I wasn`t at the game,but I was hoping we could get something from the game.Preston will be near the top 6 come the end of the season,so it was going to be a tough game.I was hoping for 4-6 points from the two home games,but Notts County is a game we need to be winning if we want to stay up this season.
Must be time to give Linganzi another run in the team? He hasn't really played since his injury and he looked class in pre-season.
Here are my thoughts on yesterday's match........ I thought the first half was very flat and very negative and the two positives to take out of the first forty five minutes was the 0 - 0 score-line and the improvement of the weather, other then Danny Hollands in-swinging free kick which Kevin Davies was able to header clear there were not many notable chances created on Preston North End's goal but we also restricted Preston North End to 2-3 chances on our goal. Scott Laird fired wide after Kevin Davies had teed him up with a headed knock down - and Kevin Davies was very strong in the air for Preston North End throughout the entire match - and Chris Humphrey tested Stuart Nelson with a effort from distance which Stuart Nelson did well to turn round the post, Chris Humphrey also fired one over the top from distance and there were a few free kicks and corners which were dealt with comfortably by Stuart Nelson. At the start of the match we lined up with Chris Whelpdale playing off Cody McDonald and Danny Kedwell but towards the middle and the end of the first half we had Danny Hollands and Steven Gregory as holding midfielders, Cody McDonald on the right, Chris Whelpdale in the centre and Charlie Lee on the left with Danny Kedwell on his own up-front, there were times where Gillingham sat so deep behind the ball that when Steven Gregory won possession of the ball, he was the most attacking player we had other then Danny Kedwell - I know we had to counter Preston North End's 3.4.1.2 formation, but Preston North End play like that every week, we don't, and we don't have the players in the squad to play a wing back system effectively enough. Too many times this season our midfield has disappeared in matches and either we sit too deep and invite the opposition to attack us or when we get the ball we don't have the quality or the pace to turn defence into attack quickly enough - I did like the way we kept possession of the ball even if it meant passing the ball backwards and sideways, but at times the passing was too slow and we lack anyone who can thread a ball in-behind Preston's back four, but to do that you also need players with pace to run in-behind defenders and we don't have that either - basically we were doing the best we could with the limited amount of quality we have in the current squad. I had no idea what happened with the first goal, to concede from a throw on is very disappointing and Wainscotty told me that Keith Keane's shot took a deflection off Adam Barrett and that deflection took the ball further away from Stuart Nelson, either way Preston North End's first goal came from a dreadful error. But Chris Whelpdale had two fantastic chances to equalize, the first chance from Whelpdale was rolled past the post but the second chance was even better, Michael Harriman rolled the ball down the line and Danny Kedwell flicked the ball into Charlie Lee's path who threaded the ball through to Chris Whelpdale and Chris Whelpdale perhaps had too much time and Whelpdale tried to blast the ball past Declan Rudd but The Preston North End Goalkeeper made a very good save, perhaps Whelpdale could of lift the ball over the advancing keeper ??? That missed opportunity proved to be costly as Preston North End extended there lead, Joe Martin tried to play a percentage pass to Danny Kedwell which was cut out but Stuart Beavon pinched the ball off Steven Gregory and just ran down the touchline and Steven Gregory tracked back and slide in to make a block, but both Steven Gregory and Adam Barrett were pulled out of position and Stuart Beavon had the awareness to cut the ball back to Josh Brownhill and the young Preston North End midfielder extended his sides lead with a composed finish. Myles Weston came on for Cody McDonald ( who had a dreadful game yesterday) and rather then partner Danny Kedwell in attack, Myles Weston played on the right of midfield and we still lined up with a five man midfield rather then went for it, almost like we were doing a damage limitation exercise against Preston North End and we had turned our attention to the match on Tuesday Night. Ten minutes later and we did revert back to 4.4.2 as Charlie Lee was subbed off for Antonio German (understandable as Charlie Lee was on a yellow card), and I thought Antonio German looked useful up-front yesterday and he was far more effective then Cody McDonald - even though Cody McDonald was played out of position on the right wing at times. Myles Weston showed a great piece of skill to go past two Preston North End Defenders and Myles Weston had won Gillingham a free kick in a promising position, Chris Whelpdale's delivery was decent and Danny Kedwell headered Gillingham back into the match at 1 - 2 and Danny Kedwell was gesturing to his team mates to push for the equalizer. Paul Huntington should of been booked for having both arms around Antonio German's neck and while Gills had a decent free kick in a promising position, Chris Whelpdale's free kick was tame and easy for Declan Rudd to gather, Whelpdale should of attempted a up and under free kick and try and force Declan Rudd into a save at the very least. Gills could of equalized late on as Joe Martin's long diagonal cross was headered back across goal by Leon Legge and Danny Kedwell flicked the ball straight at Declan Rudd, either side of the goalkeeper and that was