What is everyone expectations for this season then?
- Thread starter Gills88
- Start date
ME2blue
Vital Squad Member
All hinges on a few factors for me. Play-offs if:-
Jed signs a 15 plus goal striker.
Byrne and Knott prove to be decent signings.
Jed addresses defensive issues and signs a solid centre back to partner Ehmer. Not sure El Abd would be the answer.
Going into a new season on the back of some decent momentum is important. Gills finished the season in a slump, so a decent pre season is needed. So heart says playoffs, head says we might struggle this season.
Jed signs a 15 plus goal striker.
Byrne and Knott prove to be decent signings.
Jed addresses defensive issues and signs a solid centre back to partner Ehmer. Not sure El Abd would be the answer.
Going into a new season on the back of some decent momentum is important. Gills finished the season in a slump, so a decent pre season is needed. So heart says playoffs, head says we might struggle this season.
OneSirKeefy
Vital Football Hero
I'd be delighted if we can have a season where play-offs are a possibility for most/all of it.
It means we can have another good year of bedwetting/apologising and having a pop at the opposite camp.
edit> I'll try not to keep apologising after a 3-0 gubbing...
It means we can have another good year of bedwetting/apologising and having a pop at the opposite camp.
edit> I'll try not to keep apologising after a 3-0 gubbing...
alphabet_king
Vital 1st Team Regular
Of course there's plenty of time to sign players to change my mind...
I think we'll finish mid table.
I fear that Dack and Egan will just be too hard to replace to be in with a shot of challenging anywhere near the playoffs/top, and that the replacements will just be a little bit worse. Our form at the end of last season was just awful - relegation form. I know we had a bit of a messed up team. The balance was completely lost due to injuries. Players then went out of form and I fear a bad start will see JED sadly lose his job as the fans will really turn on him (rightly or wrongly).
For me the season's success rests on a few key questions:
Will this be the year that Norris steps up and scores the goals he's looked capable of getting?
Will Cody be the 15-20 goal a season league 1 striker he looked to be a couple of years ago?
Will Dack's replacement Knott have a good season in his preferred position, or play like he did in his 2nd season (not as great as his first season apparently)
Will Byrne step up to be a good league 1 player?
Will we replace
For me there's too many if's and buts. We need a couple of players to really step up and do the business next year and move on to the next level.
As I say, I think mid table will be achievable. It just feels like this year is going to be a 're-building' year. I'd be fairly happy with that if it looked like we were developing a young team that had the potential to move on next year.
I think we'll finish mid table.
I fear that Dack and Egan will just be too hard to replace to be in with a shot of challenging anywhere near the playoffs/top, and that the replacements will just be a little bit worse. Our form at the end of last season was just awful - relegation form. I know we had a bit of a messed up team. The balance was completely lost due to injuries. Players then went out of form and I fear a bad start will see JED sadly lose his job as the fans will really turn on him (rightly or wrongly).
For me the season's success rests on a few key questions:
Will this be the year that Norris steps up and scores the goals he's looked capable of getting?
Will Cody be the 15-20 goal a season league 1 striker he looked to be a couple of years ago?
Will Dack's replacement Knott have a good season in his preferred position, or play like he did in his 2nd season (not as great as his first season apparently)
Will Byrne step up to be a good league 1 player?
Will we replace
For me there's too many if's and buts. We need a couple of players to really step up and do the business next year and move on to the next level.
As I say, I think mid table will be achievable. It just feels like this year is going to be a 're-building' year. I'd be fairly happy with that if it looked like we were developing a young team that had the potential to move on next year.
Limehaus
Vital Youth Team
To be fair League 1 is about par for a club of our size so whilst I will always hope for a promotion push, I never expect it. I have always been of the opinion that a good manager and back room is the most important factor so my main expectation is for JED to arrest the shocking form we ended the season in. Try and play the ball on the deck, develop youth and as long as they give 100% I?m happy.
Leicester have shown how important mentality is when signing players. Grafters and no egos please.
Leicester have shown how important mentality is when signing players. Grafters and no egos please.
alphabet_king
Vital 1st Team Regular
I never get what people mean when they say they want players to give 100%. In my 20 years of following football I am not sure i've seen many if any players who I genuinely don't think gave 100%. Tommy Johnson, Kelvin Jack....not sure who else?
Almost every player when they are on the pitch gives 100% - they might not look like it sometimes, but not everybody gives 100% by running around like Kedwell Headless Chicken. The first thing Taylor, a former very successful England U21 coach said to Kedwell was to stop wasting your energy and focus it on finding space to score. Just because you're not closing down defenders it doesn't mean you're not giving your all. A lot of the time players are told not to do that in fact - simply because if you run out of position, it leaves a big space behind you if your team mates aren't on the same wavelength - so you're actually doing your team a disservice by chasing down if the other players are following orders to keep their shape.
I regularly find that people mistake being no good, or being out of form and not playing as well as you can do some days for not giving 100% - the same thing is leveled at the England team in the past. Do people genuinely think anybody walks onto the pitch and doesn't try their best?
