Gillingham v Bristol City-Match Thread (FA CUP)

[Kent_UckyFriedGills]

This was the draw we didn`t want when the draw was made.I`m expecting a tough game and possibly a long afternoon if previous results are to go by.The good thing is no one expects us to win and with it being the FA Cup there are shocks every round.I think we should just go for it and not sit back,we have nothing to lose by attacking them.You never know we might even nick it.

What would be your Team?

[fan_of_mulligan]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYojkqwNMlo

This is Peter Taylor's Mid-Week Interview ahead of our FA Cup First Round Match against Bristol City on Saturday.

[gillsfan1066]

Seems as long as we put up a good performance even if we loose it's all going to be OK in Taylor's eyes. I actually thought with a week to prepare my prediction of a 1-3 lose might be wrong and maybe ,just maybe we could snatch a win, but after listening to PT I think my original prediction could be about right, but I live in hope.

[Rimshot]

Yes, he's not exactly Mr. Motivator is he ? I wonder if this is how he comes across to the players, seems more likely to send you to sleep than fire you up.

[Kent_UckyFriedGills]

Kedwell and Norris are both doubts for tomorrow,so our task looks tougher.I guess German would then partner Cody upfront.

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/spor ... his-26548/

[gillsfan1066]

I don't expect anyone to be rah rah all the time, but hell is this guy boring. Just for once I would love to hear a manager come to a press conference and say somethinglike I don't care who were playing, Manchester United or Bristol City, were going to send them home like the losers they are. The team we have on the field Saturday is as good as any playing this weekend, and I look forward to the draw on Monday when we get a proper team to play,lol.
OK maybe not those exact words but something with a bit of passion something to upset the other team give them something to put on their bulletin board, then if the Gills fail miserably do the right thing................. resign, lol,

[fan_of_mulligan]

http://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/article/20141106-gillinghampotd-2062155.aspx

Bristol City have sold 79 tickets for Saturday's FA Cup First Round Tie at Priestfield Stadium, I wonder if many of there supporters are put off because Steve Cotterill plans to rotate his squad, as the cup competitions are not Bristol City's priority this season.

[fan_of_mulligan]

I think Gillingham will line up as follows.......................

--------------------------------Nelson-------------------------------------
Hoyte--------------Egan-----------------Hause--------------------Martin
---------------------Loft-----------------Doughty--------------------------
McGlashan------------------------------------------------------Dickenson
-----------------McDonald---------------Kedwell--------------------------

Subs: Bywater (GK), Fish, Legge, Hessenthaler, Pritchard, Dack, Norris

I think we have got to go for it tomorrow and play in the same manner like we started when we played against Preston North End and just take the game to the opposition and accept that we are going to concede chances at the other end, Danny Kedwell and Luke Norris should both be fit enough to be in the squad and Danny Kedwell might not be ninety minute fit if he has not done a lot of training so Luke Norris might come on after sixty five minutes for Kedwell - personally I would prefer it if Luke Norris started and Danny Kedwell comes on because once Danny Kedwell is substituted we lose that focal point in the final third.

Even if Steve Cotterill rotates his squad he can still throw in the likes of Scott Wagstaff, Marlon Pack and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas which reflects on the difference of squad depth and the players Bristol City can afford in comparison to Gillingham, Oxford United won against Bristol City in The League Cup and with promotion into The Championship a priority for Bristol City this season, then they might not be focusing as much on the cup competitions this season, also Gillingham tend to do better as the underdogs, we tend to lose games we're expected to win and win games we're expected to lose - last season was a prime example of that, lose to Brackley Town but won against Wolves.

I think we will have a under 3,000 crowd tomorrow, some Gills Fans have chosen to have a boycott, others think we will lose and are not bothering to go and Bristol City won't bring many fans to Gillingham either, hopefully we have something to smile about at full time and Gillingham progress to The Second Round of The FA Cup - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!!

