New signings this week?)
- Thread starter PhilK66
- Start date
chris who
Vital Champions League
Surely we can sign out of contract players anytime?Agree on Jackson and the striker if funds are available. But I have a feeling we have no funds over and above what we are already committed too.If Scally has there is a chance that we will make contract renewals as top priority. We are almost certainly going nowhere this season in all probability so does it really matter if we come 18th or 8th.I can see Scally having good reason to make a case for the spending such as he has to go on Jordan Graham and maybe one or two others as against getting in a player who is very much second choice and might not play that bigger part in things.
Vambogills
Vital Football Hero
An out of contract striker who is guaranteed to to convert a wealth of knocked down headers into goals?
That's a big ask.
That's a big ask.
chris who
Vital Champions League
In all honesty we simply couldn't compete in the championship and promotion on current budgets or very little more might see us in total free fall from next season. Try for promotion by all means but honestly let's just survive. If we can build a team using the best of what we have over a few years that is a better mold for long term success.Lets try to get a few under longer contracts that prize with the right players is worth far more than any player sitting on his arse right now.
shotshy
Vital Champions League
PhilK66
Vital 1st Team Regular
Cannot agree with that Chris. I think it will be a miracle if we can hold onto the likes of Graham and Dempsey for next season unless we can either get promotion or have a revenue generating run in the playoffs . We have the chances being created but lack the finishing touch and our defensive weakness is largely down Jackson's side. He has his attacking strengths it must be said in his defence.
chris who
Vital Champions League
Why give up on keeping our best players financial offers of fees will be peanuts now?So it is all about contacts let's try to keep our best to my mind over the years we have not done that .When we did that under Pulis,Taylor and Hess we had our most successful spell in all of our history. So with no real money it isn't easy .But nor is continuing to look for another Egan and Eaves every season. Sign more players now and you can give up on our best signing new contracts.Regardless of who is in charge next season he will want to start with a base of a few good players.
OneSirKeefy
Vital Football Hero
Fully agree on the need to try and re-contract our best players. And I reckon PS and SE would have been trying all season to get the Graham’s and Dempseys to re-sign.
But I agree with Phil. I’d be amazed if say, Jordan Graham was to sign a new contract. Whatever we could offer would be peanuts compared to what he’d get in the Championship. And I think he’ll have multiple offers there.
Our best hope is that we can get him to sign a nice improved contract with a get out clause. But you’d imagine he’s already been advised to not sign, and that way he’ll get even bigger wages when he moves. And he’ll move in the summer with my thanks for a great year and a half with us.
Only way we can get players on long contracts is when they are complete unknowns, or a pretty poor record and we sign them straight away on 5 year deals in the hope they improve.
Anyone think we are seriously in a position to do that? Would anyone have offered Tom Eaves a 5 year deal when we signed him from Yeovil on the back of 4 goals in a season?
Archiepoptart
Vital 1st Team Regular
I completely agree . If we can build a team.
The problem with your summation, as I see it, is the continual chopping and changing of managers every couple of seasons. As soon as the new boss comes in he starts an immediate rebuild program.
Rob_b100
Vital 1st Team Regular
I think this is the main thing, as OSK puts it, in hindsight then yes we should’ve given Graham a 4 year deal when he signed. But he was very injury prone and a risk. Same as when we signed magammon on (I think) a 3 year deal and made him a top earner at the time. Again That was a risk and obviously ended a disaster.
Another is willock, I was genuinely excited with his signing but it seems that even a two year deal for him has been worthless, I assume he will be realeased at the end of his contract, but we so easily could’ve signed him for longer initially and been stuck with him warming the bench and keeping the medical staff busy for another couple of years.
I suppose you wins some you lose some.
chris who
Vital Champions League
But that is precisely why we need to slap new contracts down as soon as possible with all players who prove their worth not wait until a few weeks before the end of that cheap contract they signed.Cut back on meaningless squad players if needed .Build a team If a player is not outstanding but able to do a job at our level then get him on a longer contract. Rebuilding with ten new free transfers and half a dozen loans every season is not a way to progress in my opinion.Gillingham is meaningless it is a job with the current policy. A load of players thrown together.
If we carry on the policy of the last few years the only way we are going is down long term.Lets at least try to build a group who with fight for one another.
wxgill
Vital 1st Team Regular
The best clause in a contract for a club is if you play x games your contract gets extended by a year.
That way if a player starts excelling you get a chance to seel them while they are contracted.
That said, if they are crap, you have to pay them for another year but it's better than losing Graham or Dempsey for free.
That way if a player starts excelling you get a chance to seel them while they are contracted.
That said, if they are crap, you have to pay them for another year but it's better than losing Graham or Dempsey for free.
Captainreblue
Vital 1st Team Regular
It's a fine line between getting players who are valuable signed up on contracts and those that are toilet not, with the best tool to use to judge is hindsight (or a Crystal ball).
