Headley: No-one likes us...
Surfing my way round the message boards as the season reached its climax, it was pretty clear who the fans' favourites were in the relegation showdown between Gillingham and Walsall.
Obviously Stoke fans were full of it at the time. After all, they had the opportunity to put down the team that had denied them their opportunity of promotion in 2000. Add to that the Pulis v Scally factor, plus a couple of ex-Gills leading their line and it was clear to see why the Stokies were very much up for the battle on the final day.
It wasn't all about Stoke however. It appeared just about everybody else wanted to see the Gills drop too. I began to wonder why this was. From reading the various opinions aired on the net, it seems our unpopularity is down to a number of factors. The following comments have been paraphrased from various message boards and conversations I've had with fans of rival clubs...
'You have a 'tin-pot' ground'
As one of the smaller clubs in the First Division, Gillingham entered Div 1 competition without the required all-seater stadium. The Town End was still all uncovered terracing. League rules stipulated we had to convert the ground to all seater within two seasons, so, with money too tight to mention for chairman Paul Scally, we erected a temporary, uncovered, all-seater stand behind the goal. Named the Brian Moore Stand, this still hasn't gone down too well with opposition fans, who seem to have taken rather badly to being housed in a stand that is open to all the elements. Our away loos and tea bars weren't the best either, so a big 'thumbs down' from the opposition travelling support there too.
'You're miles from anybody'
The vast majority of Division One clubs are based north of London - and having to travel all the way down to Kent hasn't endeared us to the opposition fans either. I suppose the quality of the away fans facilities just adds insult to injury when they get here too.
'Your manager is hated by the rest of the league'
Andy Hessenthaler, by his very nature, is the sort of man you'd love at your club, but detest if he was against you. He's a scrapper - and as he's started to get older, he's not averse to having the odd chat to a referee as the game goes on. In many ways, he's like an annoying little terrier. You either deal with him strongly, or he'll take a bite out of you.
'Your chairman is a PR disaster'
Since his arrival at GFC, one thing Paul Scally has done for the club is generate column inches. His programme notes have been compared to those of former Chelsea chairman Ken Bates at times - and stories regarding banning fans from the ground and attempts to change the colour of the home kit have left fans of rival clubs in disbelief at times. Some of these criticisms are fair, while others could have been prevented with a better PR approach.
'Your fans are thick'
While the majority of our fans are as pleasant and decent as the next team's, this statement is difficult to argue against at times. The level of intelligence of some of the fans who think it clever to abuse opposition fans on their own message boards is not the highest. Also, the strange obsession with the whole 'Pikey' identity makes our fans look rather feeble too. For a start barely any of the Gills fans are of Gypsy origin, so why play up to the stereotype we have now been saddled with? Finally, some of our support aren't exactly the best either. Chants such as 'Get into em...f*ck 'em up' are a throwback to the hooligan days of the 80's and don't show the club or our fans in a very good light at all. I'm sure there are elements like this at most football clubs across the country, but as our fanbase isn't very big, these people are more noticeable and unfortunately may drive away the occasional fan, who under different circumstances, may eventually become a season ticket holder in the future.
'?????????'
The final reason is the one that only a few opposition fans admit to. Gillingham, last season excepted, is a very tough place to get three points. Many so-called bigger clubs have come to Priestfield and sloped away with nothing to show for their efforts, having been outplayed and/or outbattled by the Gills. Perhaps some of the fans felt Walsall were a little less of a threat than Gillingham...
Whatever any of the opposition fans thought, we survived. That should make it all the more satisfying to see us take on, and hopefully beat, these clubs whose fans who have criticised the club, kicking us when we are down. We're still here in Division One - and we'll hopefully be a better side this coming season...