Gillingham v Chesterfield-Match Thread

[Kent_UckyFriedGills]

We`re back home for the last game before Christmas,and the start of a busy Christmas period.Chesterfield are not exactly great away from home,and it is a game we should be capable of winning.We`re 6 games unbeaten and confidence is high at the moment.The crowd looks set to be between 7,500-8,000 with the Ticketing deal,so hopefully we give a good performance.

What would be your Team? Norris deserves to start after his two goals last week at Doncaster.

[baronnight]

Having won away last week we need the 3 points here to maintain that momentum, a couple of goals and a clean sheet would be nice to improve our goal difference.
We have only managed 4 clean sheets in the league and all have been with Bywater between the sticks, time for Nelson to win a clean sheet bonus.

Picking the team is best achieved using a pin, PT has produced a few surprises with his selections but I think the away win deserves it's reward, give last weeks starting 11 a chance again.

[fan_of_mulligan]

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

----------------------------------Nelson--------------------------------------
Ehmer---------------Legge------------------Egan---------------------Martin
--------Hessenthaler------------Loft------------------Doughty--------------
Dack-----------------------------------------------------------------Dickenson
---------------------------------Norris------------------------------------------

Subs: Bywater (GK), Hoyte, Pritchard, McGlashan, Galbraith, McDonald, Kedwell

I know the temptation is there to stick with 5.3.2 and I can understand why Peter Taylor will stick with the formation which has seen Gillingham go six matches unbeaten in all competitions (also Leon Legge, John Egan and Max Ehmer have played exceptionally well in recent weeks) - but the changes we made at the start of the second half earned Gillingham that unexpected away win at Doncaster Rovers and I rather see Gillingham play five in midfield then five in defence.

I have gone with Bradley Dack on the right with Jermaine McGlashan likely to be used as a impact substitute, while Brennan Dickenson and Luke Norris both deserve to start against Chesterfield, especially Luke Norris who took both of his goals brilliantly against Doncaster Rovers.

Our biggest league attendance of the season was against Scunthorpe United and Gillingham lost 3 - 0 that day, Gillingham will have a big attendance for The Chesterfield Game as tickets have been sold for £10 to Adults, I hope that Gillingham put in a decent performance, but more importantly get a win against Chesterfield to not only send the supporters home happy that Gills won, but maybe gain 1-2 new regular supporters who want to support The Gills - we all remember our first Gills Match and your more likely to come back again if you see Gillingham win.

[Garawa]

Some interesting facts for the game can be found here as always: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1506

The game will be the last Lucky League match for a couple of weeks and sees the start of the next round of the Noircat Cup .

[gillsfan1066]

If Gillingham won 4-o we would have an extra 200 people at the next home game (weather permitting) not 1 or 2,and if we win that next home game 3-0 we would have another couple of hundred at the following home game, so GO BIG BLUE,give us the Christmas present we all want, points, goals and more goals.

[gillsfan1066]

Three points down the drain today , now were looking at maybe four over the Christmas period instead of seven, doomed I say , DOOMED, haha.
Two own goals today,how many is that on the season ??

[Kent_UckyFriedGills]

I felt the tactics and Team selection were wrong yesterday.Norris upfront on his own didn`t work,Egan playing at Right back was wrong as well seeing as we have a capable right back in Gavin Hoyte on the bench.I felt quite a few players were off their game,and we only started improving once we brought much needed energy on in McDonald,and McGlashan.Cody scored a good header after only being on for 5 minutes,and two minutes later Egan again popped up with the equaliser for us.We were back in the game,but it was disappointing that we didn`t go for the jugular as I felt we could have pushed on and got the winner.Saying that Chesterfield looked a decent side,they were physical but played really good Football.I would say Chesterfield did deserve their win as we never started playing until we were 2-0 down.

How did Cody miss right at the end? I was up celebrating as I thought he had scored.

Again we never seem to perform in front of a bigger crowd.We need to go to Colchester on Boxing Day and get some kind of result.

[Garawa]

How on Earth did Loft win man of the match. Yes he set up two goals but he was largely ineffective much of the game, mostly due to being a left footed player playing on the right and with little ability to be a winger. Very strange. Not sure Egan works as a full back either. We never really looked up for it all. Cody's miss was awful, in League 2 he would put them away but in League 1 he doesn't even test the 'keeper, why? That 6 minute spell when we recovered from 0-2 to 2-2 should have surely only have been 1 winner but somehow we contrived to lose with some of the worst defending for ages!

The players would/should have known Chesterfield hadn't won in 7 away (including 4 straight defeats) and that they had suffered 5 blank sheets in 7 games scoring only 3 goals. They would have seen their 19 goal top scorer not fit enough to play but on a bench with only 2 other outfield players as everyone else was injured!! Given the fact that we were unbeaten in 6 they were there for the taking if we pushed them but we never did. That was a crazy mistake and a wasted opportunity. Colchester also were vulnerable but look to have now ended their very bad run. Winning against Chesterfield and then Colchester would have put us 8 clear of the Essex side but they can now leap frog us with a win on Boxing Day. We should have won.

