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Manager John Coleman insists he’s “not going to be the same old, same old” after being tasked with turning Gillingham’s season around.
Coleman’s opening two games in charge has seen them lose at home to Doncaster and draw at lowly Tranmere on Saturday. They play away against a struggling Grimsby Town side tonight (Tuesday).
It’s another chance for Coleman to show the ideas he’s trying to implement and another chance to get a much-needed win.
The Gills haven’t won a game since mid-December - form which has already led some fans to write off their promotion chances this season.
“It's my job to change things here,” Coleman said.
“We're not going to be the same old, same old. People can be forgiven for thinking, ‘oh, here we go again’.
“Rome wasn't built in a day. We have to quickly implement what we're going to do. That might mean bringing new players in.
“It's a good club, Gillingham. It's a well-run club. In my eyes, it's only going to get better. I want to be part of being the steward who makes it better.
“To do that, players are going to have to buy into, one, high work rates, but two, they're going to have to improve with the quality.
“We have got the players. If the quality wasn't there, I wouldn't be asking them to do things that I didn't think they could do. I know they can do it.
“If they haven't got the legs to play the way I want to play, I'll have to get other people to do it.”
Coleman’s already got three new players in the door, with Asher Agbinone and Jimmy Jay-Morgan bringing youthful enthusiasm to the attack and Nelson Khumbeni adding energy to the midfield.
There’s still room for more additions as Coleman looks to make the most of the remaining week that’s left in the winter transfer window.
He said: “We've still got a week where I hope we'll bring in a couple of players as well.
“I've got to get it right for my own sanity. I'm pretty confident we will.”
Coleman insists the job hasn’t been any harder than he expected it to be. Previous managers Neil Harris, Stephen Clemence and Mark Bonner have all struggled to get the Gills to reach their potential.
He said: “You're getting a job because there's lots of things to be fixed, otherwise you wouldn't be getting a job in the first place. I'm not stupid. I feel for those people who've tried.
“The players have got to realise there's a responsibility, first and foremost to the fans who pay their hard-earned money, but to themselves and their team-mates.
“It should be a joy to be a professional footballer, not a chore. You can think it's a chore for us, sometimes. I'm saying some, not all of us.
“We've got players who can lift us, just with the way they play. They've got to shine to the full. They've got to come out and people have got to start emulating them, with their work rate, with their energy, with their effort.
“People have got to start stepping up to the plate.”
League 2 table
Gillingham’s weekend draw at Tranmere ended a run of four games without a point. It’s a starting point at least.
Midweek hosts Grimsby Town have taken just a point from their last four games, losing 3-0 at Barrow on Saturday, but have been stronger at home, unbeaten in their last three.
“Everywhere is a tough place to go, isn't it?” said the Gills manager.
“As I said in the press conference on Thursday, you can sound like a broken record. Every manager says the same, ‘tough opposition’ but they all are in this league, there’s no getting away from that.
“We've got to realise that you've got to fight for everything that you're earning in this league.
“I've been doing it long enough to know what it takes. I definitely know what it takes here.
“I think the understanding of how we're going to play is going to get better. The fans who've paid their hard-earned money, they deserve better than what we're currently putting up. Let's hope it gets better quite quickly.”
Gillingham’s last-six form
