When Stan Ternent left the club at the end of last season, I expected it to be a busy summer, but so far it’s proved to be a frustrating one for us Gills fans. Despite securing the services of Neale Cooper (the best candidate out there as far as I was concerned), the only activity among the playing staff has been players leaving, others going on holiday and one showing his commitment to the cause by giving up his summer break to get fit and earn a new contract.
I think most fans know the squad isn’t good enough – and now we’ve lost a number of players, the need to bring in new faces is even more obvious, yet we’re still waiting. It seems the club is happy to bide its time before making any moves in the transfer market. ‘Let’s deal with what we’ve got here now’ seems to be the overriding thought.
Paul Scally has announced he’s going to try to cut the wage bill by 50%. Best of luck to him! That probably means big decisions are imminent for a number of our out-of-contract players, particularly our more senior pros. Whatever people’s opinions of their abilities on the field of play, being asked to either take a pay cut of as much as 70% (as some have suggested) or take a hike is a pretty hard decision to make, especially when your recent form suggests there won’t be a long queue of managers banging on your door to sign you up. Whatever happens with those players, and regardless of how I feel some of them have played recently, I wish them well.
Scally’s financial restructuring is a necessary evil as we look to streamline ourselves into a more efficient club. Doing so will ensure our medium-term future – and with some shrewd signings in the weeks ahead, our short-term future could be bright, too.
It’s all going rather slowly at the moment, but once we’ve cleared up the contract situations of the remaining out-of-contract players, we should start to see some activity as Messrs Cooper and Jepson dip into the transfer market in search of the players that will help push us towards the top of the League One table next season. Cooper has plenty of know-how in this division – and knows all about building promotion contenders form his time at Hartlepool United and at Ross County, where he took his team from the bottom of the Scottish League to Scottish Division One, thanks to consecutive promotions.
I’m feeling pretty optimistic about the coming season. It looks like some of the older players may be leaving us, which means we’ll see a younger side turning out in blue next season, which can only be a good thing for our club. The heart of the side has been too old and, for my money, too slow and past it for us to stand a chance of being successful. Andy Hessenthaler failed to phase the ageing players out and replace them with younger ones – and we’ve been left with a side top heavy with players past their best. Thankfully, the contract situation should allow us to trim the squad down and bring in some suitable replacements to take us forward – and I firmly believe that’s what Neale Cooper will do.
The two main areas that need strengthening are in attack and at full back. Darius Henderson had a successful loan stint at this level before breaking into the side last season, but he needs a consistent strike partner. Darren Byfield has the ability to be a hit at this level, but based on his attitude last season, he may not be the answer. At fullback, Richard Rose could do a job at this level after looking slightly out of his depth at times in the Championship, but after losing Nyron Nosworthy to Sunderland and with John Hills set to sign for Blackpool, we’ll need at least one other fullback. Youngster Mark Cornielle might get a chance, but we’ll probably need someone with a little more first team experience. We could probably do with another centre half, too.
I honestly think we’ve got the potential to do very well next season. Defensively we’ll need to recruit and reorganise after a shambolic couple of seasons, but in midfield we’re not too badly off.
The likes of Danny Spiller, Andrew Crofts and Alan Pouton will hopefully become first team regulars this season – and this could be the season that Matty Jarvis makes the transition from super sub to first-team star.
But the man to watch next season is our most recent permanent signing. I have a sneaking suspicion that Michael Flynn could be the ace in our pack this coming season. Last season he demonstrated his ability to score goals from midfield, even in a struggling side that created precious few chances. In a lower division, in a side that will hopefully be a lot stronger in relative terms, Flynn could be a real asset to our side next season. I’m hoping for a big season from our resident Welsh wizard.
Up front, I think we could see a big season from Darius Henderson – and hopefully he’ll click with his striker partner early in the season and get into the goals straightaway. I’m almost certain Cooper will be looking to bring another striker in as a top priority – and hopefully whoever it is can strike up a prolific partnership with Henderson. We’ve not had a genuine strike partnership since the days of Asaba and Taylor – so a return to the days of having a side with strikers to fear would be a welcome change for the better.
So what will be the main differences between the Gills in the Championship and the Gills in League One?
Hopefully…
We’ll have a younger hungrier side.
We’ll create and score more goals.
We’ll win more games.
And most importantly of all…
We’ll enjoy our football again.
There were times when going to watch the Gills was very difficult, especially from October to mid-December when we played some of the worst football Priestfield’s seen in many a year. Now we’ve the opportunity for a fresh start in a new division with some new players and a new manager. We’re starting the season on a level playing field to the majority of our rivals and we’re actually one of the favourites for promotion.
Things are looking up and I can’t wait for the fixtures to come out in just over a week’s time. Then it’s time to take in a friendly or two before the season starts in earnest in the first weekend of August. Even though things are quiet at the moment, it’s an exciting time to be a Gills fan. Let’s hope it starts with a bang (and a win!).