Very interested to know if people want Martin Allen to be sacked or kept? Personally I want to keep MA as I feel he deserves a chance to turn this round and I don't honestly know what another manager could do with this squad with seemingly no money to spend. (Also please note Im not trying to add pressure but just feel this issue needs to addressed rather than just avoiding it)
Not voting on this as it is too black and white.....however...question How does a team that quite easily (in the end) that won the championship last season find itself where it is when all the other following teams are now streets ahead.........?
WINDYROG An answer to your question; I have been watching GFC for a LONG time and have seen a LOT of rubbish - therefore I feel 'qualified' to give a 'reasonable' opinion. I am certain that the standard of League 2 last season was particulary poor. When was the last time that the champions of a division managed to lose 6 home games ? When was the last time that 83 points was enough to win L2 ( using 3 points for a win or pro rata ) ? I think that we have to admit that the other teams at the top were committing football suicide in order to 'allow' us to remain top and end up champions. Our direct style ( not unfamiliar in L2 ) was effective - just ! --- but is totally unacceptable in other divisions. It pains me to say this - but I felt we got lucky too many times for my liking. I could see the problems that lay ahead if we did not adapt. I was hoping that the manager would have been able to recognise our shortcomings and suitably address them. I am disappointed that some personnel, who (imho) were better suited to a more passing game, have been discarded - and to name but two ( Payne & Jackman ) would have given the 100% that Allen keeps on claiming. Charlie Lee was noticable by his absence yesterday. He would have been more committed than some on the pitch - and without his ( & Whelpdale's) long throws we seem to have lost a major weapon ! Some players are not good enough & I hope Allen will be able to bring in better - but Allen brought in McDonald & Akinfenwa - so why doesn't he use them together. Cody struggled up front yesterday. HE needed to be feeding off Bayo - but he was warming the bench for 87 minutes. I don't expect GFC to be setting the place alight - but we have / had reasonable quality in the playing staff - they are not being used correctly - the tactics / style of 'football' is wrong - there is no motivation from the management - the players (with one or two exceptions) are not giving anything near 100% and THAT for me, is something that really makes a camel angry.
Last year we had a good start and it was deserved by giving good solid performances on the pitch, then Allen decided it was time to systematically get rid of "Hess" players in the form of Payne, Essam, Jackman, and bring in new blood, from November onwards we started to find results harder to come by and performances were getting more and more desperate. This year Allan has started to lose the plot completely and thinks he can defend for 90 minutes against fast, skilful strikers whilst refusing to use Bayo and McDonald together, both of which were probably Scally targets rather than Allen's. I will stick with him until November in the hope his ego allows him to admit he's wrong and make some changes, after November (if things remain the same) he needs to go and give a new man a chance to save us.
Always and Grumpy....thanks for that. It did seem as though the fun and flair left us late last year and we limped over the line in the end. Not even limping now....... :-(
MadDog keeps my vote for now to stay. Keeping within the fairness of the same support I gave to other managers. I don't want him to please or appease me, just to sort out any ego. If he wants guidance the last six minutes of injury time against Crawley was unacceptable. The failure to push forward as a team and with pace against Coventry when 2-1 down was pure criminal. Wolves happens but not all these teams are of the same calibre. The failings are MadDogs and MadDogs alone, if he needs me to tell him what the problems were yesterday then the future does not bode well.
I know results have not been good so far this season,but I said to FOM at the start of the season that Allen deserves time to turn it around should we start poorly.We all enjoyed a fantastic season last year when we watched Gills become League 2 Champions,we should not let this bad start forget that.I believe any Manager who delivers Promotion and the Championship should be given atleast until Christmas to turn it around.If we are starting to fall behind everyone by then,then maybe we should look to make a change.But I feel it would be harsh to get rid of a Manager who has given us the best season for 50 years,when others have failed and been given much longer.
