TALKING GILLINGHAM FOOTBALL CLUB • Episode 3 • EFL PODCAST

Latest episode of talking football clubs it’s Gillingham Football club, currently in the EFL League Two

Todays guest is ​⁠@gillsinthebloodgitbtv460 a passionate Gillingham fan who talks me through why he supports the club, some cracking stories. Please drop Matt a subscribe ✅

If you enjoyed this video please LIKE, SHARE, COMMENT and SUBSCRIBE ✅ https://youtube.com/@aroundthegrounds1?si=mzxLquewE6DMz1Do

For live updates please follow my instagram

https://instagram.com/around_the_grounds1?igshid=MTNiYzNiMzkwZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Join Fanhub! I’ve just got a golden ticket for the invite-only FanHub app! Use it to skip the waitlist before it’s too late: aro-ew8 https://faneconomy.app.link/2j5hLogj6Eb

https://youtube.com/@fusionjosh?si=TX0vakzvqwO0hM9L

Follow https://www.instagram.com/jackbeeton02?igsh=MWc1OTNtcmE1NXh0aQ==

#gillinghamfc #gills #efl #football #footballpodcast #footballfans #footballstory #englishfootball #eflleaguetwo #footballclub #footballclubs #skybetleaguetwo #leaguetwo #gfc

Welcome to another round the grounds episode and another talking clubs um today it’s the second third episode sorry Matt um and we’ve got a special guest uh today we’re talking Gillingham football club and no one other than Matt from jills In the Blood TV who’s become a really good friend of mine now

Obviously with the vlogging and we met at Donnie this earlier this season so I thought got to get you on and we’ve been trying to do this for some weeks haven’t we but obviously with Christmas fast approach it’s uh it’s been a struggle but we’ve uh we’ve got us Cups of Tea

We’re ready to go so we’re going to talk Gillingham football club uh just introduce yourself if anyone don’t know who who you are uh yeah Matt I run uh Jules in the blood YouTube channel we’re also on Twitter I’m sure you’ve probably seen me whether that’s a good thing or a

Bad thing I’ll let you decide we’ve got an Instagram page we’ve got an invite Facebook page only that’s sort of just generally jills fans though but yeah in terms of public social media media YouTube Instagram and and and Twitter is is obviously the places to find us we do

We do three regular shows a week generally obviously Christmas is completely different because because family and that type of thing takes prior but the rule is match preview that goes out on a Wednesday evening any match days that we’re at we do a vlog and then we do a uh match day review

Show that goes out on a Sunday evening looking back on the Saturday game and and we do other series J’s in the blood chats too which is trying to get X players on and we get some current players now which is brilliant but yeah really Legends um yeah jills in the pub

Is another series we do there’s three jills fans that sit down probably once every couple of months to discuss what’s been going on between episodes and that type of thing so yeah there’s plenty to keep us busy and yeah this is something I’ve been looking forward to do you’re

Absolutely flying which is great to see and um yeah like you say we we met at Doncaster end of September we talk regularly on social media and yeah definitely Clash was a mate now um yeah that that’s basic basically it if you don’t like football don’t follow any of my social

Media yeah that’s exactly right that’s all it is on on mine just football football football literally that is all it is well no great content like I said clasher is a really good P now we always chat about uh football and just flogs and it’s uh it’s great to finally do

This um obviously talking clubs it’s third episode if in case anyone didn’t know the process we just talk about um the relevant football team that it’s it’s just them today so there’s U eight questions I think going to dive into them and then at the end there a quick

Fire five um quick sh answers uh for Matt to go through um regarding Gillingham and then little bits and Bobs but yeah we’re looking forward to getting into this and uh hearing your stories about Gilling and football club so firstly Matt why Gillingham why did you come to support Gillingham Football

Club it’s a long time ago now sh me age um first game I think was ail 89 I think my dad took me because it was AFF f b and it was League football my dad’s a Spurs fan um yeah where where my my mom and dad lived there was there

Was local very low non- League teams that I I used to go along to and I like doing that but I wanted to go and watch League football so s JS was affordable to a dad and his son going along like I say I couldn’t tell you the

Team I couldn’t tell you who scored I think we won one yeah um yeah that was like the end of the 88 89 season I then started going semi-regularly early 90s and then all the time with my mates once I was sort of old enough to be allowed to go on the

Train that type of thing I mean you’re going back to the days where I could get to the ground come home get something to eat before and after buy my ticket not bunk the train program all for a ten it was like this is brilliant this is like paper boy

Wages and we’re having a great time so yeah mid90s was when I started going like all the time I think 92 993 final day Halifax if if you say that to a Gillingham fan they know what it means it’s basically the day if we’d lost we’d have got relegated and we’d have

Probably gone out of business so that was the first time that I really understood that football meant something more than just being two sets of 11 players and and there was there was points riding on it and yeah luckily we won we didn’t go down and Mr Paul scall

Saved us a couple of years later and and you know we had some good times under Paul scall and uh the rest is is history I suppose is is the the old saying so yeah I’ve been doing it a long time certainly long before the age of YouTube

And football vlogging Yeah you sort of look back at games I watch um old games all the time on telling you were like that would have been a great game to imagine the views it they get but yeah it’s it’s mad how football’s like turn and just it’s obviously massive

Social media and YouTube now and so obviously he took on that season Matt the alifax um Great Escape what would you class as your favorite season um as a jills fan it’s it’s always a toss up between the two which would be 98 99 we end up losing at Wembley to

Manchester City after being two nil up going into injury time or the season after because I time a lot of teams had had lost in the playoff final and ended up being relegated the season after I remember we didn’t start great 99 2000 and we was all thinking oh

