I have had many disagreements about Saturday’s game and the reaction the supporters gave, so I will try and keep this short as I can. To react in the way the crowd did on Saturday was absolutely unacceptable. Last year fans were talking about whether the club was financially stable, whether it would stave off administration and whether we would even be a club. The club was facing relegation and a six successive worst league finish. Attendances were falling; people were again considering if it was worth renewing their season ticket. Many were discussing whether relegation would be the final nail in the bank’s patience. Last April was one of my lowest moments in supporting the club.

Twelve months on and we are three points from second place with five games left to play. Only the wild optimist thought we would be still with a chance of automatic promotion and an even better chance of making the play-offs. I delved into the fans online message board to find a list of where people thought we would finish (link: http://www.fansonline.net/gillingham/mb/view.php?id=39742) and as you can see, the majority say mid-table. Although I do not have the statistics to back it up, I would say the majority of clubs find it incredibly difficult to go straight back up again and with the financial restraints imposed on our club, the task was always going to be harder still. To be sitting here with four weeks of the season left and to be in with a chance of getting promoted is something to be delighted about and something to commend Mark Stimson for. The league is poor, granted, but many of our players are from non-league clubs and are still finding their feet at this level. A top seven finish in the context of our finances, the six years of guaranteed away defeats and relegation scraps, is something I welcome with open arms.

So why is it that our manager had to be escorted from the dug-out on Saturday by a steward, trudging past another line of fluorescent-bibbed shepherds who were keeping the crowd at bay? In the 15 years I’ve trekked down to Priestfield, I can only remember Neil Warnock needing this treatment. And what has Stimson done? He took off Andy Barcham, who it turns out was not in perfect shape, with 15 minutes to play and tried something different. Richards being sent up front was hardly comparable to David James playing as a striker for Man City now, was it? As desperation kicks in, we tend to send the ball long and Richards was probably a better shout for the job than Mark McCammon – somebody needed to ruffle up Gary Breen. It almost worked too, Richards had the best chance of the game with a couple of minutes left. Unorthodox, maybe, but not something that should turn thousands of fans against their manager. In the greater scheme of things, Stimson has cleared out the aging and over-paid players, many of whom did not want to play for our club, has lowered the wage bill, brought back the possibility of us winning away again and has taken us to a position many thought was unrealistic before August.

There are still a number of antidotes to all of this. The performance against Barnet was poor, I would completely agree. Very disappointing, but not “the worst I’ve ever seen” as many have labelled it (our home defeat to Brighton four or so years ago sticks in the mind) and certainly not a game that should lead to the home manager being ushered off like that.

Stimson has been accused of being very rough in getting rid of players – although this may, or may not, be true, nobody knows the full story. If it has gone on, then it’s obviously not on but at the moment it is only word of mouth and accusations. Former players quite often have an axe to grind, especially senior pros who would have seen their place taken by a young non-league player. Simon Royce, Nicky Southall and Mark Bentley are still with us…

I’m not going to try and argue Stimson’s record last year – I can sympathise with those that say he was the man in charge of a relegated team last season, although I do not necessarily agree blame should be attached to him and him only.

I will say I am not trying to paint a fine canvass as to why Stimson is incredible and what a Herculean job he has done. Not at all. What I am saying is that the reaction on Saturday was unjust and undeserved and can only sap the confidence from the players at such an important stage in the season. The jeering supporters should be grateful for where we are and stop reminiscing about the Championship days. We’re not going to win every game, we’re not going to play irresistible football every week and we’re not going to walk this league. I just hope the booing on Saturday won’t hinder our chances of climbing our way back up to League One.

Gillingham look to have blown any chance of survival this season after another late goal held them to a point. Typically, they couldn’t build on a lead, something they’ve been guilty of countless times this season, and they now head to Elland Road next week needing all three points.

Nicky Southall’s early cross sailed in the air long enough to allow Gary Richards to get to the far post and dispatch it past Swindon’s ‘keeper. But chance after chance went begging, and in the 88th minute the away side bundled in from a corner. Gillingham’s support fell silent, unable to take in the possibility of another relegation battle. A win today and the odds would have been in their favour, but a draw makes it likely that they’ll play in the lowest tier of the football league next year.

With that comes financial shortfalls, and those that surround the club will hope that what they saw today isn’t Gillingham’s last home game ever.

The 2007/2008 football season hasn’t even started and Gillingham are already tending to players with strains and knocks. It beggars belief how some footballers can pick up niggling injuries and be ruled out of opening games despite the coaching staff spending three weeks fine-tuning their players for the year ahead. If the Gills are to match their chairman’s belief and be promoted this season, the first-choice XI needs to stay largely injury-free. Finances have restricted Ronnie Jepson’s ambition to build a squad with cover in every position and therefore the news that Duncan Jupp and Craig Armstrong are already doubtful for tomorrow’s game with Cheltenham means supporters’ early optimism might need realigning.

If one of the Gills’ back line needs replacing tomorrow, options are clearly limited. Jepson could move midfielder Aaron Brown into left-back or bring in Sean Clohessy, but the team wouldn’t be at its best. It’s naive to think that any team will go a season without having injuries, but slight knocks, days before the are little short of pathetic. The first game sets a tone for the rest of the season and a good result is crucial for both fans’ and players’ confidence. Gillingham are facing a team with their own injury problems and a club who are, if newspapers were to decide, already assured of relegation in May. But because players have strained this or taken a knock to that, Gillingham are already unlikely to come away with three points tomorrow.

Due to ambitions of running in next year’s London Marathon, I have been researching the balloting process and recommended training schedule participants should undertake. In Marathon News, London’s quarterly marathon encyclopedia, stories are rife of runners who have completed the 26.2 mile course for 15 consecutive years. Many of these champions are 50 years old and have plans to continue running the course for many a year ahead. Never have these men and women pulled up with a niggling injury in the days before the run – year after year they still make it through, despite any strains their legs might get.

Footballers don’t seem to have the same mental strength to keep playing. Wages are high, players are over-paid and it’s difficult to be convinced that every player genuinely earns his way. A little twinge is a week off in football and with more and more workers throwing sickies in Britain each year, why wouldn’t footballers be the same?

Gillingham shouldn’t be too affected by absences tomorrow, and a win wouldn’t be against the odds, but over a season these niggles could prove costly. I hope in May 2008 that I’m not lamenting a fitter squad.

What was I saying last week? Every line I typed was optimistic. Everything. Now just eight days later and every team I associate myself with has stuttered, or in Gillingham’s case, stalled.

Not that we should be surprised. There has been little cause for celebration since the Gills dropped to League One with finances, attendances and quality of players sliding down the mire-ridden slope that comes with relegation. The mood of the club has since been negative and many of the message boards have become cynical of the chairman, manager and anything that is stamped with the name Gillingham, and in most cases rightly so.

But this summer has heralded a change. We forked out £200,000 for a defender, players seen as greedy or useless joined other clubs and word from the stands was positive. Some said manager Ronnie Jepson was undertaking a post-season revolution that would see us turn the corner and that we should be aiming for the play-offs. Paul Scally promised success to prospective season ticket holders and that anything less than promotion would be deemed a failure. All of this ended yesterday though.

Now friendlies are not something to be taken too seriously. Managers often field a select 15 that includes youngsters, frequent substitutions and more tactics than a war in Vietnam. But a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of your local rivals does not set a positive tone and yesterday is a massive setback to those who saw improvement. Admittedly I wasn’t present, but from what I have read in the 24 hours since the mauling, it is clear that plenty of work is still to be done – match fitness, energy and the right formula need to be found with only two weeks before the season gets underway. If not, relegation looms.

Similarly, England’s cricketers have struggled after an impressive performance at Lord’s last week. A moist Trent Bridge pitch was not something they needed having lost the toss and inevitably the batsmen struggled against the new ball, finally capitulating for 198. India’s middle four have struggled for form, meaning it was only a matter of time before they came good. Tendulkar, the obvious target with a test record that includes 11,000 runs, showed why such doubts were and still are unfounded – his 91 today proves that age hasn’t yet caught up with his abilities and why he still holds a big influence on the outcome of this series. England were unlucky not to win the last match, but they’ll be extremely lucky to survive the next six sessions. An ability to do so will leave the series poised for a winner-takes-all finale, something that Vaughan and co. would take right now.

There really is plenty of sport happening this weekend and I’m finding it hard to pay sufficient attention to any of it in great detail – on offer are the first test against India, the European Grand Prix, the Open Championship at Carnoustie and even Gillingham turned out for a pre-season friendly this afternoon.

First to the test match at Lord’s where England are in a very strong position going into the third day. The bowlers did a fine job this morning after an all too familiar batting collapse – it’s a little worrying that late wickets for next-to-nothing runs that happened consistently before Duncan Fletcher’s reign might be creeping back into the team again. Fletcher made a point of picking players on all-round ability (something that brought in Giles and kept out Panesar at the start of last winter’s Ashes) whereas new coach Peter Moores hasn’t approached selection in the same manner. Without the likes of Flintoff and Giles, the England tail looks very weak and it’s something that needs to be paid to attention if the team will challenge Australia in two years time. Also, Ian Bell is batting too low at number six – he has shown himself to be a decent batsman in the last couple of years but now often finds himself batting with the tail and therefore hiding his talents. He looked to be in good form yesterday, hitting his first ball through the covers for four and looking very comfortable until he was last man out. Paul Collingwood, despite his double-hundred in Australia, hasn’t been consistent like Bell has and the two should be swapped around to give the latter the most opportunity.

The bowling looked excellent though, despite early doubts about the line-up. Speaking to the India players on Tuesday about who were the favourites for the series, the majority view was that the difference had been swayed by the injuries to Harmison and Flintoff. Many of the journalists agreed in their columns in the run up to the match and it’s reassuring to see those doubts have been proven wrong. Anderson has been excellent this summer and has definitely benefited from bowling overs for Lancashire, including his five wickets in the Roses match 10 days ago. A five-for today, including the key wickets of Tendulkar and Ganguly, was well deserved and he exploited the swinging conditions like a beggar at a friend’s wedding buffet. Tremlett has also bowled with good pace and bounce and will certainly be a part of England’s future if he can evade the injuries that have plagued his career thus far. Shane Warne has been an influence and Alan Donald’s advice looks to be helping the England attack as a whole. Ryan Sidebottom also bowled well, although doubts remain as to whether his bowling would stand without swinging conditions. Both Anderson and Tremlett have pace, and in the latter’s case bounce, that mean they can adapt to different types of wickets around the world. Sidebottom is dangerous when the ball is swinging, but a hard and flat Brisbane wicket might not suit him as well. Certainly a good pick for the time, but not necessarily a long-term fixture.
The European Grand Prix might be the first in which Lewis Hamilton doesn’t finish on the podium after a high speed shunt in qualifying today. The cause seems to be a fault on the wheel attaching gun and although Hamilton was sent for hospital tests, it is hopeful he will make the grid tomorrow, albeit in 10th place. Sadly for him, his championship rivals fared well and Kimi Raikonnen stormed to pole position by three tenths of a second, a huge margin that shows the Ferrari’s recent revival isn’t a one-race show. McLaren certainly need to pick up the pace if they are to give Hamilton the car to win him a World Championship – if they don’t, there is no doubt that one of the red scarlet’s will snatch the title away from the young Brit.

At Carnoustie, things are looking good for Serigio Garcia who will take a three shot lead into the final round tomorrow. Garcia has certainly been an excellent player in the last few years, but hasn’t quite done enough to win a major title, often faltering on the last day but with Tiger struggling to find the fairways, 2007 might just be his year.

And a final word for the Gills who beat Dover in a friendly today. Gary Mulligan found the net twice in the first-half with Pugh and Crofts adding to the scoreline. 4-1 is a good opening result, but the visits of Charlton and Colchester will show where the team is really going.