ManofKent
Newbie
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2017
- Messages
- 1
Another Gills fan in peace to help clear up the away end bit....
The Town/Gillingham End (crassly named the "Brian Moore Stand" by our Chairman in recent times - not the most fitting tribute to a commentating legend and former Gills fans and director) can take 3,400. Traditionally, the away fans took the right half and Gills fans the other half, with capacity reduced to around 1500-1600 for segregation.
However, in recent seasons, when the weather has been bad, we've always switched the away fans in to the under cover Gordon Road Stand to the left of the away end, but this is only possible for small away turnouts of about 100-400, i.e. all of them bar Millwall, Charlton, you (unfortunately for you), and possibly anyway chasing promotion come April). This makes all the moaning about the away stand from a lot of quarters a bit shallow - for example, Port Vale have excused their low turnouts at Priestfield on being in the ****** Town End, yet the last three times, they've been under cover in the Gordon Road Stand!)
In fact, this season, we moved the away fans to the left of the Town End with seats in the Gordon Road too, and since Christmas, given our increasingly bad form and attendances and the shocking away turnouts, the club have closed the Town End/Brian Moore Stand and just housed away fans in the corner of the Gordon Road Stand.
In short, this means the Town end will be completely free and you'll get the whole end, which should be up to around 2500-3000 with the bottom corners cordoned off for segregation.
The story behind the "temporary" Brian Moore Stand anyway is that we had to go all seater when we got in the Championship, but had plans to move, so the old terrace was flattened and a temporary stand hired. We have had plans to move for 20 years, but still have nothing definite, so the club purchased the temporary stand and just use that now in hope that we'll one day move. To be fair, as a Gills fan, given we average 6000-6500 out of a capacity of 115000 pretty much whether we're in League One or Two and about 20 of the 23 teams usually bring about 100-200, I'd sooner money is spent on the squad than a new stand to house a handful of away fans!
Also, re parking.... Best bet is to park off of one of the roads off of Albany Road or Maple Road (on the other side of the rail track) - google them. Best bet for pubs is to avoid Gillingham! If you're coming by train (and I believe there is engineering works on the High Speed) is to stop off at Rochester for beers (plenty of good pubs there). The pubs near the ground or Gillingham station are dog's ****, best bet is to have a wander to - google them - the Frog and Toad (not too far from the ground) or the Will Adams. If you're driving and coming by Jct 4 of the M2, you could try the Star or the Honourable Pilot on your left off of the A2 about a mile from the ground (nothing special, but big chain type pubs that have plenty of room and you'll be able to get served without too much wait) or if you're coming in via junction 1, there is the Sans Pareil before the Medway tunnel, or if you have more time, a couple of smashing pubs near the tunnel by the river in Upnor.
As for the match, we are a completely different team to the one you played earlier in the season and last season. We should have gone on with basically the same team as last season, plus some not cheap additions, and stormed a playoff place at least, but something went wrong (more in the head of the manager and players), and we have crashed. No team spirit, no fight, no clue. Our defence is woeful, keeper dodgy, the strikeforce couldn't score in a brothel and we have numerous injuries - new manager, same rubbish. Bradley Dack is back in form, to be fair, but that's all we've got going for us. The last time I saw you at Priestfield, you were very physical and direct and deserved a win - if you do that on Saturday you'll smash us. Wimbledon caused us all sorts of problems with that approach on Tuesday and they aren't good or in form!
The Town/Gillingham End (crassly named the "Brian Moore Stand" by our Chairman in recent times - not the most fitting tribute to a commentating legend and former Gills fans and director) can take 3,400. Traditionally, the away fans took the right half and Gills fans the other half, with capacity reduced to around 1500-1600 for segregation.
However, in recent seasons, when the weather has been bad, we've always switched the away fans in to the under cover Gordon Road Stand to the left of the away end, but this is only possible for small away turnouts of about 100-400, i.e. all of them bar Millwall, Charlton, you (unfortunately for you), and possibly anyway chasing promotion come April). This makes all the moaning about the away stand from a lot of quarters a bit shallow - for example, Port Vale have excused their low turnouts at Priestfield on being in the ****** Town End, yet the last three times, they've been under cover in the Gordon Road Stand!)
In fact, this season, we moved the away fans to the left of the Town End with seats in the Gordon Road too, and since Christmas, given our increasingly bad form and attendances and the shocking away turnouts, the club have closed the Town End/Brian Moore Stand and just housed away fans in the corner of the Gordon Road Stand.
In short, this means the Town end will be completely free and you'll get the whole end, which should be up to around 2500-3000 with the bottom corners cordoned off for segregation.
The story behind the "temporary" Brian Moore Stand anyway is that we had to go all seater when we got in the Championship, but had plans to move, so the old terrace was flattened and a temporary stand hired. We have had plans to move for 20 years, but still have nothing definite, so the club purchased the temporary stand and just use that now in hope that we'll one day move. To be fair, as a Gills fan, given we average 6000-6500 out of a capacity of 115000 pretty much whether we're in League One or Two and about 20 of the 23 teams usually bring about 100-200, I'd sooner money is spent on the squad than a new stand to house a handful of away fans!
Also, re parking.... Best bet is to park off of one of the roads off of Albany Road or Maple Road (on the other side of the rail track) - google them. Best bet for pubs is to avoid Gillingham! If you're coming by train (and I believe there is engineering works on the High Speed) is to stop off at Rochester for beers (plenty of good pubs there). The pubs near the ground or Gillingham station are dog's ****, best bet is to have a wander to - google them - the Frog and Toad (not too far from the ground) or the Will Adams. If you're driving and coming by Jct 4 of the M2, you could try the Star or the Honourable Pilot on your left off of the A2 about a mile from the ground (nothing special, but big chain type pubs that have plenty of room and you'll be able to get served without too much wait) or if you're coming in via junction 1, there is the Sans Pareil before the Medway tunnel, or if you have more time, a couple of smashing pubs near the tunnel by the river in Upnor.
As for the match, we are a completely different team to the one you played earlier in the season and last season. We should have gone on with basically the same team as last season, plus some not cheap additions, and stormed a playoff place at least, but something went wrong (more in the head of the manager and players), and we have crashed. No team spirit, no fight, no clue. Our defence is woeful, keeper dodgy, the strikeforce couldn't score in a brothel and we have numerous injuries - new manager, same rubbish. Bradley Dack is back in form, to be fair, but that's all we've got going for us. The last time I saw you at Priestfield, you were very physical and direct and deserved a win - if you do that on Saturday you'll smash us. Wimbledon caused us all sorts of problems with that approach on Tuesday and they aren't good or in form!
