yes, i saw him but cannot remember him other than all the publicity at the time around his goal scoring feat.
I've been giving this some thought, a player that comes to mind is Westwood, but then I'm thinking Feely was brilliant in the air, a lot of his goals came that way, so then I'm thinking Dack alongside him because he would be better sitting back at corners etc when the ball could be pumped in high. Left wing would probably be Barcham, especially if you look at his goal scoring ratio compared to someone such as Jarvis.
He was devastating in the box and manufactured chances out of nothing but couldn't take a penalty to save his life....too much time on the ball. At the age of 29 (nothing nowadays) Malcolm Allison said of him "His finishing is priceless, if he were younger he'd be worth a fortune..." A truly great finisher. My 'other hero' on the finishing stakes would be Bob Taylor.......no surprises there then. We've had some really good players on our books, but to try and fashion them into a working team.....who knows. The teams that stand out for me were the ones where we finished 2nd to Peterborough in 73-74 with the likes of Yeo, Wilkes, Tydeman and Peach and the one in the 80s under Keith Peacock.......10-0 anyone nowadays???????
Very difficult to pick 11 but somethingvlike this 1 Simon Royce 2 Mel sage 3 micky Adams 4 Steve Bruce 5 Chris Hope 6 Paul Smith 7 Terry Cochrane 8 Dave Shearar 9 Tony Cascarino 10 Andy Hessy 11 Bob Taylor
My first game was January 2003 so I missed the first two Wembley finals and also the Pulls era so sadly I missed out on seeing those players. I'm only a Gills fan by chance that we drew Leeds in the FA Cup and my old man is a Leeds fan so he got us tickets in the Rainham End.
not really sure but something like this, I think it more gives a foundation of the style of players i look for rather than their overall individual ability - clearly if i was going for ability, for example to compete at a higher level then a few of my favourites would have to be changed... Hillyard Fuller Bruce King Jackman Barcham Hessy (snr) Lee Dack (free role) Feely Westwood
Always a fun task... I can't whittle it down to a single XI. So here are two teams: The "A" team is the first choice - this team would be solid and impressive, with a 3-5-2 wing-backs formation based on the incredible late 90s / early 00s team The "B" team - I have deliberately gone for different tactics in a 4-4-2 - a bit more open and based on pacey wingers. Would score lots but probably also concede lots! A Team: Brown Hope, Pennock, King Southall, Smith, A Hessenthaler, Jackman Shaw Taylor, Asaba B Team: Nelson Nosworthy, Ashby, Barrett, Perpetuini Hodge, Osborn, Dack, Jarvis (no shortage of goals in this midfield!) King, McDonald Bayo would be on the bench to link up with Cody for the last 30 mins or so.
