Gillingham manager Andy Hessenthaler was furious with his side's defending after going down 4-3 to AFC Wimbledon

nilnildraw wrote:

I obviously touched a nerve there Mike Strutter. I have no problems with your football comments but I found your rantings about Medway and Gills fans being tragic, mentally ill dole merchants insulting and out of place on this football site. Obviously you feel you can insult me and others but you cannot take a barbed comment yourself. Grow up sonny boy! There is a veiled threat in your posting and I am surprised it was allowed. Incidentally I will meet you anywhere you like to continue our discussion UTG

23 Jan 2012 7:45 PM

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mike strutter wrote:

did you always plan on being a rent boy nilnildraw?

22 Jan 2012 10:21 PM

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nilnildraw wrote:

Did you forget to take your pills today Mike Strutter? Hess has now hopefully seen through the big-time-charlie, surely King or Essam are a better bet, but why oh why did he let Jack Evans out on loan when there have been fullback problems all season? utg

22 Jan 2012 10:08 PM

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mike strutter wrote:

at the end of the day there are players out there. look at tomlin - really struggling with dagenham who are right down the bottom end of this league. comes to us and starts looking a quality player in his first game. they are out there but part of being a great manager is being able to wheel and deal, just like pulis did and still does. he learned from the best in harry redknapp. you have to have the right personnel and i think that hessy is learning this now. faith and loyalty in players is all very well as long as they are getting you what you need. whelpdale hasn't shown anywhere near the loyalty in hessy as hessy has shown in him. that guy seriously needs to reassess why he signed for us in the first place. he obviously has so much talent and should be right up for it, so why the hell isn't he??? it's a mystery. but we shouldn't be trying to solve the mystery, we should be shipping him out and looking at a replacement.

22 Jan 2012 2:02 PM

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mike strutter wrote:

sorry i didn't mean kedwell i meant whelpdale.

kedwell is a star in my opinion

22 Jan 2012 1:52 PM

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mike strutter wrote:

basically, gillingham is a dump, as is the whole of medway, and most of kent. it is bleak beyond belief. the best thing that they can do with that place is build an airport there, as the only good thing about the place is its close proximity to london. nobody in their right mind would want to play down there. the stadium is deathly quiet, totally bereft of any atmosphere. the fans are all tragic, mentally ill dole merchants. we have a chairman who treats his customer base with contempt, and who has a chip on his shoulder the size of linford christies' nob. on the plus side, we do have hessenthaler and we do now have a good squad. the problem is that the decent players that we have who originally joined us under stimson thinking that they were joining a team that were going places, have now grown despondant and disillusioned, feeling that they were conned somewhat. this isn't hessenthalers' fault but it is now his problem. when the likes of weston joined us he was thinking that he would be playing in the championship again by now.

i do think there was an over reaction yesterday though, by everybody. it was a bad day at the office, coming after a bad result away to shrewsbury. some players played who were not fit enough to play in my opinion. lawrence being one of them. i'm not making excuses for their inept performances on the pitch, as fit or not, there was some terrible defending out there whichever way you look at it. but the bottom line is this - if players do not demonstrate what is required, then they should not be playing. we have simon king and connor essam, plus we can surely get better in on loan or short term deals?

in my opinion, the likes of montrose and kedwell have had enough time to impress - they haven't, and that says to me that their heart is not in it. the reasons why are irrelevant. get rid asap. too much patience or persistence with these losers will be and has been our downfall. for every player that doesn't want to play for GFC, there will be another that does want to, it's just a case of sorting through them until they are discovered

22 Jan 2012 1:48 PM

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wainscott wonder wrote:

I agree with g.i. blues assessment of the situation, and I've been saying it since the beginning of season...

Failure (i.e. not reaching the play-off final at least) is not an option this season. The budget has been stretched beyond breaking point already with transfer fees and wages for the likes of Kedwell, Lee, Whelpdale, Kuffour etc, and without the additional income that automatic promotion (which now looks completely out of reach) or a play-off final would bring, I can quite easily see the break up of this side and a vastly reduced budget next season and the club spiralling into decline (again).