Cross we’re in all sorts of bother here yeah but then something something clicked and we really kicked on and obviously to go back to Wembley 12 months after chucking away a two- goal lead against city um and I think you’ve seen on social media and reports over

The years if if we’ beaten them there’s a chance they’d have gone out of business or they certainly wouldn’t be this sort of global superpower that they are now and it’s it’s interesting that you look at the two teams and how their Journeys have completely changed since

That um I’m not saying we’d have been Bol by the Arabs and and become a superp power but you know we might have we might have gone a different route they might have gone a different route but no Wigan was really good but I think if you

Ask a lot of JS fans Lee they’d say if you could put the the Wigan result with the Man City day out you’d have had the perfect almost The Perfect Storm because city was like seven 8 79,000 the Gallagher brothers were in attendance I think it was the highest attended

Playoff final for the level and I think it still might be we’re got no disrespect their Rugby Town so so when we went back there and beat them we had like the whole end at one end and then they had about 9,000 fans in the top tier so the atmosphere wasn’t quite the

Same obviously the main thing was that we got over the line we managed to find a way to get promoted and we had five brilliant years in what’s the championship now at the start of the Millennium so yeah I’d always say it’s them two seasons for me were proper

Sides and and what I’d call proper Gillingham sides you did we didn’t always have all the best players we had a little bit of Stardust but but every single player knew their job and every single player would run for a brick wall for that team yeah did you go to the the

Man City final yeah yeah and I remember I walked out to the concour at 21 after who got the first horlock I think yeah was it the nii with the penalty save was that yeah that’s the shot I think we only scored one but yeah walking out into the Concourse at

21 and just seeing about what looked like Million Man City fans trying to run back up Wembley way to get back in wed out they was like go and get the train and go home yeah and then obviously just extra time was just almost like a a blur

And we didn’t know what to do the jills players didn’t know what to do you know you’ve chucked away two goal leaders you’re literally seconds from this being the greatest guy in the history of the club um and we all know how the penalty shoot that went it didn’t go very well it’s

One of them and then you always see these little weird stories don’t you in football and Paul dickov who scored the equalizer was best mates with Vince Bartram our keeper and they were best man for each other’s weddings and it was Paul dickov that that broke his best

Mates art and Dick went up and Bart had to stick it out for another season and like I say I’m just so pleased that looking back that that we managed to get it done the season after and lay that ghost to rest because I I still I know

There’s loads of JS fans that still can’t watch the Man City back in its entirety I think we get to like 2N and then we just turn it off and pretend the rest didn’t happen yeah I think on the balance of play you were the better team

On the day was we were miles better than Man City that I don’t care what anyone says and I I still remember I don’t have any other Jes fans remember I’m pretty sure we should have had a penalty in extra time but obviously this is long before the days of massive multiple

Camera angles and V and all not that I like V I absolutely despise V at the time I could have been quite handy to come in and it would have save me the heartache of going home I’ve never been on a quieter Journey back from Wembley to where I live honestly absolute

Silence for about three hours it was the weirdest journey home nobody knew what to say nobody knew what to do I think we was all just numb like if you get beat you get beat like say we turned up and city had beat us 4 nil we’ had the and

You’d gone fair play but the way it happened and then obviously there was the whole sort of side show of the referee apparently being spotted out with the city players afterwards Mr Mark Housey I know laughs about it now can laugh about it now to a degree but

Honestly it was the strangest like most surreal Journey back home like no one said a word it was just absolute silence all the way back from Wembley to Victoria and then all the way home yeah on the M call Se and have you listen to Under the podcast he talks about it

Don’t he I myself to listen to it yeah he talks about it it’s quite funny I did go out I think he were joking but yeah he talks about it quite a lot um coincidence that he was in the same hotel but obviously a little bit more

Than it should have done yeah it’s horrible Wembley when you lose but it’s the best feeling when you win it’s just I I don’t think you enjoy watching games at Wembley because you know how enormous they are it’s a it’s a final and especially for clubs like Gillingham you

Know Man City and they doing it basically annually they turn up there it’s like a second home but for teams like Dillingham I mean we’ve been there we’ve been lucky I’ve seen us play there three times and I’ve seen us win twice as well two at the old one and one at

The new one but there’s a lot of clubs that don’t even get to wimble so it’s not a game that you you just basically feel sick I think for for the entirety of the game and then like you say you just get this massive release at the end

One way or the other it’s either the worst kind of heart a or it’s the most wonderful kind of ation that you just want to bottle up and and resell forever in a day I think yeah are you this is a side question are you a new Wembley or

Old Wembley old I like both but old wimbley yeah I never went to a game to watch at the old W I just did a ground tour I think when I were at school um so I’ve never been to a game there but yeah just iconic with a yeah just an iconic

Stadium I say jills l to City beat Wigan and I saw England lose to Brazil yeah remember the unbroke up the year before the yeah and that was the team I think Gaza was coming back from injury there was like a big sort of thing around him

Starting and he came off the bench was unbelievable the atmosphere but like Ronaldo the first one proper one for those that yeah yeah he were really really young them one really yeah I think he’ been at the World Cup the year before and I think he just started to

Sort of break into the team but they still had like ramario and BTO in front of him and I think I remember grander so scored an absolute worldy to put England One n up and then Brazil went now we’re going to start playing now I think raldo jino edmundo BTO

Ramario they had I think was the K was a ridiculous side like honestly such a good side and yeah they were brilliant but yes I saw England once jills twice at the old Wembley and I’ve seen an England game um I’ve seen obviously jills beat shrewbury one nil in a