[gillsfan1066]

OK there was less than 2,654 as in less than twenty seven hundred at Gillingham today for a cup match , that will teach Bristol Management to keep their mouths shut about not giving a hoot about the cup,Em could have won the pool with a pick of 17, lol. I hope Scally bought a return ticket to Dubai, or else he will be asking garawa if he can use his couch till we play again, and he can afford the ticket home.
Going through this because Scally DID NOT back mad dog at the beginning of last season and get rid of the one or two bad apples in the barrel.
Our lottery tonight is around $200,million, so that's about 125,000 million pounds, minus around 40 mill for taxes so I will have 80 million pounds, give Scally 10 mill for the team and ground and garwa get you haircut mate we are going to need a new manager next week., lol, and Lidbit because even a woodwork teacher must be able to spell a bit to have got into collage,your in charge of press releases and the program.
No my dear Miss Mulligan, I did not forget you dear lady, you are going to be my VERY own Personal Assistant,( us hip kids call them PA's) with very few duties other than keeping young Mr. Noircat out of my office till I am back in the top division where I rightly belong, then when I am you can let him in for coffee and biscuits when ever he is in town, if he brings a bottle of wine with him.

[Kent_UckyFriedGills]

I was disappointed that we set up so defensive in a one off game where there wasn`t any pressure on us to get the result.Bristol City are doing fantastic in the League and they made a few changes to their usual line up.They passed the ball around very well and we were chasing shadows for most of the first half.I thought we lacked pace and width and at times Kedwell was trying to go out wide to receive the ball.At Half-Time with us 0-1 down you hope we will go out all attack but it wasn`t until the last 10-15 minutes that we put them under the cosh.Saying that we only looked like scoring from a Penalty and their keeper didn`t have much work to do.There was an urgency to get the equaliser in the last few minutes but we left it too late.

The Team looks so low on confidence,and they don`t look happy as you would expect with our poor form.I thought Dack should have played at least some part as he has great energy and has a knack of nicking goals out of nothing.Also I thought we looked more of a threat once McGlashan came on and we had some pace.The most disappointing part of the day was the poor attendance of 2,654,which shows fans are not happy.The positive for me was my Daughter enjoyed her second Gills game.

MOTM-Michael Doughty who had great energy and added a touch of class to the Midfield.

[Garawa]

Lol Chicago, sounds good to me. Not sure if they lied or not about bringing a reserve side. Perhaps they did given that Emmanuel-Thomas and Wagstaff haven't been starting matches but 9 of the 14 players that played last weekend also played in yesterday's game. This smoke-screen is getting boring now. The Diego Costa saga of "He won't play on Saturday/Sunday as he is injured" and then low and behold plays EVERY TIME surely doesn't fool anyone anymore? They were reporting to be bringing 79 fans because of it yet filled one and a half blocks of the Gordon Road stand.

I am told the attendance was the lowest for a home FA Cup match. There seemed a lot of apathy towards this game from both sides and perhaps after the Brackley result last season people felt their money was best suited elsewhere. However the first round has been played this weekend every year so it is a like for like comparison.

Although they bossed the game, the possession they had did almost nothing and I felt we had the best pass and move moments. The goal was a touch fortunate and they made Nelson pull off a good save but that was it in the first half however they didn't allow us to play like a home side should. Perhaps no-one in the ground to spur them on didn't help but we never looked like scoring. I can't recall recently where we played a simple ball to a forward in the box to slot home, most attacks have been from set-pieces or long balls. We have scored 5 goals in 11 after previously getting 9 in 5. We have now conceded 10 leads in the last 9 games after conceding 4 in the previous 12. We have conceded the first goal in the last 8 games having previously conceded first in just 3 of the 13 matches. We are winless in 10.

I can't put my finger what has changed but it doesn't look like improving anytime soon. To make matters worse Cody looks so out of sorts and there have been times when through on goal he looks to draw a foul or panic a shot away. I am not one for changing the manager as whoever would come in will be stuck with the same players but something has to change. Either these players have proved they can cut it at this level and then have stopped or are not up to it after being sussed out after the first few games.