Yet again Scally has gambled with the club's future and his supposed 'best squad ever' is not performing as it should be.

22 Jan 2012 1:46 PM

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Jon wrote:

As a Kent-based Wimbledon fan, I am still pinching myself. I had thought that we had the worst defence in League 2 until the last 20 minutes yesterday. Frankly, the defending was worse than I used to experience playing on a Sunday morning in the Thanet League. If Hessenthaler can sort that out, I see no reason why Gills shouldn't make the play-offs, because there is enough flair further up the park, not least from our own Danny Kedwell. Good luck for the rest of the season and thanks very much for the six points.

22 Jan 2012 12:28 PM

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superkeds wrote:

Gills365.co.uk- Tactical switch the catalyst for Gillinghams downfall.Chairman read and take note please.

22 Jan 2012 11:00 AM

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g.i.blues wrote:

thing is hess quotes words and we see nothing to back these words up ie: we will see a response from the team this week and will win, the kids could of defended those goals today and will now get there chance...i bet now that 90% of that back line will stay the same!

i'd go with....gazzaniga. lee,framps,essam/king,martin. tomlin,j payne,dack,jackman. kuffour,kedwell.
subs flitney,davies/evans,rance,
whelpdale???/brunt,s payne.
plus any changes due to the new signings we hope to make this week.

22 Jan 2012 10:57 AM

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g.i.blues wrote:

ivano, that is what they call a quick response from myself because i was in a rush, and yes imperative is exactly what was meant, thanks for pointing that out...no one likes a smart a**!

strutter, the way people have been on this site in recent months is the reason i question your remarks...or quote!
which is why what you wrote could and would be read many ways...not...it's just what it say's! but no history is not a word i would of used in regards to what this is about.

at the end of the day, we as a club have put our cards on the table this season/thrown our hats into the ring and the club have put all on us getting out of this league.
without a doubt paul scally wants success this season and me myself agree it needs to be achived this year...expect dark days if we are still hear next year!!!

22 Jan 2012 10:40 AM

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superkeds wrote:

Hessenthaler can bring his flops in today to watch the video nasty of yesterdays game but it won't make any difference.These defenders? have been making mistakes all season long and just aren't good enough.
We have a manager who talks big, often repeating himself i.e- it's not good enough or it's not acceptable but who never acts.
The old saying about no one being bigger than the club doesn't apply in Gillingham's case because Hessenthaler is quarenteed his job as we know only to well..because he has some sort of hold over the chairman.

22 Jan 2012 10:27 AM

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Warnz wrote:

Fantastic going forward but very disappointing defensively.

I think Lawrence needs to be dropped, and probably Montrose too.

Come on you blue boys, sort it out next week.

22 Jan 2012 8:13 AM

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Ivano wrote:

G.I Blues.
don't know if you have had a few drinks but please read what you write before posting a message.
You should be saying it is imperative that we succeed not Imperil (whatever that is)
and some other sentences don't make sense either.
Having said that I do agree with most of what you are saying.
Under the current leadership our club is on a slippery slope.

21 Jan 2012 11:23 PM

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mike strutter wrote:

you're taking me wrong mate and you've got defensive. i was simply asking if that is what you were saying??? it was exactly as it reads

21 Jan 2012 11:06 PM

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g.i.blues wrote:

what you on about mate?

we need to get out of this division...and if you as a fan are happy with that your very easily pleased!

the chairman and manager have said it from the start...that this season it needs to happen for us and most fans would totally agree.

are you happy with just being a number and a very small one at that!!! because believe me the devide is getting bigger and bigger where we are trying to get to every season and is almost out of reach...so yes it does need to happen now!

what your comment is about is beyond me and what i'm stating and what your looking to gripe about are two totally different things fellow fan!

21 Jan 2012 10:28 PM

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mike strutter wrote:

so what you are saying g.i.blues, is that this is probably the most important season in our history?

