Ronnie set to wield the axe

Last updated : 23 May 2005 By Simon Head

Cooper: Trusting Ronnie's judgement

The Gills have ten players out of contract - and Jepson, who was Stan Ternent's assistant at Priestfield last season, has the responsibility of deciding who will remain at the club and who will be released.

Cooper said, "Ronnie will have to be the hitman. I know we have a strong group of players but I only know a couple of them personally.

"I had Alan Pouton on loan and Darius Henderson scored a hat-trick past us (Hartlepool) last season when he was on loan at Swindon.

"We'll be sitting down with them and sorting things out this week."

Of course, giving the players the option to stay is just one stage of the club's development. Those players fortunate enough to be offered new deals will still have to accept them - and for some of them, that may mean taking a pay cut.

Once Cooper and Jepson know which of the current squad will be staying, their attention may then turn to the transfer market, as the new management team look to build a squad capable of challenging at the top of the League One table.

We'll report the news of all the comings and goings right here on Gills365.