Gillingham FC Forum

I was surprised that we didn't offer Lee a reduced contract like some other players. I was even more surprised to see him join Stevenage, a side with supposed severe money troubles. Could they really offer him a better deal than us or did we really no longer want him? I think sometimes, when you need a bit of steel in the middle, he is a good player to bring on.

Perhaps it had more do that he followed Whelpdale to their third club in a row together! Did he take a cheap deal just to stay with his mate? Can anyone else think of two players that refused to be apart?

Lee and Whelpdale were both on big wages,but I think the reason they have had to drop to League 2 is the lack of interest from Clubs in League one.When Allen put Lee on the Transfer list,no club apart from Southend came in for him.I think we had to let both go as both players in the last year did not give us value for money.If both of them find their old form then Stevenage have two great League 2 players.

I liked Charlie Lee. Feel as a club we didnt get as much out of him as we might have done, but I think we are planning for the future and he is the past.

Good luck Charlie Lee hope you do well

I do agree with that however all that transfer listing business must have unsettled him and he looked a man on a mission under Taylor when he came on as a sub a couple of times and scored. The big wages was an issue initially but I still feel we could have said look, there is little interest in you so stay for half your pay. A simplistic view I know but it happens a lot with players that had been released and must still be around what Stevenage offered instead of giving it to some reserve and untested player. It seems Whelps wanted a new challenge and always looked like going so perhaps Lee felt he would go as well but given that we offered Whelps a new deal, we surely couldn't have been beaten by a team with a lower budget?