Gillingham boss Neil Harris wasn’t taking the weekend abuse personally.

His team were booed off the pitch at Priestfield after their 2-0 defeat to Mansfield Town and some fans chose to target the manager as well as he walked away past the main stand.

More: “It wasn’t about shape, it was about being out-fought."

Harris understands the frustration, with the Gills sitting 22nd in League 2 after nine games, with just two goals scored and a solitary win to their name.

Saturday’s defeat was a particularly low point, bullied into defeat by Mansfield Town.

“I understand,” said Harris, who has been with the Gills since taking over at the end of January.

“Fans have been brilliant with me and fans have been patient with the football club and the players, they always have been, fans shouting to me to make changes, to ‘come on and find a way’, I take it in completely the right spirit.

"Fans are passionate, I am a passionate man myself and I understand it and that is why I acknowledged it. All I can say is that it falls on my shoulders, I am the one in charge to try and turn it around, I will carry on doing that."

On the criticism aimed at him, he said: “I have managed at Millwall and Cardiff, that wasn’t personal. That was I think third party aimed at the manager about the team.

“The fans are patient but they have to vent off somewhere and if they shout at me while I am walking off to remind me - if they don’t think I know it is rubbish - then they are entitled to that. I didn’t take it personally because it wasn’t personally aimed at me. They were right. It is my job to get it right, I can accept that.

“As a player I accepted that if I kicked the ball off the pitch seven times unopposed then someone might shout at me to keep the ball on the pitch!

“It was a disappointing day, fans are disappointed, ultimately we have to find a way. Since the day I walked in we had to galvanise the club, I am still trying to galvanise it seven months later, is that just down to the manager? It’s a football club isn’t it?”

Gillingham fans will certainly feel short-changed at home, witnessing just one goal in six games (aside from the League Cup penalty shoot-out) this season. That follows a miserable season at Priestfield last term, with just four wins and 13 goals scored from their 23 league games at ME7, the worst record in the division.

Gillingham head to winless Hartlepool for a huge game this coming weekend and their opponents have just sacked their manager.

The League 2 strugglers - who sit a place below the Gills inside the bottom two of the division - have parted company with their manager Paul Hartley and assistant Gordon Young.

A Hartlepool statement said: “A decision was taken to make a change with the club currently sitting second from bottom in League Two and without a league win so far this season.”

Keith Curle has been appointed their new boss and will take change of the team for the first time this Saturday.