ARFUR CONNELL
Vital Reserves Team
I can remember Nyron nutmegging a player in our R.B. position. Nearly had a heart attack, but he got clean away. Can't remember the team, but they were far better than us at the time, which made it all the better.
Players that proved us wrong
- Thread starter GillsBluenose
- Start date
Captainreblue
Vital 1st Team Regular
Probably the best performance I saw from Nyron was away at Burnley on a Tuesday evening in about 2000, he played superbly and man marked Ian Wright out the game. Nyron was immense that night and wouldn't have been surprised if he even followed Wright home that night.
alphabet_king
Vital 1st Team Regular
I always rated Nyron.
I think he actually started playing as CM before he got to right back for us. Incidentally I think he had his best season for Sunderland(?) after us at CB rather than full back. I think he won POTY there, and had some of the highest stats of a CB in the premiership that season.
I actually thought he was going to be an amazing poor man's Viera - and thrive at CDM. He still did very well, but obviously not in that position.
Nobby_66
Vital Football Hero
Yes, remember that, didn't he get a bit shitty with Trevor Brooking as he came off? Seem to remember words being exchanged between them. I don't think Sir Trev was too impressed
Nobby_66
Vital Football Hero
Loved it when that winner went in, it was scorching hot that day IIRC and I was amazed at his long running celebration. Shame but the footage obviously doesn't show how much hard work he put in that day.
timnolongerinbrisban
Vital Squad Member
Not exactly an ex-player, but I’ve just been for a run along the Thames path and literally bumped into Ronnie Jepson outside the Hilton hotel. Boro are playing Millwall tomorrow.
Thought about saying hello, but given his touch line technique, he’d have probably have bawled me out for not getting behind the ball quick enough.
Thought about saying hello, but given his touch line technique, he’d have probably have bawled me out for not getting behind the ball quick enough.
RotherhitheGill
Vital 1st Team Regular
Gary Mulligan was on target as Gillingham Reserves drew 1-1 with Millwall on Tuesday afternoon at the London club’s Calmont Road training ground. The Lions had to play two-thirds of the match with just ten men after striker Ashley Grimes was sent-off following an altercation with Gillingham midfielder Charlie Howard.
Gary Mulligan and Ashley Grimes in the same report!
Charlie Howard (very good prospect who never made it) lived just around the corner to me.
Gary Mulligan and Ashley Grimes in the same report!
Charlie Howard (very good prospect who never made it) lived just around the corner to me.
Rob_b100
Vital 1st Team Regular
I remember that game and Defoe getting sent off. Tomasz Repka at the back had a bit of a mare. David James in goal for them too. Marlon King scored a belter of a free kick in front of the RE iirc.
Edited to say - loved junior Lewis too. Great player and truly nice man the few times I met him.
I have vague, possibly mis-remembered recollections of Iwan Roberts scoring a hattrick against us, so again thought he could be a decent signing, but we got him far too late in his career unfortunately by which time he was only fit for non league football.
chris who
Vital Champions League
Far too many like Charlie Howard don't make that final step at Gillingham. Romeo ,Carew,Hare another lad who played for MK Don's for a few seasons whose name escapes me go on to have league careers many more don't. We are now getting in decent loan players but we still can't seem to send out players to the national league or league two to develop them.Henry Woods is a example.We possibly need a development officer /Chief Scout who is respected in the game to help find lads a place and help the manager scouting players .It has to be cost effective if it cuts down the number of useless signings and develops a few more good youngsters. The problem with developing players I'd the manager in possession of the job never sees the final product. So with money tight more and more quality young players will be on the scrap heap.
Nobby_66
Vital Football Hero
Definitely, watched his debut expecting great things and came away thinking "carthorse"
GillsBluenose
Vital Football Hero
Not sure if he scored a hattrick against us but I do remember him scoring the third Norwich goal at Priestfield when they almost came back from 4-0 down to snatch a draw. Iffy was the one that scored a hattrick that day:
Gillingham v Norwich City, 07 April 2001 - 11v11 match report
LockdownLife
Vital Squad Member
Pretty sure I was at that game as a kid. Didn't their keeper come charging out for one of our goals and miss it? Dad had to teach me what kamikaze meant after hearing it on the radio on the way home.
