Gillingham first team coach Nicky Southall writes exclusively for the KM Group
Comments |
Last weekend’s defeat against AFC Wimbledon was one to
forget.
We feel the players let the fans down, the coaches down, the
manager down and the chairman down. They let everyone down by the
manner in which we lost.
But we need to pick ourselves up, we’ve regrouped and started
again.
The games are coming thick and fast and we have a tough trip to
Accrington this weekend. We have to pick a team that are going to
put their bodies on the line.
We have been derailed a bit over the last couple of weeks and
need a good result to give everyone a lift.
We have 20 games to go and need to push on to try and get as
many of those 60 points as possible.
It was a late night on Saturday for the manager and I as we
analysed the DVD of the Wimbledon game.
We showed the video nasty to the players on Sunday morning and
it didn’t make good viewing, especially defensively.
What concerned us was after scoring three fabulous goals, they
scored four against us because we switched off. It was
criminal.
We were 1-0 up and then at 3-1 the game should have been dead
and buried. But to switch off from a corner for nobody to take
control is just rank bad defending.
For all the drills and coaching we put on, that was just basic
defending which you learn as a schoolboy – not to switch off and
turn your back.
At Shrewsbury last week we gave a free-kick away on the edge of
the box and the lads all turned their backs. We got away with it
then but it should have been a warning.
When the ball goes dead we need organisers on the pitch, people
with voices, players who will get others by the neck and tell them
when they aren’t doing it.
In the old days we had players like the manager, myself, Barry
Ashby, Paul Smith and Ade Pennock in the team. They wouldn’t stand
for that. When you have a defeat like that players on the sidelines
will be saying ‘give me a chance.’
If you don’t give them a chance they will say ‘well, what’s the
point of being around here?’ So there could be changes this
weekend.
We don’t need reminding about our last trip to Accrington, where
we lost 7-4.
It was a freak result, though, and we need to pick a team
willing to fight fire with fire and roll up their sleeves. This is
the first of 20 massive battles for the club and we need to show
big hearts and play with our heads.
Thursday, January 26 2012
The KM Group does not moderate comments.
Please click here for our house rules.