in for 2 - 2 - Adebayo Akinfenwa came on to add more physicality to Gillingham's attack in the 88th minute with Danny Hollands being subbed off. Gillingham had three decent chances at the end of the match to steel a unlikely point, our first chance came from Myles Weston's corner kick was headered clear to the edge of Preston's Penalty Area and Joe Martin smashed the ball goalwards only to see his effort on goal blocked and deflected out for a throw on. Our second chance on goal was scrappy to say the least, Steven Gregory clipped the ball into Preston's Penalty Area and Antonio German headered the ball into Danny Kedwell's path, Kedwell gets the ball under control but he cannot get a shot off on goal so he tee's up Michael Harriman who also see's his shot blocked, the ball deflects to Chris Whelpdale on the edge of the area and Whelpdale's shot takes a deflection and hits a Preston Player on the hand and our penalty claims are waved away - I was convinced that this was a penalty at the time just like everyone else who was screaming for a penalty kick to be awarded. Our last chance of the match saw Joe Martin clip in a high ball and Adebayo Akinfenwa's header was at a comfortable height for Declan Rudd to gather the ball and that was that. At least we went down fighting, but we only started to play when we were 2 - 0 down and went for all out attack when Myles Weston, Antonio German and Adebayo Akinfenwa came on, if only Chris Whelpdale took that chance when we were 1 - 0 down then maybe it would of been a completely different game. After watching that game yesterday I for one hope that Peter Taylor realize's that Danny Hollands and Steven Gregory cannot play in the same midfield, they are both holding midfielders and although Danny Hollands is more comfortable further up the pitch he was basically played alongside or slightly further ahead of Steven Gregory and I think that one or the other can start, but don't play the two of them together. Whoever we appoint as Gillingham's Next Manager has a difficult task on there hands because whoever comes in will need assurances that there is going to be serious investment in the first team squad because we are short of 5 - 6 proven / quality League One Players - we're crying our for a holding midfielder with the quality that Jack Payne / David Wright had for us, I think Steven Gregory has improved and Danny Hollands is comfortable in possession of the ball but neither look like the answer for Gillingham personally, I think we have been crying out for someone to make that position in-front of the back four there own. We lack creativity in the final third of the pitch and I think when Curtis Weston was on song he had that creativity and we can do with someone in that position to play off the strikers, perhaps we can try playing Chris Whelpdale there or perhaps Bradley Dack can play in that position. We defiantly need two wingers with pace, without pace we cannot get in behind defences and stretch teams, we need the creative players to be able to pick a pass but we need to be able to hurt defences by going in behind them, Myles Weston is at best as a impact sub so we ideally need two wingers on the right and left who can cause defences problems - and it would be nice to see if we can sign a Frank Nouble player on loan, Cody McDonald has not been great in the past few games and Danny Kedwell won't score 15 - 20 a season (unless there penalties). Players may need to leave the club for us to sign these players but I honestly don't think we have kicked on in the summer like we should of done because I was comparing the signings we made last season to signings we have made this season - last season we signed .... Leon Legge, Adam Barrett, Steven Gregory, David Wright, Tom Flanagan, Deon Burton, Myles Weston, Charlie Allen, Stuart Nelson, Cody McDonald, Robbie Findley and Anton Robinson - all these players have played in League One or higher and that made a massive difference. This season we signed Adebayo Akinfenwa, Antonio German, Cody McDonald and Amine Linganzi - with the exception of Cody McDonald, the other three are League Two Players, we never kicked on in the summer, we should of bene signing players released by top League One / Championship Clubs, and another thing I have taken into consideration is this, maybe Martin Allen has this reputation as a long ball manager which is why young players from West Ham did not sign for us. We also signed Harry Grant, Tom Derry and George Howard this summer, all three are in our small 20 man squad photo for this coming season.
Good write up FOM, strange how we can all see the problems yet the managers can't. In the 1st half the PNE fullbacks spent as much time in our halve as they did their own, why, because they knew we had no pace to counter, it was only when Weston and German came on that we pushed them back. Again we gave them far to much room on the ball allowing them to pick their passes and enjoy 57% of the possession, defending is very tiring and we don't do it well. When we are in possession, we rarely get the triangles going, never give the player on the ball someone to pass to without trying a long pass which is easy to telegraph and cut out. When we go forward there are to many occasions when we play the wrong ball, often we try the fancy ball and get it wrong, Whelpdale always wants to use the outside of his right boot, hasn't he got an inside of the boot or better still a left foot. Lee tries the little flicks that rarely if ever come off, he does some good runs yet never knows when it's time to pass. Apart from that we're looking good, I just hope Taylor can work miracles.
FOM wrote articles like this for the now defunct GIlls365. Well done again,Lee, and looking forward to seeing more in the coming weeks.