Playoff final as well so I can’t complain in terms of seeing my club at a National Stadium to have two out of three is yeah it’s a fairly tidy record yeah it’s a good record some some have been and embarrassing the team we had loads of our squads like

When we won at Wembley in 2000 that had been to Wembley the year before we’ve asked the likes of Carlos SAA Bob Taylor I think Paul Smith Barry Ashby um there’s a couple of others that that had played for brenford and they’d lost two playoff finals for brenford as

Well so I think it was like something ridiculous like fourth or fifth time lucky for some of our players that have just lost continuous playoff finals up until that win over Wigan so yeah I think there was there was more than just the Man City Ghost lad to rest that day

For a lot of the team yeah 100% so so we’ve touched on your favorite season I’m going to go for your favorite ever jilled shirt oh God i’ got too many for the wife’s like it and she’s not here at the moment she’s at work thankfully I just Dro this

Question in there this morning because I’m big on my football kid and I know you a class collection I’ve got far too many I’ve got over 100 jeel shirts B you just pick them up online uh eBay classic football shirts I’ve been lucky enough that that players have have donated to

Me these ones up here this this one I’m trying which finger that way that one there that’s 97 98 that’s all signed as well that one you can’t see it there and then obviously right behind me is um last season’s third shirt signed by Shawn Williams yeah then going the other

Way I got Alex McDonald um that’s the shirt he wore when Jill’s not for at The League Cup last season yeah I’ve got other ones sort of Maxima FA Cup shirts um I think one with a poppy as well which are quite hard to get hold of so

I’ve got plenty of I’ve got a lot of duplicates like you know I might have three or four of the same kit but you know I do my channel because I love it and I don’t get anything in terms of monetary rewards but I think if people

Appreciate what you do you are a little bit lucky sometimes and you might get the odd shirt chure way I remember veran Oliver sent me a shirt at the end of the covid season and just said thanks for all your support this was he just messaged me at the blue

On Instagram I have your address and I was like why’ you need my address and he was like just give me your address you’ll like it and he sent me a shirt and he’ signed it and he’d written a message on it that used to be where the

Shawn Williams one is um but he left so I took it down now in terms of favorite ones you probably I mean I love all the 80s and the 90s ones um I managed to get quite a load of like really good remakes of them because I can’t afford the proper ones

Because they go for stupid money yeah yes that’s fair in terms I think you always sort of think of favorite shirts with favorite Seasons so it’s almost intrinsically linked so I’d say the the yellow Medway news from the wembly game then we beat wig and that’s always going

To be a favorite just because of what it means and what it represents um like say I really like the older ones yeah Neil Smith who played for us in the 90s was generous enough after i’ interviewed him to send me a a match warn shirt from the 9293 season honestly

So battered I to give it to M to sew up like the shoulders and that because he played in so it had all been ripped yeah but yeah I don’t wear that one because obviously Neil Smith in ’92 was a lot Slimmer than Mattis in

2023 up that’s a nice one 99 91 home shirt rero that’s a really interesting one the designs like proper strange like sort of blue and white Flex yeah I’ve got far too many I could sit football shirts for probably all day if we had the time but no

I think if I had to say one just because of what it represents probably the 2000 yellow um Medway news shirt yeah yeah yeah he was have your favorites i’ like to say you always pop up with his shirts when you go into your match days and it’s class to see the old

Retro one well then this this isn’t a shirt but this is one of my favorite pieces now this is what I put on Twitter at um Christmas day that’s unbelievable who did that this is the the mes got me this and she absolutely hates football

And so we done all the presents and then it was just us three Christmas morning and she said like you’ve got to open it together and yeah sent it off to a company called Memories made right and it’s basically the you can see the photo no this way there there yeah yeah that’s

The print of me and AA walking to walaw away last season and she got it embroidered onto hoodies and it’s honestly I must I mean I CRI most things now um due to mental health and that type of thing but yeah that that definitely bought her to to the eye for

What it is and obviously the fact that that net blesser she she hates football so for her to do that was unbelievable yeah it’s outstanding when i s like wow like I could imagine how you felt open that one yeah yeah that was um yeah that was that was really well received yeah

100% um so we’ve talked about your favorite season I’m going to go for a favorite moment goal uh just just a moment that yours look back or a funny time being Jill’s F favorite moment again will be linked to the previous two answers which would be Andy Thompson yeah the commentary for

Jills fans is absolutely iconic like Ty Gooden it is a Gooden and then just Andy Thompson flings himself in front of the Wigan Center half and and finally we knew that that we were going to the promised land of the second tier for the first time ever that was unbelievable

Again it’s like you said right at the top of the show if there were games that you could have vlogged yeah oh my word that have been an absolute mess but it had been brilliant video footage to keep from it I mean all you rely on is sort of old Panasonic

Photos if you’re lucky from from them sort of games but it it probably has to be that um yeah that that has to be the biggest moment FA Cup run 99 2000 was Unreal as well Nikki South’s volley to knock cheer Wednesday out in the in the fifth round fourth round memory’s

Not as good as it used to be we got think it went fth we got all the way and lost to Chelsea in the quarterfinals That season that was that was kind of iconic because the old the Midway stand the main stand at jills was still being

Rebuilt and um John mson God resty Soul was put up in some sort of temporary commentary box and they put up a temporary stand to increase the capacity for that game and it was it was odd watching the opening credits for match of the day that weekend and and

Listening to Gary liner talking about the JS and there’s like a panoramic view of some old deers washing like fluttering above Skyline as they pan in onto priestfield stadium that was unbelievable I suppose one that that people from the outside might forget would be Andy hessen Striker at the