[lidbid46]

Total and utter waste of three points with some of the most amateur defending I have ever seen. I think it must have been Legge's twin brother playing instead of Leon yesterday - his twin brother being anything but a footballer! The own goal was on the cards from the moment the winger got the ball; legge got himself in completely the wrong position and could only ever turn the ball into his own net so would have been better trying to block any shot that may have resulted. But the last goal; what happened? I haven't seen a replay but Legge seemed to allow the ball to bounce about in the area before the forward decided to score! Yes we scored twice - that was good and showed character, but that was a six minute spell out of the whole ninety minutes. I agree with others; was it's Loft's granny deciding the MOM? Absolute joke decision. I can't even describe how I felt when Cody missed that sitter at the end - I honestly think I would have scored that. I really feel, for the first time since I started supporting Gills, my enthusiasm slipping away. I found myself sitting down clapping lukewarmly after we scored our first goal, shouting a little more when we equalised but expecting us to find a way of ruining it all before the end. I therefore was not at all surprised when we conceded the third. Peter Taylor can complain about the crowd all he wants, but when fans like me are wearily dragging ourselves to games almost just because I have a season ticket, expecting to be disappointed and thinking about my evening out with friends from about 30 minutes in, then I think things are clearly going wrong. He claimed Chesterfield were strong opposition - wrong, they were no better than us and as Gary says, suffering from injuries to the extent that they only had four subs. We should have won that game comfortably in my opinion. I feel disappointed and frustrated - the friends I sit with are already discussing whether to renew next season and I must say I am having the same thoughts rather than just automatically renewing as I usually do. Someone make me feel better!!!http://www.gillinghamfcforum.co.uk/posting.php?mode=reply&f=1&t=1500#

[Kent_UckyFriedGills]

How on Earth did Loft win man of the match. Yes he set up two goals but he was largely ineffective much of the game, mostly due to being a left footed player playing on the right and with little ability to be a winger. Very strange. Not sure Egan works as a full back either. We never really looked up for it all. Cody's miss was awful, in League 2 he would put them away but in League 1 he doesn't even test the 'keeper, why? That 6 minute spell when we recovered from 0-2 to 2-2 should have surely only have been 1 winner but somehow we contrived to lose with some of the worst defending for ages!

The players would/should have known Chesterfield hadn't won in 7 away (including 4 straight defeats) and that they had suffered 5 blank sheets in 7 games scoring only 3 goals. They would have seen their 19 goal top scorer not fit enough to play but on a bench with only 2 other outfield players as everyone else was injured!! Given the fact that we were unbeaten in 6 they were there for the taking if we pushed them but we never did. That was a crazy mistake and a wasted opportunity. Colchester also were vulnerable but look to have now ended their very bad run. Winning against Chesterfield and then Colchester would have put us 8 clear of the Essex side but they can now leap frog us with a win on Boxing Day. We should have won.

I was shocked that Loft was awarded man of the match,I would have given it to Doughty.

[Robpthegills]

Peter Taylor really is making bad decisions. Pulis used to reckon it was better to play a lesser quality player but in the right position than a quality player in the wrong position.

[Garawa]

I think we need to shore up the side, we are still too porous even though we have had 3 of the best defenders for a few years in the side (Egan, Hause and Ehmer) as well as Legge playing his best. Perhaps we need to put people where their strength lies even if it means playing some out of position (but not as bad as Egan at right back or Loft right midfield)!!!

What are people's thought's with this formation:

........................Nelson

Hoyte..........Egan..........Legge..........Martin

..............Doughty..........Ehmer

McGlashan..........Kedwell..........Dack

........................Norris

This seems harsh but imagine a spine of Kedwell, Ehmer and Egan. Kedwell just never gives up and we look more solid with him. Behind him Ehmer has looked immense and further up I don't fancy many to get past him whilst along side him Doughty's ball winning skills would work well to protect the back four where the defence would have everyone in their strongest positions.

Loft and Hessy would miss out but they haven't been having their finest games in truth and there are options on the wings with Dickenson a consideration also. That strength down the middle coupled with quick pace on the wings to create a front 3 with Norris would appear to suit the players we have more. Of course this is fine on paper and reality is quite different and dependent on the opposition formation but we are not getting the best out of the players we have and playing them out of position makes it even worse!

[Garawa]

Rob, I totally agree with that. Its a bit like a Man City full of superstars losing to side like Wimbledon of the 80s. That side was hardly full of quality and was all about team ethics and spirit and is why so often a non-league side will beat a league side in the FA Cup. My thoughts on team changes only has Ehmer playing out of position but defensive midfield is often a position a central defender will himself in.