21 Jan 2012 10:08 PM

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g.i.blues wrote:

hess needs to make it happen for the good of him & the club!

with what money has been spent on the team this season so far & hopefully in the next week as well???
it's imperil that we succeed this season and we're not still hear next year?

if we are players will have even less urgency to perform and will want out.
hess will be on his way through p scally's & fans unrest due to no success and finally money will have dried up...meaning no decent manager or players able to come in and life a whole lot harder take being still at square one!!!

21 Jan 2012 10:03 PM

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mike strutter wrote:

the question is why aren't these players motivated???

21 Jan 2012 9:35 PM

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mike strutter wrote:

hess wont ever walk away from his club as he never knows when he is beaten and scally wont sack him cos its more than he dare do. i'm sure hess would sort us out but the question is how long will it take? it's such a laborious drag of a job that he has on his hands. some of them players need to pull their fingers out of their backsides and should feel bad for their manager tonight, let alone the fans

21 Jan 2012 9:30 PM

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gypjh wrote:

The sad truth is those that are making an effort are not good enough, and those that are good enough are not making enough effort.

It is hard to get behind this side because of this, and as a crowd we get anxious/annoyed, which doesn't really help the side. Hess certainly has to look carefully at who has signed, as although some he has bought in have ability, they don't always look as if they are in it for the long-term.

Wimbledon passed it around nicely today, and Gills stood back and let them do it, managing to get their goals through some route one stuff. However, ultimately they got found out by a side who made possession count, with our dodgy defense making things easy for them. We look really dodgy in the middle of the park at present, Montrose doesn't impress, Oli did nothing and even Weston looked inept. The keeper's distribution/kicking was awful yet again. Martin was ok in patches, the new lad on loan did alright too, but as a team we looked poor, and not even worth our three goals.

Trouble is, this was not a one-off - we played as badly against Bristol Rovers and somehow managed to win 3-1! Today we were found out by a well organised side who displayed little skill but fed on some good support and came to play proper football, not route one stuff.

I hope Hess does something soon so we can get behind side, because at moment there is little about the way we play that gives me much pride in being a Gillingham fan :(

21 Jan 2012 9:21 PM

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g.i.blues wrote:

i think the wheels are already rolling superkeds!

don't get me wrong i'm the first to want hess to succeed at our club, but these players we have spoken about are as you say hessy's own downfall...unless he acts now!!!

i've heard like yourself hess doesn't have it in him to tell these players who's boss???
he wants to still be a amongst the players...as a player...when he needs to now determine what level of friendship and banter is a limit as a manager!

hess your boss, tell it as it is...for your sake and the clubs success!!!

21 Jan 2012 9:19 PM

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nerradc wrote:

Hold on a minute to be fair to matt Lawrence despite the penalty he was the only defender I saw pulling his weight

21 Jan 2012 9:13 PM

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mike strutter wrote:

i'm just hoping that this is a wake-up call for some of our zombie like players who's performances at best can only be described as 'going through the motions'. sort em out hessy

21 Jan 2012 9:11 PM

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superkeds wrote:

g.i.blues You have it the nail on the head i totally agree.
However these players- so called will not be shipped out because- and this is Hess's biggest fault- he hasn't got the ruthlessness needed to do it.If he doesn't then he will suffer the consequenses, he should get rid of them before they get rid of him.

21 Jan 2012 8:26 PM

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g.i.blues wrote:

hess...the likes of lawrence, fish, montrose, weston, whelpdale, richards, oli and frampton should of been found out long before now!.
hence our goals against and being over run in midfield...due to the fact some are not interested at all!

why other player such as kingy, essam, davies, evans, rance, brown, brunt and s payne have noy been given a chance...who knows???

i'd have no hesitation giving these young players ago now, even dack & miller are worth ago!

what makes you sick is the wages being wasted on those so called pro's!!!

i hope you see it andy hess because we need to also sign players before a week tuesday comes round ie: defender or two matt fry type players, younger faster legs, one or two wingers though we have missed out now on...mcglashan and oli johnson.

SORT IT OUT HESS....NOW!!!

