Gillingham FC Forum

Ladies and Gentlemen
Much as this riles me I think it is best I retire from this sterile environment.
FoM re-hashes reports from the pro Maidstone Utd paper every day.
KFG just tries to predict next weeks team and everyone else just yawns.
1066 is the occasional breath of fresh air.
When I moved to Spain I hoped that this site would keep me in love with MY TEAM, but it just makes me sad. I will look in every so often, but no more posts from me. Adios

Shame you feel that way Elg but what else is there? I know you have felt that way about other things before and hopefully your interest will return after the summer. In fairness I don't see much else out there and without them nothing would get spoken about at all!!!! Facebook just consists of constant slagging off or people repeating the same thing over and over.....I guess we are just lucky in that there is no bad news at the moment for everyone to rant about lol. It is strange as even the club's website seems quiet and devoid of news.

You like a good discussion about things away from football so maybe you will still check that and even though you are in Spain Noircat is still worth doing. See you soon.

That`s nice,what am I supposed to post then on a Gills forum? It seems members on this site are supposed to post banter at each other 24/7 to please others.I`m always up for a laugh and would enjoy funny threads,but anyone can post them if they want.I used to take part in all the funny threads on the old site.We only really have a few core members and not the 100+ that we had on the official forum.It seems like every so often there has to be a dig at us for not posting "banter" or more interesting stuff.I post Gills stuff mostly because it is a site for Gills things,but I would be up for funny non Gills threads.I`m not some boring kill joy that just posts Gills stuff.People judge too much what they see on forums,and don`t see the real person.I can`t be that boring if my wife still puts up with me .I think as we only have a few members who contribute regularly then that affects things.Maybe some would be more happy if there was constant bickering like on the old site? I have kept quiet until now,but it`s not my fault all the great posters don`t post on here any more.I`ll keep quiet from now then,and not post these "yawning predictions".If everyone yawns then they have not told me that they do.Maybe they should if that is the case?

You can`t please everyone in life.I would like to see more fun on here,but without more members it`s hard.Without some of these posts the board would be dead and shut.If the funny posts are there then good,and I would post on them.I belong to a a Football League forum and there are hundreds of members,and the posts are funny and non Football as well.This site could do with more members and it would then be better.There are quite a few readers,but they choose not to post and that has happened before I started posting regularly.I hope you do stick around Elgrande.

The Gillingham FC Forum is a forum devoted to Gillingham Football Club so surely the vast majority of the posts on this forum is going to be about Gillingham Football Club ???, from team selection's, stat's, Transfer Rumours and article's on websites such as Kent Online - and I know that The Kent Messenger's HQ is in Maidstone, but there are local paper's for Medway, Sittingbourne and Faversham as well.

Last Year, Garawa would usually speak to KFG about The NoirCat League and how well they were doing in there respective league's and The NoirCat Cup Competition, that I went along to The NoirCat Presentation Evening last year and I said to Garawa I was going to join The NoirCat League for the up and coming season, and now, I am within touching distance of promotion in my first full season and I almost made it through to The NoirCat Cup Final, losing out to Garawa in The Semi Final's.

When I join a forum I usually post links to article's like Kent Online or other sites that mention Gillingham (NewsNow is a really good one) and then post the link in the header posts I put on here, posting a number of links to any Gillingham related content means that everything is one place and easier for other members to find, so I like to think that my posts are useful in one way or another, OK the posts might not be for everyone, but the posts are on The Gillingham FC Forum for others to read or respond to and by posting on a regular basis, any new member will see that The Gillingham FC Forum is active and has new posts on the forum every-day.

I couldn't join a forum / a message-board and not contribute anything, if a particular forum / message-board doesn't interest me then I wouldn't join in the first place - but that's me - perhaps 1-2 reader's want to see more Non Gills Related Content and a variety of topics to respond to, but surely if that's the case then we need more regular members who will posts in a joke thread or post Non Gillingham Related Topics so that there is something for everyone.

