You've appeared to take a defensive stance to my comment @alwaysright when in reality it wasn't actually aimed at yourself. If you follow some of the vitriolic comments that have been made about Max on social media, you'd see that he very much has been scapegoated by parts of our fanbase.
I'm wondering how long before the fans turn on the new owners, we know by now how this one rolls. Managers have been wrongly scapegoated, Ehmer has been wrongly scapegoated, got to be the owners turn next on the law of averages. Maybe as fans rather than throwing abuse at players, even if they think it's justified (I don't), how about trying something different for a change and actually give the team the lift it needs, not just for one game, or two games...until they feel the passion in our hearts. I remember going to Tottenham and us being 5-0 down, and the fans resorted to bantz and songs, and there is nowt wrong with a little fun, it's way better and uplifting than targeted animosity. Positivity breeds positivity, negativity breeds negativity, which one would we prefer to lift the team and get back to winning ways. If anything surely the new manager deserves that?
Not sure if you listened to the X Space hosted by ME7 Podcast last night but they had Brad and also Joe Comper on to try and answer questions about our plight. They had advertised it as no question was too difficult and all answers would be honest. It's available to listen back on Spotify on the ME7 Podcast's Youtube page. Unfortunately I'm not entirely sure it supplied the desired effect the club's hierarchy may have wanted but I'll point out some key things that came from it: - 70% of the current wage bill is from players signed in the first three windows, 40% of that is from players not even at the club any longer. Due to L2 clubs only being able to spend 50% of the club's income on player wages, we've had our hands tied in the last two transfer windows until those players are out the door, and even then we're paying a significant amount of Dieng's wages now. - JC admitted there isn't a clear vision for the club and hasn't been which is why there has been so many managerial changes. He took responsibility for the hiring and firing of Bonner. After the Bromley 3-0 defeat, they met with Bonner and MB lined out what he wanted from the window, which sounds like would have been an expensive option. The Chesterfield game got called off whilst the team was up there and they decided to end the relationship when Mark got back to Priestfield the same day. John Coleman had been spoken to on the Saturday (the day before) about becoming Gillingham manager should Bonner be relieved of his duties. - Coleman & Ehmer had come to an agreement that Max would step back from being captain on matchdays whilst remaining the club captain and the armband would go to Little. - One player on high wages was signed without undergoing a medical. Not revealed who so guess at who you think that could be. - BG believes that in the summer the club will be reset in terms of player wages due to 11 being out of contract and that it will give them the ability to sign "a promotion winning squad". We've heard that before. - BG stated that the rumours around the club requesting Livermore being sacked which caused Harris to lose his job were untrue and it was a footballing decision. - BG suggested one former manager was "bullied and intimidated" by the players and wasn't able to get the best out of them. - BG admitted the team was underperforming considering we had the 2nd or 3rd highest budget in the league, but didn't go as far as to blame the players for the current situation. - Sums of money were bid in January for players, one was in a bidding war which Gills bid £150,000. Another club then bid £200k and we walked away. Rumoured to be Jack Sanders that signed for MK Dons. - Ronnie Jepson is signed on a consultancy basis as part of the club's recruitment team and is acting as the club's scout in the North of England. - JC made comments that each manager had signed players to play for them so we're now in a position of mismatch and players perhaps not having an identity. A point I've made previously either on here or on twitter.
Cheers PegLeg I didn't know none of this and it certainly gives us some insight to goings on behind the scenes. It's a bit of a mess for sure, and I think fans are going to have to be patient. We can virtually scrub this season, and go again next, fans will not like that, but for me the minimum now is staying in L2, and anything else is a bonus - that removes pressure then from the new manager, and he can give the powers that be ideas on how the restructuring should move forward. By that I mean the rest of the season is just going to be a business exercise and the fans are just going to have to put any immediate expectations to one side, but support in that restructuring within the team...and of the course the expectation we must stay in L2, that is non negotiable.
Couple things don't quite add up. If we couldn't afford to get players in. How did we bid 150 k on a player in January. I thought the club had a vision when they got rid of Harris. Going for young manager playing attractive football. First Clemence then Bonner. Looks like they haven't a clue really. Also why get Andrews when injured and Dack. They won't be on cheap wages
I expect a lot of this is learning exercises for our owners who are business people in the property market (or something like that), they rely on the people around them to guide them. Part problem with that is one of the people guiding them was the previous owner, as I don't fancy getting sued I will not write anymore on that. Then we got Hessy and although I see him as a good scout, I'm talking L1 level at best, that's not meant as an insult. We got for our money what the market allows now for L1 & L2 level, even if we were the third highest spenders, it don't mean we achieved the third highest best set of players, again you need to know your market and that's down to them backroom boys, not the owners. The owners have been served a poor deckhand, we learn the lessons and try again, a very harsh business penalty though for the owners who I have a lot of respect for.
In my post (No.40), - to which you claim that I have become 'defensive'....... Let me assure you - any such display on my part, can only be attributable to my willingness to join in the conversations in this thread - which had deviated from my original point !... I was being courteous and gracious to allow the conversation to 'evolve.' ...... and does not alter the fact that I continue to defend my original viewpoint - as highlighted by my last post - when I commented that it is what has come out of Ehmer's mouth and subsequent relationship with fans - rather than what he does with his feet, being the reason for his untenable position as Captain........ ......The Manager has now removed Ehmer as team Captain - which was my recommendation. The move indicates that, at very least, Coleman believes my sanction is correct ! So - I now have less need to continue to defend myself.
I personally am fairly ambivalent about Ehmer, he is a bog standard league 2 defender we have had better we have had worse. As for captaincy I have never been worried about who the captain is it's generally a ceremonial position in football you are allowed to talk the ref and call heads or tails at the start of the game. I believe that the Italian national team is captained by the player with the most caps and has been for years on that basis Ehmer is the captain. That doesn't stop other players showing leadership when we are on the field and that is one of the great failings of this team, there are zero leaders out there. When Paul Smith was Gills skipper he had Hess, Pennock and others all showing leadership skills on the field, now I realise that was a much better team than this one, but the point remains a valid one in my opinion. This team is littered the players of questionable character, and I for one in my short time following the Gills (just the 37 years), have 'disliked' few sides more than this one, even the really bad sides under the likes of Roeder and Flanagan showed more commitment than this bunch, and I don't think any member of this side gets anywhere near Stimsons' play off winning team (on current form), which considering that was where we were aiming in August is a huge disappointment.