Britania stadium away to stoke in the playoffs the season we ended up going up we were 3-1 down with a minute to go and and hessie had the ball about 40 yards out and I think I think he always jokes with his best mate Nikki sa who was

Screaming the pass and and hessie just ran forward and absolutely smashed one in from about 40 yards or something ridiculous changed the whole complexion of the tie to go back to PRI and only being one behind I think Absolut probably won the tie for us because because Stoke lost their heads in the

Second leg and had two sent off but I always remember that they still they were still in the tie right up until the end and then we got too late on to win 3-0 but it actually looked more comfortable than than if you’d seen the game in its

Entirety but yeah I’d say the Andy hessen Tyler for ones people that are not jills fans and wouldn’t maybe understand that would be that was massive because I think if if that hadn’t gone in I’m not sure we’d have gone back to Wembley and been promoted

So that’s that’s a big one more recently staying up at Northampton last day of 201617 that was an emotional one purely because our game finished and we knew we had to match Port vale’s result yeah but delay at Fleetwood against Port Vale so we’ fin nil nil so we knew that if they

If they didn’t win we were safe so literally everyone’s huddled around like betting apps and SK sport maps and the players were out on the pitch looking at phones and we were waiting for this 10-minute delay and luckily it came through that that we’d managed to

Survive by the skin of our teeth but obviously a few years later it did catch up with us and that’s why we’re in League two at the moment but you know when you do these sort of chats Le you do realize that your football clubs had

A lot of good moments and and a lot of good players and I think we appreciate it more down lower league because of the fact that it doesn’t happen as often yeah 100% yeah and points always trigger your memories back as well to games and

Moments and Seasons like I did a chat on Wednesday there was so much I left out but I could have included that’s it’s been memorable um being a Wednesday fan it’s just it’s iconic so Matt what does jilling and football club to mean to you everything

You know it’s It’s My Thing aside from My Wife and Kids and my family it’s it’s it’s I don’t know what life would be like without it yeah I I didn’t deal with it well through covid like yeah when we couldn’t go and watch games I

Absolutely hated it it’s that for all of us it means our football club is is an out isn’t it it’s a stress relief I know it stresses us out in different ways watching our football team because we love it so much and we do get into it

And it always my wife always winds me up when she goes oh it’s just a game and she says it now just a annoy me and it does annoy me but it isn’t it’s it’s it’s much more than that we invest a lot of time and a lot of love into it and

It’s it’s hard when you see your team struggling but again you go back to the other end of the spectrum it’s it’s absolutely wonderful if if your team does have any modicum of success and again I’ll go back to the point about being a lower league fan you appreciate

It a lot more when it does come around because it doesn’t come around that much um obviously forgot your Wednesday then when I was talking about the Nikki South volley I should have spoke about it a bit longer shouldn’t I no no we’ll leave that one man but then

I was there four years previously as well when Chris W scored an absolutely worldy in front you beat us 21 after Kevin prman had been sent off so there was a couple of games there yeah but then obviously we got our own back when Nikki sa sent that volley over pav C God

Blast his soul as well um yeah yeah it means everything it’s like I wouldn’t put so much effort into doing a channel and a Facebook Instagram Twitter page if if it didn’t mean that much and like I’ll I’ll talk to anyone and said this to you and I’ve said this to everybody

Else I’ll sit and chat and discuss and disagree and debate with anyone until the cars come open me something I believe in as long as it’s done the right way yeah then I’ll sit and chat to anyone I get everyone’s got an opinion on everything and that’s fine and I know

That we don’t all see things the same way yeah and that’s what makes the world go around isn’t it we all have different opinions on different subjects and and that doesn’t just apply to football as well but it yeah it means loads of course it does it’s you invest your time

Into it you go and you can’t you team up and down the country and spend that amount of money you can’t do it and just have this cold approach to it an emotionless approach it’s impossible yeah 100% And if you all agreed it’d be boring would it course it would exactly

There have nothing to talk about W be a to do these types of shows w’t be able to do Match Day Vlogs match previews any type of show because if everyone says the same thing no one’s going to watch it exactly mate so jilling obviously in

League two as you’ve said um after last season a poor start and then you picked up um obviously we’re new owners just touch on that M how do you think um things are going for the club um obviously transition from last season into this it’s you probably read my article about

Neil Harris and Steven Clemens and the owners a few days ago and I got I got absolutely bashed on Twitter but that’s fine it’s my opinion and I’ll stick by it and uh other people have different opinions they can stick by that like I said it’s that’s that’s fine and that’s

That’s that’s what makes us individual and that’s what makes us have these chats but um it you can’t say it’s not been a brilliant year under the gallon since they came in 23rd of December 2022 we can sit here and talk about the last couple of months have been tricky

And Brad and Shannon know my feelings on it I’ve I’ve been lucky enough to speak to Brad about it when a club Shop opened and he knows that I I didn’t agree with the sack of Neil Harris but I think someone tweeted the other day and said it’s our fourth highest

Amount of wins in a calendar year so you can’t say it’s been a bad season a bad 12 months yes we’re miles better than where we were at this stage last last year we’re in a much healthier position on and off the pitch and I get that but

That doesn’t mean that we stand still and that doesn’t mean that we just go oh well we’re settle for this now and I’m still not 100% convinced that Steven Clemens is the right man and what frustrates me Lee on social media is I think that some people

Can’t don’t seem to get that you can talk about a previous manager and still support the man that’s currently in charge and that was all that I was doing I I still don’t think sacking Neil Harris was the right decision specifically at that time as well I don’t

Think we’ve heard the full story in terms of why he went I don’t think personally it was just football reasons but you know what position was you in when he got s e and four points off top yeah it’s a strange one is it so you like you

