Paul Raynor, Gillingham’s assistant manager, has been reflecting with KSN about the potential make-up of SKYBet League One for next season and about the need for the return of supporters to “live” football sooner rather than later…
Looking at the changing composition of the division for the new campaign, Raynor admitted, “there are some good clubs coming up from League Two for next season – Swindon, Crewe, Plymouth and Northampton after the Play Off Final – there will be good clubs coming down from the Championship and we’ve already got a number of good clubs in the Division already.”
“We were only looking at it in the office the other day, the Gaffer and myself and how strong the League is going to be.”
“We’ve still got the Ipswich’s; we’ve still got your Sunderland’s and you could still have your Portsmouth’s if they don’t win the Play Offs – it could be some big clubs coming down still.”
“League One next season will be as strong as it’s ever been but it’s great! We don’t worry about reputations, we’ve proved that! With the greatest respect, we’d sooner play an Ipswich or a Sunderland than a smaller side because we relish playing the big boys and turning them over and the fact that we finished above Ipswich in the final table this year was fantastic – that was a real achievement with the budget and players that they had, that’s a real testament to the players that we’ve got and how they applied themselves.”
Turning his attention to the football that has returned and Raynor reluctantly had to admit, “I find the games that I’ve watched – and I was so looking forward to the Premier League starting on the TV and the League Two Play Off Final – and I was looking forward to the Play Off Semi Finals in League One to see who comes out on top – but I’ve found a lot of the game very sterile as football is all about the crowds.”
So did the Gills number two think that crowds would be back anytime soon? He said, “We’re hoping the restart will be in September as I think you have to look at what the EFL might be thinking and this could be totally wrong, so please don’t take it as gospel.”
“My gut feel is that we’re hopeful of September – there have been dates brandished about – the 12th, the 26th – I heard again this week the 12th but that might be totally wrong, someone else then said it was going to be the 26th, so we don’t know.”
“I know that the Chairman is scheduled to have more remote meetings with the other League One Chairmen in the coming days to get some more ideas and plans across from the EFL as to what we do now, but we just want to be positive – we’ve obviously got to mindful of this dreadful pandemic that people are still dying from this disease every day and we’ve got to be mindful of the health implications, but we really want to get playing!”
“It’s been too long now – I know that all of the guys under contract are desperate to get going; we speak to them all the time making sure that they’re all OK, they’re all fit and all following their programmes that we’ve given to stay physically fit and to make sure that mentally, they’re being positive and being strong as it is a difficult period for everybody involved in the Club!”