Sack Race
- Thread starter shotshy
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Lozzy-Hove_Gill
Vital Reserves Team
T
Two clubs which maybe of interest to Harris, if budget meetings go to pot!!!
chris who
Vital Champions League
Time to show some faith in Harris. He wasn't impressed by the things he saw when he arrived but has a opportunity to really build his own squad. I am fairly sure that the players he spoke of leaving that are under contract are keen to do just that.Being in league two mean more opportunities to develop which he already spoke of. Signings will be careful looked at not on fitness but attitude. In many ways this is more of a opportunity now .It can be done you only have to look at Cheltenham and Cambridge to see clubs that have come up on fairly tight budgets making a decent fist of league one.
chris who
Vital Champions League
It could be argued that Pulis learned a lot in the season in league two or equivalent. Many of the players are different to what you need in league one .But if we are recruiting and using our own 18 to 22 year olds they will have a better chance of getting a proper amount of action in league two that could be valuable if they then get a chance to play for us in league one in a year or two.
I would guess we might be looking at a dozen or more senior seasoned players and almost the same number of youngsters. Allowing friendly reserve action etc.
If we are only keeping about 4 or 5 that might mean the arrival of 18 to 20 players. A busy time for Harris, Livermore,Shorey and Scally.
I would guess we might be looking at a dozen or more senior seasoned players and almost the same number of youngsters. Allowing friendly reserve action etc.
If we are only keeping about 4 or 5 that might mean the arrival of 18 to 20 players. A busy time for Harris, Livermore,Shorey and Scally.
PuB
Vital 1st Team Regular
He and Scally have both stated he’s on a two and a half year deal, so two more seasons. Let’s trust them on that.
NH’s comments have gone down very well with fans, not just ours but fans of other clubs who are impressed with his honesty. I don’t think the stuff about budgets was a moan or the bit about the tactics board, I think he was just trying to get a dose of reality out about what the situation was like before he arrived. Good for him, it doesn’t mean he isn’t committed.
This article was a nice touch too, he’s a classy guy is our Neil: https://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/sport/amp/neil-harris-with-a-message-to-gillinghams-fans-266521/
NH’s comments have gone down very well with fans, not just ours but fans of other clubs who are impressed with his honesty. I don’t think the stuff about budgets was a moan or the bit about the tactics board, I think he was just trying to get a dose of reality out about what the situation was like before he arrived. Good for him, it doesn’t mean he isn’t committed.
This article was a nice touch too, he’s a classy guy is our Neil: https://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/sport/amp/neil-harris-with-a-message-to-gillinghams-fans-266521/
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mancunianinmedway
Vital Youth Team
I don’t think Harris is going to leave before he’s even really gotten started. He really does sound committed to the job and the project of rebuilding the club.
I see a lot of talk about if Scally backs him etc. But it doesn’t make sense that Scally would get Harris in as manager then bring Shorey on board as head of recruitment if he wasn’t serious about doing as much as he can without resorting to getting the club into loads of debt etc.
I also don’t think Harris or Shorey would have taken their respective jobs if they thought Scally wasn’t serious about supporting them.
i see a lot of attempts on social media (from the usual suspects) trying to stir up negativity, and I can only see that getting worse as we get closer to the start of the season.
Expect them to go into full-on overdrive if Harris even dares to think about making any decent signings.
I see a lot of talk about if Scally backs him etc. But it doesn’t make sense that Scally would get Harris in as manager then bring Shorey on board as head of recruitment if he wasn’t serious about doing as much as he can without resorting to getting the club into loads of debt etc.
I also don’t think Harris or Shorey would have taken their respective jobs if they thought Scally wasn’t serious about supporting them.
i see a lot of attempts on social media (from the usual suspects) trying to stir up negativity, and I can only see that getting worse as we get closer to the start of the season.
Expect them to go into full-on overdrive if Harris even dares to think about making any decent signings.
Captainreblue
Vital 1st Team Regular
If we're reporting back for pre season on June 22 (?) as NH has said, it does make you wonder how many players we'll actually have on thr training hround that day as the transfer window doesn't open until early June.
History says we'll still be 'waiting' for players to sign well into July.
History says we'll still be 'waiting' for players to sign well into July.
PhilK66
Vital 1st Team Regular
One or two usual suspects on here too!
NorthamptonGills
Vital Youth Team
Completely agree with this.
