Headley: It's time for some quality

Last updated : 09 August 2005 By Simon Head

Stan: We'd love him to stay, but what happens if he goes?
It’s not a bad time to be a Gills fan right now. We’re playing at the highest level in our history, we’ve a nice comfortable stadium, we enjoy great away trips to big clubs and big stadia – and thanks to Stan Ternent, we also have a team worth watching again. However, if rumours are to be believed, everything is about to change this summer.


I’ve heard from various sources (though it must be said, not the most important source of all, Stan himself) that Stan has already decided to leave Priestfield in the summer and go back up north to manage a club closer to his Lancashire home. Depending on what you read and believe, it could be due to a massive falling out with the chairman, or simply a hankering to be working nearer to his family. Either way, the rumour mill seems to be convinced that Stan will leave us in the summer.


If Stan does decide to leave, he’ll depart with my best wishes, regardless of the outcome this season. Stan has galvanised the team in a way that Andy Hessenthaler could only dream of – and he’s managed to extract big performances from players who, under Hess, looked ready for retirement rather than contract extensions. Despite Ronnie Jepson’s comments that Stan isn’t a disciplinarian, I think that the arrival of the two Burnley boys has been a real shock to the system. Patrick Agyemang’s pre-match comments last week suggested that the players were both surprised at Stan’s arrival, and somewhat put out by his approach to training and the effort required.

Well, whatever those methods were, they have certainly been working in recent weeks. The team has been unrecognizeable from the shower regularly selected by Andy Hessenthaler. The team looks organised, focused and committed, three qualities conspicuous by their absence at various times during the 18 months preceding Stan’s arrival.


If we are to believe that Stan is going to leave in the summer, I’d suggest this summer is the biggest in our recent history. It seems likely that Stan will keep us up, but even if he does, all his hard work could so easily be undone by a badly thought out managerial appointment in the summer. So much needs to be considered – and quickly – if the Gills are to avoid relegation next season.


Firstly, Paul Scally needs to know for definite whether Stan is staying or going. With the new transfer window imposed on the Football League next season (what a totally ridiculous idea that is, by the way), all the clubs will need to conduct their transfer business before the end of August. This means a new manager must be brought into the club at the earliest possible opportunity. Whoever we bring in will need to address the problem of a sub-standard squad, by wheeling and dealing in the transfer market, and that will take time.


Of course, equally as important as a quick appointment is the quality of the appointment. Andy Hessenthaler’s appointment was a cheap option, make no mistake. His shortcomings were well hidden in his early years as manager, thanks to the majority of his squad being at the peak of their footballing careers. However, the squad was allowed to age, the quality players were sold off and we were left with a listless, ageing side with a few too many players seemingly happy to pick up their wages. Stan has changed that and brought that all-important passion back into the side, but that simply goes to demonstrate that Gillingham needs a strong character at the helm.


The number one choice, of course would be Stan Ternent himself, but should he decide to go, there are a handful of excellent candidates. Names like Ronnie Moore have been mentioned but while he would be a reasonable candidate for the job, personally I’d prefer to go for a manager who is more hungry and perhaps has less run-of-the-mill methods. Whether they’d be interested in the job remains to be seen, but the likes of Brentford’s Martin Allen, Exeter City’s Alex Inglethorpe and Yeovil’s Gary Johnson would all make sound managerial appointments, capable of taking the club forward rather than backward.


There are certainly some ‘candidates’ who will doubtless be mentioned who I and many other Gills fans would be strongly against. The first would be a return for Andy Hessenthaler. Hess was a great player, but has shown himself to be far from up to it as a manager at this level. He needs more experience, but we shouldn’t sacrifice our league position to give Hess more experience. We need someone capable – and for my money, he isn’t, yet. Maybe in years to come he might blossom into a great manager, but he’s the main reason we’ve been in trouble in the last two seasons – and our chairman would do well to remember that when selecting a manager for next season and beyond.


Other names to send shivers down the spine would include Terry Fenwick, inexplicably linked with the Gills every time the managerial vacancy comes up, Paul Smith, whose leadership qualities as a captain aren’t always the most apparent and another cheap, unproven option, as is Steve Butler, currently working as an assistant to Peter Taylor (why he was allowed to leave us in 2000 is beyond me) at Hull. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Ronnie Jepson stay on, even if Stan does decide to leave. Ronnie’s been conducting a lot of pre-match and post-match press conferences for the Gills lately, which of course could be down to Stan’s attitude towards some of our rather sub-par media coverage, particularly the radio stations, but it is just as likely to be the club grooming Ronnie for the job full-time next season. If Jeppo was handed the job, I’d be happy enough with that. He’d be a cheaper option, yes, but he seems to have the qualities we need. But whoever we do end up with, he will need to be given the backing of the chairman to offload players and get new ones in. Three of our best players lately have been McEveley, Douglas and Flynn. Thankfully, we have Flynn on a permanent contract, but the two Blackburn boys have been light-years ahead of other players in the side this season – and that’s the sort of quality we should be seeking to bring into the club to help us consolidate in the Championship next season (assuming we stay up, that is).


As things stand, we do not have a confirmed manager for next season. It would be great if it was Stan Ternent, but if not, then we need someone fast. I think we’re at the end of an era at Priestfield – and I hope the chairman can bring in someone to build on what we’ve achieved so far. We need a manager and a new team. It’s a big job – and no cheap option is going to help us now. We got away with it last season – and thanks to Stan, we may well get away with it again this season, but the situation is pretty clear. It’s time for some quality, or it’s back to the lower divisions.