I feel like what you're really saying is you want a team that will compete with most other teams in the league. So basically we aren't thrashed or outclassed by many - which seems fair enough. But lets be clear, what we're talking about here is quality here. Let's not mistake effort for quality here. Effort is a given, and I struggle to see a player who doesn't give it their all at this level, but quality is obviously much harder to find.
Almost every player when they are on the pitch gives 100% - they might not look like it sometimes, but not everybody gives 100% by running around like Kedwell Headless Chicken. The first thing Taylor, a former very successful England U21 coach said to Kedwell was to stop wasting your energy and focus it on finding space to score. Just because you're not closing down defenders it doesn't mean you're not giving your all. A lot of the time players are told not to do that in fact - simply because if you run out of position, it leaves a big space behind you if your team mates aren't on the same wavelength - so you're actually doing your team a disservice by chasing down if the other players are following orders to keep their shape.
I regularly find that people mistake being no good, or being out of form and not playing as well as you can do some days for not giving 100% - the same thing is leveled at the England team in the past. Do people genuinely think anybody walks onto the pitch and doesn't try their best?
I feel like what you're really saying is you want a team that will compete with most other teams in the league. So basically we aren't thrashed or outclassed by many - which seems fair enough. But lets be clear, what we're talking about here is quality here. Let's not mistake effort for quality here. Effort is a given, and I struggle to see a player who doesn't give it their all at this level, but quality is obviously much harder to find.
Foxinthebox67
Vital Squad Member
Agree with most of what has been said. I would also like us to develop a tougher mentality to games. Too often we are bullied out of games so we need to be able to mix it up. Go toe to toe with the teams who want to kick us off the park and be able to play attacking attractive football against the other teams.
As AK says, this is down to quality not effort. Walsall seemed to achieve it last season so there's no reason why we can't find a suitable blend.
But to answer the original question, anything with a single digit would be perfectly satisfactory with strong home form and at least one good cup run
As AK says, this is down to quality not effort. Walsall seemed to achieve it last season so there's no reason why we can't find a suitable blend.
But to answer the original question, anything with a single digit would be perfectly satisfactory with strong home form and at least one good cup run
Limehaus
Vital Youth Team
AK ? I think you?re fooling yourself if you believe the players naturally give 100%. I would say many players have to have it coaxed out of them. Simeone at Atlecio is a perfect example. They don?t run around like headless chickens but they put a hell of a shift in compared to other teams in La Liga.
100% Is not what you?re comfortable with, it?s what you?re capable of. I?m sure many players believe they are genuinely giving their all but unless you are passionate about the team you play for or are fired up by a man motivator, they are probably playing within themselves the majority of the time.
The sad truth is that football is just a profession for many of them and not getting injured is a factor when trying to achieve a good career. If I was good enough to play for the Gills I would put my body on the line, every time.
100% Is not what you?re comfortable with, it?s what you?re capable of. I?m sure many players believe they are genuinely giving their all but unless you are passionate about the team you play for or are fired up by a man motivator, they are probably playing within themselves the majority of the time.
The sad truth is that football is just a profession for many of them and not getting injured is a factor when trying to achieve a good career. If I was good enough to play for the Gills I would put my body on the line, every time.
alphabet_king
Vital 1st Team Regular
Well lets just sign 11 fans from the Rainham End then, as they will give 100% every game.
I don't think it's fair to criticise a player for not giving 100% when in your own words you believe they may actually be thinking they are giving 100% in the first place. That's not through lack of effort. I still just think you're mistaking good management, good skills for effort from the players.
If a manager can get the player to play better that's wonderful, and is the true skill of a manager, but to say just because they aren't good that they're not trying is IMO wrong.
I don't think it's fair to criticise a player for not giving 100% when in your own words you believe they may actually be thinking they are giving 100% in the first place. That's not through lack of effort. I still just think you're mistaking good management, good skills for effort from the players.
If a manager can get the player to play better that's wonderful, and is the true skill of a manager, but to say just because they aren't good that they're not trying is IMO wrong.
Darland_Gills
Vital Youth Team
If we're threatening the playoffs I'd be happy. I personally wouldn't be surprised by a very slow start.
I hope we, as fans, hold our nerve. A mirror image of last season would be fantastic.
Not holding my breath on the fans holding their nerve though...
I hope we, as fans, hold our nerve. A mirror image of last season would be fantastic.
Not holding my breath on the fans holding their nerve though...
After a cracking first half of the season and a mediocre at best second half last term i think mid table would be where i would expect us to finish, Egan and Dack both irreplaceable for me, JED will have to have some new ideas to freshen things up with-out, particularly Dacks, creative spark.
The perfect scenario for me is that Norris' hustle and bustle comes to fruition alongside either a resurgent Cody Mac or loanee wunderkid with something to prove. Also Mbo and Oldaker getting some first team football and learning their trade along the way.
