We’ve been starved of official information for much of the summer, but this past week we saw things begin to happen – and you have to say, it’s bloody exciting stuff!
To précis Neale Cooper’s comments so far, he is looking at bringing in a fullback or two, plus at least one winger, probably two. He wants the Gills to play a pressure game when we don’t have the ball and then play good passing football, using wingers, when we do have it. After years of aimless hoofball and little or no width in the side, those comments have probably been music to the ears of many fans.
The gaffer has had to play a waiting game for much of the summer, but with the team back for pre-season training and with a number of players leaving the club, Cooper’s job starts in earnest right now. He has already earmarked a number of players to bring to the club – and hopefully we’ll see developments in that area over the next couple of weeks. It’s a case of making sure we get the men we want – and that might take time, but I’m sure if Cooper can get his chosen targets into the club earlier rather than later, he will. After all, a full pre-season with the squad would be hugely beneficial to all concerned.
For me, the most encouraging things Cooper has mentioned (and he’s mentioned them on more than one occasion, too) concern the way we’re going to play next season. Gone will be the narrow, speculative long-ball game and in will come a passing game, using width. The prospect of seeing a Gills side playing with wingers is one that excites me greatly. Some of my favourite players of all-time were wingers, Roberto Rivelino, Jairzinho, Eder, George Best, and players in that position always seem to have the ability to generate real excitement during games.
The last out-and-out winger we had was probably our supersub, John Hodge. He didn’t have the defensive skills to warrant a regular place in the side, but he was a hugely exciting and effective sub to bring on from the bench. His finest hour came against Kevin Keegan’s Fulham, where he came off the bench and, in stoppage time, skinned Rufus Brevett twice before crossing perfectly for Robert Taylor, who thumped a header into the top corner and attain Super Bob status from that moment on. Taylor got the plaudits, but Hodgey’s contribution was superb – and his appearances from the bench were always a real boost for the Priestfield crowd, because the pint-sized winger was exciting to watch. Hopefully we’ll see a return to those days. There’s something special about well-worked headed goals – and we’ve not scored too many of those in recent seasons (actually, we’ve not scored many goals full-stop!) so hopefully we can give Darius Henderson some quality service from wide areas this season. It suits his abilities perfectly and he’s sure to thrive on such service.
Cooper has also set out his aims for the season – and has stated that a Top 6 finish would represent a good season for us. Again, I think he’s spot on. Sometimes it’s tough for relegated teams to readjust to their new division, so anything in the playoff zone or above would be a real achievement this season, particularly after the number of changes we’re seeing this summer. I’d suggest that there are three or four clubs in a better position to challenge for the automatic promotion places at the moment, but who knows? A few shrewd signings and a good start to the season and we could see ourselves as genuine title contenders. The bookies certainly rate us as contenders, that’s for sure. Skybet even have us as second favourites for the title. I think that’s a bit off the mark, based on the upheaval currently taking place at Priestfield, but it’s certainly nice to be considered one of the better sides in the division. We’ve been among the favourites for relegation in previous seasons, so hopefully this season, in a new division, we’ll be much more competitive. With Neale Cooper at the helm, I think we’ve a very good chance of being just that – more competitive.
While Cooper’s comments and ideas on how he wants the team to play are hugely encouraging for the fans, I still think we should exercise a little caution in the early part of the season. In changing the style of play, Cooper will have to teach a fair few ‘old dogs’ some new tricks – i.e. passing the ball rather than hoofing it, especially our defenders. That will take time to achieve – and results might not be as good as we’re hoping for straightaway.
Remember when Peter Taylor arrived at Gillingham, he drilled into the team the importance of keeping possession – and it took the team until December to really get used to Taylor’s style of play. Things looked pretty bad early in the season – and some fans turned against Taylor, but in the New Year the team clicked and went on a fantastic run, culminating in a third-place finish and a playoff win.
It’s likely that changing the style of play will take a few games for the players to get used to – so if we do have a handful of bad results early in the season, stick with it and bear with the manager. Give him time and he’ll produce a winning team, playing good football. Just ask the Hartlepool fans. Cooper lost his first seven games at Hartlepool, but he turned them around. It’s unlikely to be an overnight success – it’s going to take time, so back the team, back the manager and give him time. His record says he’ll be a success.
Finally, I’ve been pretty open in my criticism of some players from last season – and I’ve gone on record, both on here and on various message boards, saying that I feel certain players should be moved on. My view is that players should get criticism where it is warranted – and likewise they should be praised when they do well. I’ve tried to be balanced in my opinions of players – and while I feel some are now past their best and would be better off moving on to allow us to bring in younger, fitter, hungrier players, I’ll give those same players my full support if they remain at the club. If players are committed and give their best, then that’s all you can ask of them. It’s down to the management to decide whether their best is good enough to warrant a place in the first team – and now we have a manager who can take the club forward, the fans should back his judgement to the hilt. It’s going to take time, but I’m convinced that not only is Neale Cooper the right man for the job, but also that he’ll eventually lead us to success.
If Cooper gets the team playing well straightaway, then we could be in for a hell of a season.