Archiepoptart
Vital 1st Team Regular
With family in Norfolk I saw a fair bit (ok 4 games) of Roberts the season before we bought him and thought he was exactly the player we needed.
I couldnt believe how much fitness and mobility a professional player could loose over a few weeks.
I couldnt believe how much fitness and mobility a professional player could loose over a few weeks.
Nobby_66
Vital Football Hero
Absolutely but my overriding memory of him was that he just looked so disinterested, one of a few "big names" that I'm sure just came for one last wage packet as they knew they wouldn't get one anywhere else. (Steve Lomas anyone???)
Makes you wonder how much training he did with us. Perhaps he was at the stage where he just felt he could turn up for the games?
Shamelessly lifted from Wikipedia, I’d forgotten he was even briefly joint caretaker manager after Hess and then John Gorman left, but once Stan Ternent took over the writing was on the wall for his time at the club:
“After being released by Norwich, he received a number of offers to play for other clubs, including from Swiss side FC Basel, but eventually signed a two-year contract with Gillingham of the Championship, where he would be player/coach.[60]Roberts his debut against Ipswich, Norwich's local rivals, and was booked after less than five seconds.[5] The move to Gillingham did not prove a good one for him and he had a number of disagreements with the club, particularly with Stan Ternent after he succeeded Andy Hessenthaler as manager.[5][63] In December 2004 Roberts had himself served as joint caretaker manager, along with Darren Hare and Paul Smith, after the sudden departure of both Hessenthaler and initial caretaker John Gorman.[5] In March 2005 he joined Cambridge United on loan until the end of the season to play under the management of former Norwich team-mate, Rob Newman.[2] He scored his 200th league goal on his debut,[5] but Cambridge were relegated from League Two.[64] In August 2005, Roberts retired from playing after reaching an agreement with Gillingham to pay the final year of his contract.[63]”
“After being released by Norwich, he received a number of offers to play for other clubs, including from Swiss side FC Basel, but eventually signed a two-year contract with Gillingham of the Championship, where he would be player/coach.[60]Roberts his debut against Ipswich, Norwich's local rivals, and was booked after less than five seconds.[5] The move to Gillingham did not prove a good one for him and he had a number of disagreements with the club, particularly with Stan Ternent after he succeeded Andy Hessenthaler as manager.[5][63] In December 2004 Roberts had himself served as joint caretaker manager, along with Darren Hare and Paul Smith, after the sudden departure of both Hessenthaler and initial caretaker John Gorman.[5] In March 2005 he joined Cambridge United on loan until the end of the season to play under the management of former Norwich team-mate, Rob Newman.[2] He scored his 200th league goal on his debut,[5] but Cambridge were relegated from League Two.[64] In August 2005, Roberts retired from playing after reaching an agreement with Gillingham to pay the final year of his contract.[63]”
Archiepoptart
Vital 1st Team Regular
Just a shockingly bad fit all round then. Bugger!
chris who
Vital Champions League
At least Lomas walked away from his contract a huge mistake that could have been so much worse.But in the end he showed he wasn't honestly trying to rip off the club unlike many others we could name.That's how I remember it anyway I could be wrong.
Last edited:
Captainreblue
Vital 1st Team Regular
The thing with Lomas and Roberts (even Wallace and Johnson to a lesser extent) was that their bodies were shot. You could see what they wanted to do, the touch, vision, skill and knowing in their head what they wanted to do were still there but the physical ability to get around the pitch as they had done 5 years previously to joining us had just gone. A real shamee, but I guess we wouldn't have had them here at all if they'd been in their prime, or even close to it.
Last edited:
