Change, my dear, and it seems not a moment too soon
Until today, every time I had been along to Priestfield to watch Gillingham Football Club, they had been under the ownership of Paul Scally.
For 27 years, Mr Scally has guided the football club through some of our best, and worst, days.
Unlike many, I have no ill feelings towards Mr Scally. Sure, his manner when addressing certain fans has raised an eyebrow once or twice, particularly over the past couple of years, but, in fairness, one can only tolerate the comments and abuse he has received from a minority of the fanbase for so long. When you are in public life, you need to have a thick skin and patience, but even those with the thickest skin and an endless supply of patience have a snapping point.
In the time Mr Scally has owned Gillingham FC, football league clubs have gone into administration on 45 separate occasions. You don’t have to be happy with the club’s current performance or league position (I’m certainly not) and you don’t have to agree with every decision Mr Scally has taken or statement he has made, but most fans are capable of recognising that he has always tried to ensure the long-term financial viability of the club, rather than risk administration by throwing borrowed money at league success that might never materialise.
When I first went along to Priestfield, back in the 1990s, I was sat in the Gordon Road stand staring at a fence opposite, where the Medway Stand I was sat in today now stands. Without Mr Scally, that stand (and the other three) might not have come. Of course, a different owner with different investment might have ensured all four stands were permanent and had a roof, but it is equally possible that, if it wasn’t for Mr Scally stepping in to buy the club in 1995, there might not have been a club to need a stadium to play in at all.
Since then, we have been witness to promotion drama and relegation disaster, in equal measure. Three trips to Wembley in play-off finals, cup runs against Premier League opposition, our only five seasons in the second tier of the football league (including our highest ever position of 11th) and winning League Two in 2012, marking the club’s centenary year as Gillingham FC with its first trophy in almost half a century.
But Mr Scally is a chairman from a different age. After owning the club for 27 years, it has been clear for some time that he does not have the resources to finance a football league club in the modern era. He has spoken of looking for investment for many years, and last year announced he was speaking with individuals interested in investing in the club, but insisted they needed to be right for Gillingham.
In August, he appointed Paul Fisher as CEO and co-chairman, while he took extended leave to focus on his health. Mr Fisher, the last chief executive of Rochester-upon-Medway city council before its merger with Gillingham borough council and a former finance director at the club, has been busy working on the smooth running of the club (and, it seems, on a successful takeover). If my matchday experience today is anything to go by, there is still work to do there, but that is another post for another day.
On Friday, the club released a brief statement announcing that Brad Galinson, an American businessman who made his money in property, had acquired a majority shareholding in the club. Mr Galinson followed this announcement a few hours later with a video for the fans:
Mr Scally retains a minority shareholding in Gillingham FC and, while it’s unclear at this stage what structure the club will have going forwards, it is evident Mr Scally and Mr Fisher will still be involved. That is an eminently sensible decision on the part of Mr Galinson as, while he may have the money and the drive to move the club forwards, Mr Scally and Mr Fisher have the local knowledge and experience needed to do so.
And boy is it needed.
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Following the announcement on Friday, I purchased my ticket for today’s fixture against Colchester United. I haven’t been to a Gillingham game since before the pandemic, mostly for financial reasons, but on hearing news of the takeover, I wanted to go along and see how the lads played before Mr Galinson makes his mark on the club.
Watching the match today, it was clear a change is desperately needed. It might not have been the club’s worst ever performance, but it was certainly one of the worst I have been witness to. Many of the current players seem to be playing above their level, and the results reflect that.
Gillingham are currently sitting rock bottom of League Two with just two wins in 21 games. The team haven’t won since their last-minute 1-0 victory at home to Sutton United on 1 October and haven’t scored a goal since defender Elkan Baggot’s headed equaliser against Barrow on 22 October. It’s been over a month since they last earned a point in the league, in a 0-0 draw away at Crawley Town on 22 November.
Yes, there has been cup success, beating Premier League side Brentford on penalties to make it through to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup and winning FA Cup replays in the first two rounds to set up a third round clash against former winners Leicester City. But cup success counts for nothing when you are teetering on the brink of relegation from the football league for the first time in almost three-quarters of a century (King George VI was on the throne the last time Gillingham played outside of the football league).
Without a drastic change, the Gills are looking at relegation to the National League – and, honestly, on today’s performance I think they would struggle to win there as well.
Forward Mikael Mandron seemed to play like he thinks he’s the next Leo Messi, but often kept the ball for too long and lost possession before he could get close to goal. Despite being 191cm, he also failed to win almost every header. Given most of the time the ball went forward or into the box it did so in the air, an attacker who struggles in the air is going to struggle to score goals.
It speaks volumes that one of the biggest cheers of the game came for David Tutonda when he went in for a reckless challenge against former Gills man John Akinde. On another day with another referee, he might have been sent off. As it was, Sam Purkiss only cautioned him. But it was the rare display of passion that drew cheers from an otherwise thoroughly fed-up crowd.
One player worthy of praise is Baggott, on loan from Ipswich Town. He is our joint top scorer in the league with two goals to his name, and came the closest to scoring this afternoon, heading wide from a corner in the 86th minute.
Other than that, it is difficult to find positives in the performance. There was a very audible boo from the crowd at both half time and full time, and some fans were making their feelings known by shouting “you’re not fit to wear the shirt” at players as they were heading back to the dressing room.
That said, it is good to know that Mr Fisher shares fans’ frustrations, tweeting after the game:
There were 11 players on the pitch, but very little in the way of a team. Until the dying minutes of the game, by which time the writing was on the wall, there was little in the way of cohesion or fighting spirit among the players. Yes, there was a push for an equaliser late on, but it was too little too late, especially for a club lacking a striker capable of scoring.
Regardless of the abilities of the players, a good manager should be able to get them working together as a team. That the current squad are lacking falls just as much at the feet of manager Neil Harris as it does at the players.
Mr Galinson has promised fans an aggressive transfer window. It is evident new players are needed, but he should give himself a head start and make replacing Harris in good time to employ a manager who can build their own squad in January his priority. Neil Harris is clearly not capable of managing at this level, and the sooner he goes, the sooner the team can move forward.
A club statement announcing his departure tomorrow morning would be a good way for Mr Galinson to show he is keen to bring about the changes Gillingham Football Club needs.
***
Gillingham is a club with potential. Putting aside our league position and current attendances, as Mr Fisher should know from his past life, it sits within Medway, a conurbation of just shy of 280,000 people. It is the only football league club in Kent (at the moment). Sure, no one is reasonably expecting the club to be playing alongside the likes of Barcelona and PSG in the Champions League any time soon, but enjoyable football and a push up towards the Championship, rather than down towards the National League, should not be beyond the reach of Mr Galinson – and, I’m sure, is exactly what he is planning on working towards.
If Gillingham are relegated from the football league, it will be the biggest disaster to happen at Priestfield since my marriage. If, on the other hand, Mr Galinson and co can secure our league survival, I will happily join the queue in the summer to purchase my first ever season ticket – and happy to tag along for whatever ride its new driver takes us on.
Up the Gills!