Either way it all seems set for another round of re-building, a slow start could see JED under pressure i fear.....
The perfect scenario for me is that Norris' hustle and bustle comes to fruition alongside either a resurgent Cody Mac or loanee wunderkid with something to prove. Also Mbo and Oldaker getting some first team football and learning their trade along the way.
Either way it all seems set for another round of re-building, a slow start could see JED under pressure i fear.....
alphabet_king
Vital 1st Team Regular
I'm not sure how you can suggest you want improvement in the knowledge that 2 of our best players will be leaving us. Just to replace them will be a massive achievement, let alone getting the other players in the team to improve and build on last year's achievements. We all saw what the squad was like without Dack, Egan and (admitedly to a far lesser extent) Loft and McDonald in the 2nd half of last year. We were relegation form. It just feels like you're throwing out random expectations without actually considering any of the facts.
A long hard season of mid table is upon us with the outside hope we might finally put a run of form together and do a Barnsley/S****horpe/Rochdale who really did challenge for the playoffs towards the end of the season after being average for most of it.
A long hard season of mid table is upon us with the outside hope we might finally put a run of form together and do a Barnsley/S****horpe/Rochdale who really did challenge for the playoffs towards the end of the season after being average for most of it.
MedwayModernist
Vital Squad Member
It'll start off serenely, as everyone gets used to the inevitable new system. It'll then get rather heated very quickly indeed around the 23rd for some reason. Following that there'll either be an outpouring of relief, or more hostility if the result doesn't go as planned.
Following that, there will be more and more people finding Welsh aunties and uncles as Albania are vanquished and England get knocked out by Portugal in the round of 16.
The board will then bumble along quite nicely, Wales will be mourned as they lose in the quarters, Woy will be vilified and defended in equal measure as the first bedwetter/apologist battle of the new era begins.
Attention will turn to the Gills, and more the point about what Jed's going to do to replace Dack. Dack's pricetag will be debated until the wee hours... the unrealistic will say he's worth 10m, the haggered about 50k. When he goes for abour 2.5m most will be happy enough, until at least everyone realises Scally isn't giving Jed any of the money, and what does he pay his consultant wife/gf for anyway.
WX's mortgage will be due for renewal, Buddha will say property is theft.
Something scandalous will happen in the news that will divide the board again, this time probably along reactionaries vs thinkers, or realists vs hippies depending on which side of the fence you are on.
Lunch will be discussed, and weather presenters too.
Gills will be bumbling along well enough, probably between 6-10th until Christmas, which will divide the board into the second major round of bedwetters vs apologists, Dack will get injured playing in a paint pot cup game for Crystal Palace reserves.
January will come and go, some players will be bought, some leave, but Scally wont have put his hand in his pocket enough for some, and not others. Gills continue to bumble along.
March will be swiftly upon us, Gills will take the lead away to someone 2-0 on telly, only to probably lose. Hessenthaler will have won his first match at Orient all season, and be heralded as the saviour of Gills and a petition will begin to have him return.
The Gills will get a bit of form, and get oh so close to making a real push for the playoffs, ultimately coming down to the final day of the season, and a winner take all match vs Charlton.
The budget will be released, tax breaks announced, and changes made, everyone will hate every decision made, everyone will agree that landlords have too much money, poor people don't have enough, Jeremy Corbyn is hopeless, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson needs removing.
Charlton will win the aforementioned winner take all match, but Millwall stuff Bolton 15-0 and pip us both to 6th. Joe Martin cries when they lose in the playoffs, so it's all ok.
WX's car insurance will be due for a renewal, Sheppey knows a mate.
The season will end, Gills will be about the same as we are now. Jed will leave, Hessy will come in after a stirring effort to avoid relegation at Leyton Orient. Trigger will be the new club captain, with Junior Lewis his vice, Peter Taylor coming in as the new tea lady.
Something else really divisive will occur in the political sphere, and everyone will take it a bit too seriously, all the while avoiding doing much of their actual job.
Come June 2017, on the first anniversay of Northern Ireland's victorious Euro 2016 victory, the entire board will finally decide to meet up for a drink in the Queen's Head snug.
No-one will be able to find it however. Except for the guv, who uses the maps feature on his iphone.
:7:
OR... Trump wins the election in November, and the world suffers a nuclear apocalypse 3 weeks later.
alphabet_king
Vital 1st Team Regular
That may happen MM, but I really don't think Dack will go for 2.5 though MM. Surely he's worth far more.....
nitram77
Vital 1st Team Regular
Dack and Egan, as both were missing during the latter halve of last season, when in fact we had our best run of results since January, then any half decent league 1 replacement should leave us unaffected. A decent left back and striker will make or break the season.
markinkent
Vital Football Hero
Same as Eager exile. Assuming Dack goes we lack any real firepower. I can't see Norris or Donnelly scoring15-20 and you need a striker to do that if you are going to be serious contenders .
Maybe we will strike lucky with the loanee JED is after.