Agree with Rob about Willock, thought he was a decent young prospect when he signed but he's just failed to deliver, yet when we signed Eeeeeeaves I doubt many of us thought that was going to turn out as it did.
I assume the length of contract offered is recommended by the manager signing the player not by PS so again it's about opinion and why when the manager only sticks around for a couple if years we only offer similar lengths of contract to players wanted by said manager. The revolving door policy of players is frustrating when you get decent players but is beneficial when they're crap. Sadly, until we have a better financial footing we won't be able to take a gamble on players with longer term contracts, which might reward the club financially with the better signings but will also cost the club more when you sign the likes of Willock and Magohma et all.
Agree with Rob about Willock, thought he was a decent young prospect when he signed but he's just failed to deliver, yet when we signed Eeeeeeaves I doubt many of us thought that was going to turn out as it did.
I assume the length of contract offered is recommended by the manager signing the player not by PS so again it's about opinion and why when the manager only sticks around for a couple if years we only offer similar lengths of contract to players wanted by said manager. The revolving door policy of players is frustrating when you get decent players but is beneficial when they're crap. Sadly, until we have a better financial footing we won't be able to take a gamble on players with longer term contracts, which might reward the club financially with the better signings but will also cost the club more when you sign the likes of Willock and Magohma et all.
Last edited:
jogills
Vital Football Hero
Mid table with the odd unexpected win against "bigger" opposition is more than good enough for me. I can't help being a little greedy and hoping for a sneaky signing or two, which might allow us to play a little differently. Short contracts can favour both sides as others have said. Longer contracts carry their own risks, Samuel's injury for instance. Some of our fans would have tied Oldaker to a four year contract. Stay lean, stay in the game, play percentages is a good overall strategy for the club at present. Swindon near the edge.
chris who
Vital Champions League
When you look back the players we have signed on loan or permanent from the Biggest clubs have generally been at best average at worst rubbish. I must say I never thought Willock would be that great .The Arsenal lads.That Chelsea midfield player we had a few years back. Going back at lot further that centre forward from Spurs Cooper what a waste of space.Target players from the likes of Southampton sure .But I would be happy if we never touched another player direct from the big six or seven clubs to be honest.
jogills
Vital Football Hero
I understand what you say Chris but I think it's all about the quality on offer. I'd guess that we usually only get a shot at the utterly inexperienced, or the not as good from the really big clubs. If we ever get a chance to sign a highly fancied player from a top 6 club on loan, I hope we grab it.
alex_farrells_left_peg
Vital Squad Member
I have a feeling that a team has to really be in with a shout of getting promotion, playing non-hoofball to get hold of the more decent loanee's. A championship club will almost certainly end up with top end players (Tammy Abraham, Patrick Bamford) from the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs for example. The clubs "oop north" generally end up getting loan players in from the Northern top club basically for logistic reasons (although Celtics' Robertson was definitely an exception although he now plays for Doncaster which is a damned sight nearer than Medway.
Top six or 8 from league one generally end up getting those players who were just not quite good enough for championship clubs and the lower you go...... no need to explain further, methinks. I would like to say a big thankyou to the Saints though, they really have come up trumps for us this past two years.....
By the way - we had (an injured) Harry Cornick (sorry Harry) once from Bournemouth and everyone was saying the was too lightweight, injury prone, rubbish and we should send him back - useless!!! This is the same Harry Cornick (sorry again Harry) who is now plying his trade with Luton and playing well in a league we can only dream about reaching. Just goes to show that we, the Gills supporters, don't always get it right.
Top six or 8 from league one generally end up getting those players who were just not quite good enough for championship clubs and the lower you go...... no need to explain further, methinks. I would like to say a big thankyou to the Saints though, they really have come up trumps for us this past two years.....
By the way - we had (an injured) Harry Cornick (sorry Harry) once from Bournemouth and everyone was saying the was too lightweight, injury prone, rubbish and we should send him back - useless!!! This is the same Harry Cornick (sorry again Harry) who is now plying his trade with Luton and playing well in a league we can only dream about reaching. Just goes to show that we, the Gills supporters, don't always get it right.
Last edited:
GillsBluenose
Vital Football Hero
To be fair, as I recall Harry Cornick was injured when he joined us and the impression I had was that Bournemouth loaned him out to us for a short period during which he would try to attain full fitness.
He was also about 21 and had not developed his current physique.
I think most of us realised that it was not fair to judge him, based on that spell. We also could see that he was better than Joe Quigley, whose career has gone in the other direction. Not sure we ever had the option to sign him permanently.
Last edited:
alex_farrells_left_peg
Vital Squad Member
Thanks for showing me the correct spelling of his name - I must have had too much Cornish ice-cream before climbing behind the keyboard *grins