I find the old style message-boards still have a place in this Social Media Crazy World, Twitter has a 140 character limit and it's great for small sentences but not for a long and lengthy discussion, Facebook Forum's have no organisation what so ever and it is impossible to find a post you posted on a Facebook Group a week a go, let a lone a few month's a go, I do hope that you continue to contributing posting on The Gillingham FC Forum Elgrande and I hope that we see you still posting on here before the start of The 2015 / 2016 season.

Elg is old school and I admire that. He has seen his club diminish from a loud and raucous venue to one where largely people sit and watch in silence and complain a lot. We were not there to compare so don't know any different and I guess the all seater stadia is largely to blame for that. I have met Elgrande on a number of occasions and always came away uncomfortable.......from all the laughing!!! That said we have these moments sometimes and I hope a summer break might re-engage some enthusiasm! I don't see anything different posted on here that wasn't posted elsewhere and on the old board (and partly here). The only other stuff was the many disagreements between him and Rimshot, the constant banning of the many alter-egos of a certain nut job and the odd mutterings from Jacobamy - he was largely the main reason people logged in just to disagree with him. If anyone can tell me what used to be posted that isn't anymore that would be great!

In order to not drown the board with stuff that not all like I have tried to segregate as much as possible. I don't think any more can done in that respect and there is more to engage readers than ever before, especially with the many competitions that keep people logging in. I DEFINITELY don't see any problem with talking about the Gills on a Gills board! I know 1066 and Bunbury to name two enjoy it so my advice is to read the forums you enjoy on the board and not the ones you don't!!!

Elgande,you miserable bastard, your the reason come the day when I get to vote for Britain to leave the EEC or what ever the hell it's called I am going to vote for out,out,out and leave you slinging suds in a place where the people will hate the English for not giving them a few million quid a week to keep there economy going,the unemployment rate in London will climb to 60 % because the other 42,000 country's in the EEC will be leaving London and going to find new bases in Romania and it will all be YOUR FAULT for not posting on here any more. Thats all I have to say on the matter.
And another thing , lol, It's not the site, it's not the people on here, it's Gillingham Football, and football in general,the haves and the have nots, and GFC are I am afraid in the have nots department. The owner has not got the ambition to make GFC into a Championship club , the fans in the area because they have seen it all a million times before have no desire to see us play Port Vale on a wet and cold Saturday afternoon in February any more , the young kids don't need to go watch footie on a Saturday afternoon when they can sit on their asses and play against Manchester united in their own front room and actually think they have really done it, and unless were in the "instant gratification zone", even the older fan and by that I mean challenging for promotion, kind of loses intrest fairly quickly each season, and I really kind of don't blame them do you ??
Whoever runs the promotion side of GFC I honestly think does a pretty lousy job, we have the whole of Kent to draw from,1.75 million people to draw from and we get gates of 6,000 , hell I have never claimed to be very smart but I swear I could do a better job of filling the stadium than who ever does it now.
Mexicans, you need to import a few hundred Mexicans, Friday night,cold as in 38 degrees, wet, almost 20,000 people watching the Chicago Fire play NYC FC and the stadium was rocking, no one sits down in the end zones, guy on a ladder in section 8 keeps the crowd singing the whole time, it's a fun enjoyable night out not like what appears to be at English soccer matches in the 3rd and 4th division.
We might well be playing Wigan next year, boy I wish GFC had been on their ride since we beat them back in May of 2000. Yeah the by might be back here with us next year , BUT THEY MADE IT,they got there and for a team based in Manchester, with so much competition in the area from the obvious big two to four or five other professional clubs well done Wigan, shame on you Gillingham.
ELGRANDE, I hope you don't leave us for long, I feel it in my water that GFC are going to bring in a couple of good older players, guys from the Championship to hold us together, stop us doing silly things and dropping daft points to the teams we should beat, and were going to start the season with 5 or 6 wins and a draw or two , be sitting in 2nd or 3rd place come Christmas, get WBA away in the cup and hold them to a 2-2 tie,bring them back and beat then 2-1,then draw an away tie at Manchester United and you don't want to miss that do you ??
Have a great summer old darling,don't drink to much, talk to you in July, love and kisses Gillsfan1066, sorry about the kisses forgot who I was writing to, thought it was The Aussie, lol.