21 Jan 2012 8:14 PM

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chestfield pete wrote:

Areally poor performance especially defensively in the last 20 minutes,when we should have just shut up shop and seen time out.
Instead we had the embarassment of one of our senior players making a schoolboy tackle/grab for their player in the area and they were level,from that moment on their was only one winner and it wasnot us.
I question why MrH took off our two goal scorers i presume he will say they are not yet fit but for me they were always looking dangerous and were causing the Wombles all sorts of problems,especially
Gavin Tomlin who was a star player (And Jack Payne who is a class above the rest of the team) today and was always prepared to get back to help the defence(Something Rooney never did or wanted to do) a great cameo and i hope he continues on this level he is looking like a really good prospect.
However Weston (Who i really rate)Whelpdale,Lawrence & Oli must surely be on their way they do not make the effort and for most of the first half Montrose was at the seaside because he did not seem interested in the game - these players all need a kick up the backside and told thay are privileged to get paid well for a sport that most of us enjoyed as a past time not a career and the fans deserve better than the dross we saw in the last 20 mins.
I have supported this club for 60 years and for the first time in 10 years or more i walked out when they scored the fourth because i could note we were not coming back.
A really lacklustre performance
and i think we can now forget promotion either direct or via the playoffs - because every team that comes to Priestfield has more passion for success and will to win than we have and until the attitude and effort is increased to the level we fans want then we are just looking at a pipe dream.
A really horrible end to a very sad week - the players should have been really up for it to give Dave Lee & his family a winning send off,he would have struggled to find anything to laugh about over that performance and the players need to take a long and serious look at themselves and the apathetic effort shown for the last 20 minutes.
I,like a lot of other fans feel that as we pay so much to watch this team we expect a lot more effort from these players for the whole 90 minutes plus.
Totally disgusted today make the effort next week at Accrington to justify me ever going back to watch 'my' team.
UTG

21 Jan 2012 7:33 PM

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mike strutter wrote:

we've been very good defensively for most of this season, so surely the defence can't just turn into poor players overnight? so i'm presuming this is just a bad day at work due to poor fitness, players playing who shouldn't have played and general lack of confidence at the back because of this???

21 Jan 2012 7:25 PM

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Ivano wrote:

Has Hess finally realised that some of his players are not up to the job ?
We struggled all afternoon at the back but seemed to have got by with the score at 3-1.
Wimbledon looked fitter, stronger, physically & mentally and much sharper than us.
For me the turning point came when Danny Jackman pulled up holding the back of his leg,(hamstring?) it looked obvious at the time and I did comment that he should get him off before making his injury worse during the next 10 to 15 minutes (with Danny struggling)we lost control of midfield completely and by the time Jackman was replaced Wimbledon were back init.
Not Jackman's fault, bad decision by the management
team.
Time to stop talking about promotion & start clearing the poor performers out & building a team that will seriously challenge for the title next season

21 Jan 2012 7:22 PM

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superkeds wrote:

What a shambolic shambles of a football club this is.I really am getting to the point where i couldn't care less anymore.
Let the club carry on having a chairman that hardly gets to game anymore.
Let the club carry on with a manager that hasn't got a clue;
Let the club carry on with players like Oli.Who cares, let them get on with being a laughingstock.

21 Jan 2012 7:13 PM

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boyogill wrote:

Yes he is right. I'm sure plenty will blame Hess but he was doing his nut on the touchline because instructions weren't being followed. I'm certainly not claiming he's a tactical genius or even necessarily the right man for the job, but once the whistle blows there's only so much he can do.
I'm sure that's the cue for the usual 'blame it all on Oli' comment.

21 Jan 2012 7:03 PM

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mike strutter wrote:

i read that matt lawrence passed a late fitness test. should he have played? i wasn't at the game but it sounds like lawrence and richards were at fault for all of their goals? please correct me if i am wrong. is lawrence just too slow? or was he just too unfit to play? surely simon king or even one of the kids would have been better than an unfit lawrence, who let's face it is not the fastest of players now. if it is just the fact that they underperformed then why are they underperforming? makes no sense at this stage of the season and in our current league position

21 Jan 2012 6:56 PM

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