More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Gillingham have announced the departure of manager Mark Bonner – and the club are set to name his replacement imminently.
A poor run of form over Christmas left the Gills sitting 14th in the League 2 table – 10 points off the play-off places.
Prior to their last game, chairman Brad Galinson messaged fans with a reminder of their demands this season – something that’s started to drift away.
“We are clearly not where we want to be yet,” he said.
“No one is more frustrated than me. The not-so-funny joke around here in Florida is “what’s wrong with Dad?”
“We can only keep trying, fighting, and building. I’ve said this many times but we cannot stay in League 2. Our fanbase and owners expect, no demand, higher. We keep going.”
Defeat to Bromley on Thursday was their third in a row and led to many fans losing patience. Bonner admitted after that game that things were a mess.
The Gills were due to play Chesterfield on Sunday but that match was postponed.
The club have now acted with Bonner and his assistant Anthony Hayes leaving.
Gillingham’s managing director Joe Comper said: “Mark is a top guy, a top professional and has given absolutely everything he could have given to help the club succeed.
“We liked him from the moment we met him, and we still do, which makes this decision even tougher.
“The staff have thoroughly enjoyed working with him, however, we felt if we were going to achieve something this season with what we believe to be a very talented group of players, we needed to make a change to give us the best possible opportunity of getting to where we want to be come the start of May.
“With regret we have decided to part company. I would like to place on record my thanks to Mark and I wish every success for the future.”
League 2 table
Bonner took over at Gillingham in May from Stephen Clemence, who was sacked at the end of last season after failing to get into the play-offs.
The Gills added: “We would like to thank Mark and Anthony for their efforts while at MEMS Priestfield Stadium and we expect to make a further announcement regarding the management of the team later this evening.”
Bonner, who had previously led Cambridge United to promotion from League 2, was the third manager to work under the Galinsons since they took over two years ago.
He started off at Gillingham with six wins in the opening two months of the season to lead the division but the positive start ended abruptly with five straight defeats in October.
Bonner was unable to get them back on track with a series of unconvincing displays from his team, slipping further from the play-off places.
He leaves at the midway point of the season, the Gills now as close to the bottom two as the play-off places. The new manager will have plenty to do, with the transfer window open and changes clearly needed in playing personnel.