Just just tou on there’s got to be something else for me it became it came too sudden we lost at crew on the Tuesday and then suddenly Thursday morning he was gone for me there was I think there was more to it but you know if if there wasn’t then then fair enough

I have to take the owners at face value they’ve not given me any reason to think that they’re going to be underhand but it just seemed a very strange time and I’ve said if if you wanted that massive change of direction that we were told about when the

Stacking happen then why didn’t you just say thanks to new at the end of last season and say we’re going to go in a different direction now and give a manager the whole summer to recruit a side that that would play the way the owners wanted us to play that’s that’s

That’s my beef with it but you know we won we won Friday night we end the year well and it’s we have to take it as a massive plus that having been bang average for three months and very inconsistent we’re only three points off the top seven yeah we’re not scoring

Enough still that’s been a problem for years and years now I think someone posted on tw Twitter earlier today that since the start of 201 19 we’ve averaged 1.01 goals per game which is is is wful that doesn’t get you to the top portions of the table at least it shouldn’t so to

Be three points off the top seven and still well in the mix with half a season to play we have to take that as a huge positive if we can have a January window that’s as fruitful um and improve as much as we did last season from January to the end

Of the campaign then I don’t think we’d be that far away but do I trust Neil Steven Clemens to improve us as much as Neil Harris did in that period last season I’m not sure yet but that doesn’t mean I won’t be there every week that doesn’t mean I won’t be there against

Sheffield United it don’t mean I won’t be going at more away games and backing Steven Clemens and the boys and getting right behind them every single time that I attended football match because I’m a Gillingham football fan at the end people used to say to me do you want

Scall in or scall out and I used to say I want Dillingham to be the best version of themselves yeah Paul SC selling up and disappearing never that meant Paul SC being in the background and someone coming in as a majority shareholder like the gallinson I just wanted jilling them

To be as good as they could be and that’s all I want jilling them to be as good as they can be on the pitch now so if at the end of the season we’ve done all right then Stephen Clemens will have played a huge part in that and I’ll

Happily sit here and go credit to Steven Clemens credit to the owners if they’ve changed it up and it’s it’s the right call but I’ve not seen enough yet to convince me that that it was the right Co because points from the top points from third points from the top seven goals

Scored games won goals conceded have all gone the wrong way yeah yeah I get that it takes time and I understand that and Steven probably does deserve a window yeah but you’ve got to look at all I will say on the subject to end it there

Is that I think there would have been some serious questions ask if we got turned over by sat Friday night but thankfully we didn’t and we got the job done yeah I think we we we we’re club Owners I think fans get far to invested

I know clubs are run badly uh I get like Club clubs are run badly but I think we we can’t determine what happens unfortunately I think I’m not saying that Jes are being run badly I think the gallons have been absolutely brilliant for us they really have and and they

Were ballsy in sacking Neil Harris I’ll give them that it was a huge call and it was the first decision that they made where everyone went oh even those that were Harris out they were like oh this is brave that he’s they’ve done it now so I’ve got no issue with the gallinson

At all Brad and Shannon have been absolutely brilliant and they they did their research before they came they get what gillingham’s about they get what we are as a fan base and what type of football club we are so I’ve got no issues with the gallinson at all I don’t

Want people thinking that yeah yeah I just because I disagree with with one big decision that they’ve made doesn’t make me think that they’re doing a bad job they’ve done an absolutely wonderful job yeah 100% And we all as football fans just want the best for what’s going

On on the pitch don’t we and so obviously we’ve touched on what’s gone on this season so this is this seems a strange question because your answer is obviously going to be uh promotion um what what what do you uh see or want from the future for jilling and football

Club progress yeah whatever that is relatively speaking we I’ve had this chat with loads of people over the years Gillingham historically are a League 2 or a league one football club I say we’re a league one football club we’re third tier that’s where the majority of our existence has been yeah people who

Think that we have this almost right to be Championship we’re not we’ve been around for 130 OD years we’ve spent Five Seasons at that level so that’s a very small percentage but it doesn’t mean you don’t have to have ambition to try and get there and it’ll be

Great but I just want progress at the moment so I’d be disappointed if we didn’t get in the playoffs this season because I I back to be in the playoffs at the start of the Season yeah but I now understand there’s this change because we’ve had to have

This interim Pros um period and we’ve now got a process in place where we’re trying to implement a different style so it might not quite enough but like I said with we’re three points off the playoffs half a season to and a January transfer window to come

And I’ve already mentioned if if we can be as proactive in the window and can be as good as we were for the last few months of last season again then then I don’t think we’d be too far away but obviously wherever we finish this season

You then need to try and improve on it next so if we finish nth then I think next season we’d have to be in the playoffs if we get playoffs and fail to go up then I suppose you say next year would be win the playoffs or get in the

Top three if we do go up changes because you’re saying consolidation in a division above straight away which would be the Sens approach but as long as I keep seeing signs that the gallon are doing the right thing and we’re improving on and off the pitch then then

I’ll be a happy fan yeah 100% you’ve loaded Mark next question and the final question before we go on to the quick fire five um where do you see the club finishing this season what position I said sixth in my preseason yeah predictions video and I don’t think

We’re a million miles off it are we at the moment I’m just getting the lead table up two seconds we’re currently four points off six so and I think it it seems proven that you don’t even have to have a it’s a tough League I’ve said this numerous of

Times in my Vlogs a fantastic League at that and I I think fans don’t need to get disarten where you are sometimes because you are you’re not a million miles off playoffs um any team I think you look at League table our massive issue is we’ve been inconsistent we can’t string five sort