[gillsfan1066]

I am looking at it from a long long way away of course, but the game yesterday to me seems to sum up Mr.Taylors way of managing. OK' if we don't score for 80 minutes just stop them from scoring,then with a bit of luck we will nick one in the last five minutes.
Andy Hesethwaite will be back in charge next week if we lose to Orient, and for two games we will see him leaping about before he drops back into sitting on the bench, not making changes and losing more than we win, but hopefully we will get enough points to stay up,then spend the summer bringing in new players to rebuild, under another old re tread manager, where's Damien Richardson, or Keith Peacock,hey what about Iffy O,he had a good record didn't he ??
I look at a team like Bornmouth who only maybe 6 or 7 years ago were playing Gillingham in the 4th Division,and today are looking at the chance of getting promotion to the Premier,Bournmouth, that hot bed of English football,I mean when your in Peru and you say Manchester United, Chelsea to a local what comes next in the conversation, of course AFC Bournmouth, followed by Barnet and the guy who can't manage a team.
God's of football if you even love Gillingham Football Club one little bit, please,please don't let us swap places with Barnet at the end of the season. Have they even got a ground ??

[Rimshot]

Another game, another defeat, another loss on home soil where we regularly concede the lion's share of ball possession expecting to do what exactly on the break ?

This team doesn't have goalscorers from midfield so we have to press the opposition and somehow get Cody and Kedwell in scoring positions. The alternative is for the chairman to make funds available ...ha, f***ing, ha.

I have supported this club since 1958 and never felt so disconnected from it. I just cannot be bothered to make the round trip from Buckinghamshire any longer.

[shoutingman]

Agreed Rimshot. I'm struggling to get motivated from my home a couple of miles from the ground and in possession of a season ticket - definitely would commute from Buckinghamshire.
The one midfielder we do have who can chip in with a few goals in my opinion is Bradley Dack, but he can't seem to get a game and certainly not a run in the side.
Jake Hess doesn't have that ability, or maybe he's been told not to go forward, who knows?
What was slightly baffling on Saturday was the substitution on 75 minutes. - No problem with bringing on Dickenson but why take off Hoyte from right back and then move Hessenthaler to right back? If we were going to "throw the kitchen sink at it" (ha ha) then Hoyte has more pace than young Hess, so leave him on.

[Garawa]

That made sense to me. We went from 5 at the back to 4 when McGlashan came on for Legge and then seemingly 3 at the back as Hoyte came off for Dickenson. So went from having Loft, Hessy and Doughty in a 5-3-2 to having Dickenson, Loft, Hessy, Doughty and McGlashan in a 3-5-2. Fine, we've played that system a couple of times this season! Only as Shoutingman says it didn't stay that way for more than a couple of minutes as Hessy dropped into right back!

What was the point of that? I can kind of see why Dack isn't playing as Martin is prefered for his defensive ability as a wingback at the expense of not being as good going forward. With 3 in the middle they need to be the solid and dependable type but this says we don't possess enough going forward to make the most of it. It sure isn't solid enough to stop us losing!

I still think the players we have fit best into a 4-2-3-1 formation. It can still be defensive when required but should also get forward players into better positions. For me it would be:
Hoyte, Egan, Hause, Martin
Loft, Hessy
McGlashan, Kedwell, Dack
McDonald

I thought in a meaningless game (was now when compared with how desperate our plight is looking) it was a chance to go for it and get some confidence back. If we get knocked out of the last cup tomorrow night the Leyton Orient game has to be vital. It can't be anything other than a win, not for league position as 2 wins can take us several places up, but end this run because if we get too close to Christmas without halting it it is game over. That said we could do a Crewe or Notts County by stringing together a few wins and running up the table but at this moment in time I can't see it.