Gillingham manager Martin Allen is bringing in players not just for this season but for next
Gills boss
Martin Allen is building a team for League
1 Pic: Barry
Goodwin
by Luke
Cawdell
Martin Allen insists he is not putting
together a team to win League 2, but one that can “smash” League
1.
A mid-season clear-out on Thursday followed
the recent arrivals of Leon Legge and Steven Gregory.
And Gillingham manager Allen believes that
anyone coming into Priestfield now has the ability to keep the club
moving forward at a higher level.
“Every player that I brought in can play at
League 1; it’s the criteria, simple,” said Allen.
“The criteria is not, ‘can’t they get us
up?’ the criteria for our recruitment, when we have our staff
meetings and when our analyst does his work is can they challenge
in League 1?
“Everyone that comes in has got to be able
to challenge in League 1. There is no point in bringing in squad
players. Our young players are coming up to fill those gaps and
what comes into the building now has got to be good enough to do it
again next season and challenge at the top.
“We are not going there to make the numbers
up, we aren’t going up there to play around with relegation, we can
go up there and smash it again; that’s what we are aiming to
do.”
On Thursday Allen announced that four young
players were leaving immediately and another three senior pros were
being transfer listed.
Two players have already arrived in the
transfer window but Allen hasn’t ruled out more arrivals, although
he has praised his team’s efforts so far.
“These players have been absolutely
fantastic that we have got and they have a fantastic team spirit, a
unity and togetherness and camaraderie.
“There are teams in this division that have
paid a lot more money than us and we are above them in the league,
that’s not through luck, that’s through having the right kind of
people and the right type of players and staff behind the scenes
that maximise this opportunity we all have, with fitness and
training.
“We have just taken on an analyst, who
studies the DVDs and does player profiles on all potential targets
and player recruitment, on who we are playing against and details
about everything.
“We are adding on and off the field and
hopefully moving the club forward.
“By maybe opening some gaps at that
development group level I am now hoping that some of those youth
players can come up, another team if you like, to start playing
with Mark Patterson’s team. Then some of those younger players, who
trained with us on Thursday morning, some of those are going to
have to start kicking on.
“Mr Scally (Gills chairman) hasn’t said no
(to more signings) but my priority was Leon Legge and Gregory. They
are now through the door. Mr Scally knows everything that is going
on in that early morning phone call every day.
"Six months have gone and the first part
was the settling in period and now it is the next part. Come next
summer it will be the next change.”
Read the latest Gills blog by clicking this link.
Do you think this Gills team is capable of challenging
in League 1? Comment below.
04/01/13
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