Of unbeaten together we sort of go win lose draw Win Lose draw or something similar to that um if we can put a run together then suddenly the Gap to the top three wouldn’t be a million more I we points with half a season so you’re

Saying half a point a game yeah to on the top three it’s not insurmountable it’ll be difficult because you’re asking your stock pts and your mansfields and your rexam to drop off as well and they’re very good football sides yeah so I I if you said to me now is the top

Three achievable I’d say yes it is achievable do I think it’s likely no yeah um is the top seven achievable 100% is that likely definitely more so I’ll be disappointed if we’re not in the playoffs at the end of the season yeah yeah so playoffs I think yeah especially

Actor manager when we were within touching distance of all them top seven places that so I think we have to be in the top seven so it to be deemed a successful season 100% yeah I can’t even remember where I had you predict definitely playoffs above start of the

Season so yeah be interesting January obviously recruitment see if they have a good push and a good go it for yeah I think there’ be a couple that go out before some come in but yeah again we’re not a million miles away this is the thing but then the trouble is we’ve said

If we’d score more goals we’d be brilliant but we’ve said that for three years so it’s it’s not changed so we can’t sit here and rely on that happening overnight January is notoriously hard to get players in who’s going to sell us you know a 20 gold a season Striker

Middle of the season because if they’re a 20 gold a season Striker why are they leaving that football club unless we have to pay stupid money which I don’t think we do so we’ll have to be clever we’ll have to be proactive and we have

To be a little bit smart with it I thought January’s business last year was really good if we can get anywhere near that then hopefully we’ll be all right um and if we can keep everyone fit that always helps as well yeah Le Lee Gregor’s been linked with a league two Club

Interested Bo that if it was if Neil Harris was still in charge I’d have gone that’s us because at mil but I’m not sure it is us now I wouldn’t be surprised go Cambridge yeah I think he’s link with Cambridge I’m sure you had a few clubs in League two and there were

One um sniffing round from League two so it be interested to see that was well now enjoyed that so now we’ll going to his quick fire five I always like these questions okay so firstly Matt favorite footy scran at a game it don’t have to be at home it could be

Anywhere I don’t eat loads at football matches so I’d have to say Doncaster away this season that was UN yeah really good that was the chili and cheese sweet chil loaded fries chil loaded chicken fries they were unbelievable so yeah i’ go for that and it was decent value as

Well yes and a shout out to Forest Green because I know I laugh about it because they’re vegan the chips were brilliant yeah uh the tea was decent even though I have oat milk and the chicken nuggets were all right as well so a little shout out

To Forest Green not my not my first choice but it it wasn’t as awful as I thought it was going to be what tea were it though this is a big question what your au te were it I don’t know the tea bag was

In I have y tea indoors I do drink y tea it’s the only one you have to have oh yeah I know I know Li you m night about football but he loves a good C I love it and favorite ever Jill’s player Bob Taylor yeah this is going

Back so we signed him in summer of 98 and he didn’t score for a while and he was getting dogs abuse off as’s fans they he was overweight and then you’re going back to the day when if you was going along at half a goal a game as a striker you was

Top Class yeah I think there was a period before he left us in November n uh November 99 to go to Man City I think he’d scored something ridiculous like 18 goals in 15 games there was two at tricks I remember one game I always talk

About he come on after about 45 minutes 55 minutes against Bristol City it was the worst game you’ve ever seen and I I laughed at Bob when I interviewed him for the channel and he said he said he was Waring up with Tony Thorp who was at

Bristol City bear in mind this was Tony pulis his first game back after leaving the JS as well and it was nil nil and Bob Taylor come on our fit and scored the most ridiculous hattrick I’ve ever seen in my life I’ve never seen a professional football at any level

Strike a ball as clean as Bob Taylor he one free kick from the wrong side so it was left foot side and he went inside to out over the keeper yeah then another one in the top corner he scored one from six yards out honestly I’ve never seen

I’ve never seen play in such a rich vein of form as I did Bob Taylor for that that period he was absolutely frightening so yeah for me has to be Bob Taylor Bob s yeah good good run H favorite away ground in the AFL been to a few Shockers this season

And last respect to League two clubs but it it don’t have to be League two it could be just obviously your full uh um Gillingham journey I would say too in terms of an away day and the fact that the side that we was playing were

Brilliant at the time I’m going to go back to 20189 we went to Luton and we were like bottom half and Luton were running away with leag one yeah that’s when they had the two young Wing backs that ended up going at the Premier League James Justin and they had Jack

Stacy I think the other side who went to bouth yeah they were an absolute joke that season and we went there and Drew two all Kenn worth roads famous isn’t it for this like basically walk through someone’s backyard and you can see in everyone’s bedroom windows that for me

Is absolute class it’s a proper football um the fact that we went there and got something and went Toe to Toe with a team that won the league was just a really good day luk O’Neal scored one of the best three kicks I’ve seen live

So that’s right up there and I’d have to say Tottenham away as well back in 2016 there was just so much for me obviously Justin edin BR God Rest was our manager so he was going back to his Club to take on Tottenham we got bashed on the day we

I mean to be fair Spurs played a decent side I think they had Vincent Jansen up front Erikson Lamela started Harry Winks ran the show and I said he’ll play 100 times for England he’s let me down since then um but yeah they absolutely we couldn’t get near him um white art Lane

Was just stting to be torn down like the corner had gone because they were getting moov but but my dad’s a Spurs fan so for me there was a massive link and an emotional tie to it that in that way as well and yeah it was just a it was a