TP assembled a squad ideally equipped for mid 90s bottom tier. Dave Martin stands out as a prime example of someone who got us out that league but was upgraded for the demands of Div 3
Naylor, Rattray, Puttnam and Glen Thomas fall into the same category
To an extent Ratcliffe, Stannard, Harris, Bailey and Leo can be viewed similarly, good enough for us to consolidate in the higher league, but replaced as Pulis took it to the next level
Sparky O'Connor we'll never know. Absolutely on fire at the start of that season but never the same once Thomas had intervened
If NH can build a squad in a similar way I'll be more than happy :)
Interesting that just a few of the team that struggled through the previous year featured much. Only Tony Butler, Foster, Carpenter, Micklewhite, Green and Neil Smith with more than 10 appearances. We'll have a similar small carry over next season for sure (I had Billy Manuel in that list too, had completely forgotten that he went away and came back in the January of our promotion year)
GillsBluenose
Vital Football Hero
I always thought Ratcliffe was too good for the team that TP first put together. Ex Manure and Brentford, he was classy and the polar opposite to the none to subtle niggler Dave Martin, so I was surprised when he signed .
I really do not remember him playing on much after we were promoted to League One but he apparently made 105 appearances for us, right up until he retired in 1998:
Simon Ratcliffe - Wikipedia
I didn't even know that he manages Gillingham Ladies and the Girls academy so stayed in the area.
Nobby_66
Vital Football Hero
I've no idea how these things work but is it possible both Harris and Shorey have a shopping list already with two or three possibilities for each position? I'm guessing someone in "recruitment" would have some sort of portfolio of alternatives?
chris who
Vital Champions League
Ratcliffe hasn't been the ladies manager for a
few seasons at least.
https://shekicks.net/gillingham-drops-ladies-team-but-side-to-continue-as-independent-entity/
chris who
Vital Champions League
Harris has already said that he was looking at recruitment before he signed for us .It is possible that was one of the reasons why the appointment was a few weeks later than would have been wanted by Scally.Shorey came later but has already been working on recruitment before so yes he would have players immediately in mind.Some will only have been available had we stayed up.But of course I agree Nobby at this stage he would have a small list of potential signings in each position.
NorthamptonGills
Vital Youth Team
Ratcliffe was a fine player, similar to Dempsey in lots of ways I think.
But TP's constant rebuilding project meant that Martin was immediately replaced by Hess and Ratcliffe by Paul Smith
We used to have decent enough players, no?!?!
Captainreblue
Vital 1st Team Regular
I'd imagine we have some players already in mind and have probably already tapped up a few potential signings (via their agents) as to their potential interest in joining us.
That however is the bit we can control, the bit we can't control is the player actually agreeing a deal that early on in the summer and commiting to us. The vast majority of available players will have their services touted about by their agents and will want clubs competing for their signature to drive their negotiating strength, which will ultimately drag out them signing (for whoever they end up joining)
When you think we're going to be looking at recruiting probably 15 players at least, it's going to be a busy time if we're going to get most of our business done by mid July (so a month after the window opens) let alone by 22nd of June.
It's going to be a really tough gig for NH and PS this summer.
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There will be players unwilling to commit at this stage in case a "better" offer comes along later in the summer. It may only be when that better offer fails to materialise that they'll join. All tapped up by the agents of course who will play the clubs off against each other to ramp up potential wages.
SE1_Gills
Vital 1st Team Regular
Completely agree with this.
TP assembled a squad ideally equipped for mid 90s bottom tier. Dave Martin stands out as a prime example of someone who got us out that league but was upgraded for the demands of Div 3
Naylor, Rattray, Puttnam and Glen Thomas fall into the same category
To an extent Ratcliffe, Stannard, Harris, Bailey and Leo can be viewed similarly, good enough for us to consolidate in the higher league, but replaced as Pulis took it to the next level
Sparky O'Connor we'll never know. Absolutely on fire at the start of that season but never the same once Thomas had intervened
If NH can build a squad in a similar way I'll be more than happy :)
Interesting that just a few of the team that struggled through the previous year featured much. Only Tony Butler, Foster, Carpenter, Micklewhite, Green and Neil Smith with more than 10 appearances. We'll have a similar small carry over next season for sure (I had Billy Manuel in that list too, had completely forgotten that he went away and came back in the January of our promotion year)
I loved those players you mentioned, proper Gills
Upbury Gills
Vital Youth Team
Monkey hangers sack manager for devotees of league2 on gates of 5200
