So, we've lost the Shrewsbury lads, Big Dave's Gusset, Mitch and The Purple Cow; and gained TeeRex and a couple of York fans. Come on in, lads, the water's tepid.

Oh, and we start as favourites again. And with a hated manager (not least by me). So I'll be starting this thread again next season...

Thank you, it's lovely to be back, and to see some familiar faces! Whatever happened to Hull and Swansea though? I'm sure we left them lounging around here not doing very much...

Hi Division 4 fans. The sweater that is this league is feeling more and more snug to the Gillingham chest with each year.

GO - your manager may be hated, but it at least means you have a manager. Seems the world is turning and we're sitting here, managerless and no sight of signings, whilst potential targets go elsewhere (i.e. Rotherham and Fleetwood).

What's happened to the poison dwarf? Has he gone back to Dover?

He's got a comfier office upstairs now as Director of Football. Of course, if we don't have a manager come pre-season starting, he might still get back out there. Our fans would LOVE that...

Gangster Octopus wrote:


You've got me on a season's loan (at least) to Wimbledon too. It will be a delight to hook up with old friends like Exeter, Rochdale and Torquay again.

ytseliam wrote:


It's getting ridiculous. I appreciate it takes time to sort out a new manager but God knows what Scally's doing. It wouldn't be so bad if he pulled out a decent appointment at the end of it, but I'm bored sick of it now and I expect after all this time we'll still end up with one of the usual old lags.

Either that or Nicky Southall.

And welcome, ytseliam. It's nice to have another one of us on board.

Alderman Barszcz wrote:


I'm dreading the point where Paul Ince or Martin Allen are announced, but at this point I'd be more underwhelmed than annoyed. I just want a manager. And that the highly qualified Steve Constantine was apparently not even given the chance to interview makes me fearful of who we have interviewed.

Hi Alderman! Good to have a compatriot here.

Rumours flying around on the Southend boards that our legend of an ex-maanger Steve Tilson is on your shortlist of 3, along with Lee Clark and Paul Ince.

It's been going on so long that any name that's been mentioned on the message boards suddenly appears on the bookies' lists. I really have no idea what to make of the rumours.

I like the idea of Constantine as well. The only positive thing about the long wait is that it's been a while now since it came out that he wasn't interviewed and I've got a slight, clutching-at-straws hope that things might have changed since.

Well, Scally has now announced in a radio interview that there is no shortlist, and implied that he has turned managers down after rejecting their choice of no. 2.

It will all be fine apparently though. We only appointed Peter Taylor the day before pre-season and got promoted then. The plan this time is to wait until January, we'll go up as champions.

I wouldn't be so averse to Tilson, on the not at all sound basis that I'm thinking of his time at Southend and ignoring his time with Lincoln.

As Alderman says, rumours have been so numerous and we've had so many "favourites" and "on the shortlist" candidates I've given up on internet speculation, especially when a £30 bet on a manager is enough to make them the favourite and send a tiny corner of the internet into a frenzy.

This business of rejecting managers because of their choice of assistant is worrying, but at least it implies a better managed backroom team than last season's approach of "we might appoint an assistant. Maybe. Some time in the future perhaps. One day. Oh sod it, Southall will have to do".

Thanks to GO for the name-check, but I hope we can find an Exeter fan who has something more useful to contribute than me looking at the line-ups and muttering "More than one sub? When did that happen?". Unfortunately all OTF Grecians seem to get as far away from the club as they can (Melbourne? Germany?). Rogin's probably the nearest, and he still thinks it's 25p to stand in the Cowshed and read the half-time alphabet, bless him.

Anyway, it's been fun living above our station for three years (we beat Leeds once, you know, oh yes) but now we're back in our traditional home, we've sold anyone who actually wanted wages and since we have no money we're more likely to be leaving it from the wrong end. This season our real target is winning the Devon league, though even there we'd be second favourites to Torquay.

"oh good, we've appointed Martin Allen as manager"

"Good old "Mad Dog", he won't take any nonsense"

etc.

ytseliam wrote:
Are you saying he's the new Gills manager, beacuse I was under the impression that Paul Ince was taking over...

Yes

Being reported on Sky Sports. So I could well have jumped the gun. But seems close to happening. I could say I'm underwhelmed, but that's probably implied by fact.

Oh dear, I feel your pain...

Martin Allen and Paul Scally. Martin Allen and the former manager as director of football. Can't see anything going wrong there. Still, it's nearly been two months, they had to appoint someone.

Scally massively fucked over a guy I know recently. Out of a courtesy to him, I won't post any more details, but suffice to say, Scally is, surprise surprise, a colossal prick.

BBC Website:

GO, looks we're signing Ryan Creswell from you. What's he like?