I know, I know. We’ve only signed one player. A goalkeeper at that. Even though we have two superb stoppers already. I know. 
I also know we’ve not signed anybody else yet. Despite the fact we’ve seen no less than six first-teamers leave Priestfield this summer. I know.
But I’m still confident we’ll do OK this season. Why? Because for the first time since Peter Taylor was at the helm, we’ve got a manager who has his head screwed on, knows exactly what he wants and won’t accept anything less.
Gillingham FC has been a bit like a duck on a pond this summer (go with it - this will make sense in a minute!). Despite the relative lack of obvious effort on the surface, beneath that, the legs are working away feverishly. We’ve had little or no news from the club recently – and that, coupled with the all-too obvious transfer activities of our League One rivals, has meant a lot of the Gills fanbase are getting a tad concerned at our situation this season. Some have convinced themselves that we’re broke, others that we just don’t know what we’re doing – and there have even been calls for the chairman to leave.
Personally, I think this is all a huge over-reaction. Why? Quite simply, the season doesn’t start for another three weeks – and no trophies are won in July. Neale Cooper has gone on record this weekend to tell the fans that there’s plenty of work going on behind the scenes to not just bring players in, but to make sure those players have the right stuff. We’re not accepting mercenary players who are in it for the money. We’re after hungry players who want to play for
Cooper’s held talks with five players in the last week or so – and he’s also running the rule over a number of trialists to try and unearth another player or two, but the key thing to bear in mind here is the activity IS happening. We’re just not seeing (or hearing about) it.
Another thing to bear in mind is the new manager himself. He left Hartlepool United last season and was widely expected to go back to
He would have had discussions with the chairman, would have been made fully aware of the situation the club now finds itself in and would have known the constraints within which he would have to work. And he took the job, so that tells me that the club isn’t in such a bad state as some of our fans may have us believe. Cooper is a highly-rated manager who would have had no trouble getting another managerial role had he not joined the Gills. Bearing all that in mind, I really don’t think we should be panicking. Quite simply, Neale Cooper is keeping his powder dry until he can get those players who have the characteristics he demands for his team.
We already know what those characteristics are: fitness, desire, hunger and the ability to pass the football. In short, the very same characteristics that were lacking in our last two league campaigns. Our squad is thin at the moment, but we don’t play a League One match for another three weeks.
Give Cooper time – and he’ll deliver - I'm sure of that.
The team WILL take time to gel. It WILL take time to adapt to the new (better) style of play demanded by the manager and it WILL take time for the results to come. But Cooper’s track record in these situations is clear. He builds his side, gets them playing to his style, then the results come.
How else could a club like Hartlepool United compete with the likes of
It’s easy to get carried away with the pessimism that’s been going round, but just look at Cooper’s record of building competitive teams, then consider why he joined us, and then read his comments (on this site) about the current situation regarding new arrivals – and you can feel a lot more positive about the coming season.
If we give Neale Cooper time – and back him to the hilt, I am sure he will deliver. It’s been a quiet summer, but the next three weeks will bring more encouraging news. Keep the faith and trust the manager. Look at what he did with