Proper football ground like it wasn’t one of the biggest and I know they probably got the best stadium in the world now in terms of facilities and how it looks the new Tottenham H spur Stadium but for me because of my dad being a Spurs fan it was my club going

To my dad’s Club yeah Tottenham away was brilliant yeah we were unreal in terms of atmosphere that year as well we we took thousands and we didn’t stop singing until the final whistle that was just a really good day so yeah I’d say they’re two of my favorites there’ll be

One that I forget and will’ll text you about in about an hour when I remember recording I look forward to that hope it’s hillsbor mate did do hillsbor a couple of years ago the relegation season we were good that day Drew one all the lead Dan Oliver scored yeah he

Came off injured our captain kyl Dempsey came off injured and new equalized yeah we had a kid starting at left back that day because with so many injuries yeah love I love proper football stadiums like like Hills was a proper football stadium yeah we talk about Tottenham Ur

St looks incredible the facilities are un real want to go and watch a there but they’re all a bit generic yeah Tottenham Stadium Emirates all these new ones they’re just the big ball yeah old school football stadiums goodison Villa Park Hills Ellen road yeah give me them

Every day of the week which is why quite defensive when people moan about the priestfield I get that that stand is horrendous and it’s been there for too long but the other three sides I think are decent for where we are I see people moaning about that and they’re like oh

And we like going to Rochdale no disrespect or and I’m like hang about I was a bit nicer than that surely just wear just yeah I think I went I can’t remember what game it was I’ve definitely been to jilling I think it were it when I lived down in London I

Lived in Kent so it want want a million miles away but I can’t remember what game it I think it a dreadful game I’ll have to look was if it was J yeah um we were shocking on day and I’ll have to message you later cuz I’ve always was I

Think it was against Wednesday yeah Wednesdays yeah yeah going back to like the early 2000s then when J championship yeah that’ll be what I’ll message you later man I’m sure it was January time I can’t remember the year or season what that cup G was it that Nikki S

One it could did you did you beat us that day one n no I beat you 3-1 in that cup game didn’t we Le you took the lead that day in that cup game when we beat you 3-1 I think Gerald C bodden scored

Or it went down the one that is the one yeah and then we turned around and went towards the Raina in second half with the wind and we scored I think Andy Thompson scored Eda yeah Mark sers put one in the bottom corner then s scored that ridiculous volley that the wind

Took all the way into the top Corner yeah that’s the one because I remember there were always a decent chippy on corner with banging chips trying to think where that would have been there was one there was one we always used to use came out the ground

So like where the away supporters used to be and then you walk down it used to be Sandu they used to do decent that’s the one yeah yeah yeah there all the time before that was in the days of when I weren’t bunking the train yeah

Because we always laugh me and my dad and brother jilling decent chips decent chips we used to enjoy going there that was religious for home games we’d go there yeah yeah yeah banging chips best away fans to come to the priest field C there’s been some um best away

Fans I was going to say I’m weird but I remember knots County coming down back end of 20145 and they had to beat us to stay up and they was one n up with about a minute to play and we equalized and as soon as we equalized they was basically

Down so they basically had to just lob everyone up front because they had to score we ended up beating them 3-1 we scored like three times in four minutes in injury time and I remember they they bought loads and loads down that that that always sticks out of my mind I’m

Not saying they were the loudest or or anything like that but I just thought to bring that amount of numbers for a game where he was essentially getting relegated was phenomenal yeah and and they’re a football club that has been was out of the football league for too

Long they’re they’re a football league club and always have been um so yeah that always sticks in my mind I mean obviously the the bigger clubs always bring bigger followings which which makes for a better better atmosphere if I remember rightly West Ham were really loud three years ago when we played them

In the FA Cup they were decent um we always get you know decent atmospheres when because we don’t have a proper rival this is a trouble with us since midstone went out the football league it’s kind of engineered but we don’t play each other anywhere regularly

Enough for it to be a proper rivalry for me um so we sort of have this loose one with like Charon and M walls and that type of thing and then we got this historic one with Swindon because something that happened years and years ago the G I think the games where

They’re always a bit niggly Preston was always decent I’m not saying their fans were brilliant but we was used to have good battles with Preston in the late 90s they always seem to come up at the same time as us I think 95 996 we came up together hessen Tyler versus Shan Gan

Was always a good battle so that always got the fans involved it’s it’s difficult a it try to think game brings loads but I I always go back to the knots County one because they bought absolutely loads and they was like I say they was effectively down

They needed a miracle and they very nearly pulled it off but as soon as we scored that was it and they ended up playing I think they just have Roy Carol in goal and then 10 strikers for the last five minutes and we picked him off

Oh Roy Carol yeah just I think that was one of his last seasons in the professional game yeah went down to the to National League then no that was from League one into the league two and then I think they went down from League two into the national league a few years

After that and spent a few years is down there but yeah that always sticks in my mind that there was there was loads of them there’s one moment that wasn’t on a way fan that always makes me laugh when we beat Cardiff at home in the FA Cup in January

2019 I think I think it was their Center half come and cleared it second half sha Morrison I think it was was his their Captain yeah booted it into like the top tier at a Medway stand and some silly s who was the front row of the top tier

Decided to try and catch it and and overbalanced and I thought like he’s going to die he’s gone and he’s his feet up head down and luckily his mates grabbed him I just remember laughing like because once we knew he was all right that this Geer would like try to

Ed a ball or catch a football nearly plummeted down into the the bottom tier of the Midway stand he okay but it could have been fairly like serious if he’d come down because he’d have just been landed on a concrete but thank God he was all right

He probably had a beer and probably wouldn’t have felt it anyway but yeah it was that was a strange moment um but yeah I can’t get away from KN countly I thought that that final day of 20145 they were phenomenal the amount they bought yeah and then last one of