Garawa wrote:Elg is old school and I admire that. He has seen his club diminish from a loud and raucous venue to one where largely people sit and watch in silence and complain a lot. We were not there to compare so don't know any different and I guess the all seater stadia is largely to blame for that. I have met Elgrande on a number of occasions and always came away uncomfortable.......from all the laughing!!! That said we have these moments sometimes and I hope a summer break might re-engage some enthusiasm! I don't see anything different posted on here that wasn't posted elsewhere and on the old board (and partly here). The only other stuff was the many disagreements between him and Rimshot, the constant banning of the many alter-egos of a certain nut job and the odd mutterings from Jacobamy - he was largely the main reason people logged in just to disagree with him. If anyone can tell me what used to be posted that isn't anymore that would be great!

In order to not drown the board with stuff that not all like I have tried to segregate as much as possible. I don't think any more can done in that respect and there is more to engage readers than ever before, especially with the many competitions that keep people logging in. I DEFINITELY don't see any problem with talking about the Gills on a Gills board! I know 1066 and Bunbury to name two enjoy it so my advice is to read the forums you enjoy on the board and not the ones you don't!!!

The quietness at Priestfield does take away the enjoyment of going to home games.I sit in the Medway stand for the view only.But the atmosphere is non existent unless the ref or an opposition player does something to wind the crowd up.I have only been coming 12 years,but the atmosphere has died considerably since then.Away games are better for atmosphere as you get 300 people all wanting to get behind the players.You could make singing areas,but then you could still get people sitting there who might not sing.

Even in the championship winning season we had major noise issues. When pushing for promotion flyers were sent around the ground to get people motivated and it worked by and large. 1066 is right, a lot of the problem is the same old same old mentality and if we win it's a clap and a smirk. Either a new ground will help regenerate it or much larger regular crowds and the only way that will happen will be by offering discounted tickets if we hit a certain number of sales volume. Sadly this rarely seems to get thought about much.

I guess this apathy is similar to Elgrande's feelings. I believe he felt like this before when living out in Spain as he felt disconnected which could be part of the trouble inside the ground with those that stopped attending regularly.

In-terms of the atmosphere I think supporters turn up to home games "expecting there team to win" , but supporters turn up to away games "hoping there team can win" and the differences between the two mentalities clearly affects the noise levels for Gillingham home / away - And a lot of clubs have the same experiences so it isn't just Gillingham, and other then a loud drum and those in the top corner at the opposite end of the pitch, the noise levels at Deepdale were not great and when Jermaine McGlashan scored to pull Gillingham back to 1-2 down, I have never known a atmosphere to turn that quickly inside a football stadium, you would of thought Gillingham were winning because Preston North End Supporters were very nervous and sensing that Gillingham were going to equalise, and when Leon Legge scored in added time those celebrations in the away end were something to savour.

Away Fans all being together in one stand with unreserved seating helps, as a large group of supporters can stand together at the back of the stand and those who want to sit down can sit towards the front of the away end.

As KFG Rightfully points out, you need a appalling referee, someone like Steve Evans in the technical having a go at the officials to get the supporters "fired up", or a controversial incident given against us to up the atmosphere inside the stadium.

Don't believe it for a second...life without Elgrande ? Must be my week to win the lottery.

I tend to agree with everything Gillsfan said. Well, I think I do. I only got to halfway and I had to stop for a lay down,my head was spinning. I'd like to thank all the posters on here for keeping me up to date on things and I for one appreciate FoM's efforts. Mind you, I usually split it in half and have two goes at it. I think things could be looking up next year if the manager stays the course. Recruit a couple of wise veterans to go with a largely young team and who knows what might happen.In the meantime,I expect our cricket team to give your lot a right royal flogging this summer.

I expect the warm up match against a group of nuns to go the same way as well!