The quick fire five was like this one one player you could sign if you were the owner of Gillingham or manager that you could sign Pastor pres for this current Gillingham side Bob Taylor yeah Left Foot Right Foot Eder he knew where the goal was we don’t so Bob Taylor 100%

Yeah got to get him in yeah absolutely be i’ play now yeah 55 blessing so that wraps up the questions um obviously you’ve touched on the um the mental health that you’ve been struggling for the past few months Matt um absolute legend for speaking out about it I don’t think people do it

Enough um yeah Absolut commend you for doing that um because you’ve helped a lot of people a lot of people have reached out to you and um just on Twitter and and whatnot and obviously coming up to your games do you want to talk about how how things are going with

That things are things are a lot better yeah thank you that’s obviously that’s the biggest thing from a a selfish and a personal perspective is that yeah everything’s settled down there thankfully So the plan is to to go back to work as normal after the New Year’s

Break so going to enjoy the last week off and then yeah get back to to to how we should be um like I’ve said to you before privately and I say to everyone that talks to me about it like I I don’t I don’t put these things out there for

Sympathy yeah I do it because I want to make people aware and I don’t think that that men’s mental health is talked about enough I think it’s a lot better than it was a few years ago absolutely but I still think more can be done I think it’s great that you’ve seen professional

Sportsmen talk out about their battles I remember Danny Rose being one of the first ones I think after the or just before or after the Euro uh 2018 World Cup like anything it’s snowballs positive or negative if you can get one or two to do it especially in the in the

Public eye then others feel they can come out and do it which is great and then I think if you certainly see people that are celebrities and heroes doing it then you feel more comfortable yourself but I’m I’m comfortable talking about it I’ve got no issue with that I’m

Comfortable getting emotional about it that’s that’s that’s part of me now and I I’m fully on board with that that’s that’s what it is um yeah it was it was tough from from probably October through November right into December in terms of side effects of different medications

And that types of thing and I did a little video Journal middle of October just sort 36 hours in the life of someone who’s trying to deal with it and it’s it’s on my YouTube channel if people want to go and watch it and if it

Helps then then happy days because if if one person’s rung the doctor just by watching me for half an hour then I’ve done my bit um I’ve had loads of people have messaged me said they’ve contacted GPS had someone come up to me at at

Jills V Su a couple of nights ago and said like I wouldn’t have thought of speaking out until I saw you doing it so so that’s the reason I do it I’m not doing it for sympathy I know there’s the odd assho out there that that’ll have a

Pop they did a couple of weeks ago says more about me them than it does me at the end of the day so I don’t I don’t do it I’m not doing it for attention I’m doing it to bring attention to the subject it’s not for

Attention on me um if I get sympathy organically because of what I’m doing then fair enough I’m happily and I’ll appreciate that and I’ve said thank you to everyone that has supported me yourself everybody on social media everybody that’s come up and ask me I am out games it’s that’s that’s a byproduct

Of talking about it but that is not that’s not my end game that’s not my aim when talking about mental health I want to try and help people get better we lost a jills fan a couple of months ago um because they felt that that was the only option and and we

Don’t want people doing that we want people to be out to talk we want people to realize that there’s people that love them and appreciate them and are there for them and the more we keep talking about it and the more we almost normalize it I think the better off

We’ll be well we’ve still got a lot to um I think another podcast related to JS the me7 podcast that are going to set up a group that has regular sort of monthly podcast about the subject in the new year which is absolutely brilliant it

Was it was put to me and I I chose not to because I didn’t want to commit to it and then not have the time because it’s not a subject that you can go into half F so that was my reason for not being involved um and taking the project on myself so

Fair play to them ads that are doing it I think it’s a brilliant initiative they know that they’ll probably get grief from from some Cults because of it but we know what social media is likely it’s it’s a horrible place it can be toxic at times but I’ve generally seen

The best of it over the last three months with people messaging and replying and reposting my my tweets asking how I’m doing saying that they’ve gone and got help all that type of thing so I’ll never stop talking about it I’ll never stop beating the drum like I say

It’s it’s it’s part of me now and I’ve made pece with that I’ve made my piece with the fact that I’ve now got to take medication to help me out and that’s that’s what I struggled with at the start of this process I I didn’t want to

Be governed by tablets but someone said to me well if you’ve got headache you take a paracetamol so yeah what’s the difference if you’ve cut your leg you put a plaster on it if you broke your leg you go to the hospital it’s no different it just means people can’t see

It and it’s not as obvious but no thankfully I’m doing a lot better I’m I’m back to pretty much where I wanted to be Christmas has been a great help so I’ll keep talking I’ll keep tweeting those that hate it I’ll keep posting football pictures of me cooking as

Well if you don’t like it scroll past that’s what I’m going to say to the people that want to have a pop you don’t have to get involved but like I said at the beginning it says more about these individuals if they think they can have

A pop at someone with mental health it’s it’s it’s a funny approach to life but for all the people that that have have done the right thing and and asked how we’re doing and and gone to the doctors themselves well done to you because talking helps it really does saying it’s

Simple problem shared is a problem hared and all that and I’m not saying that the whole process of mental health is that is that simple it’s not but if you do talk I think you feel a lot better and whether that’s a friend or relative or a stranger or someone in the professional

Like a you know a GP or a counselor do it that that would be my biggest point of advice and and ask your friends out there doing don’t don’t think you can’t ask your mates how how they are and I know it’s a masculine thing where You’

Be like oh how you doing you be like what you asking give me that for you but you don’t know how people are feeling behind the mask so to speak I mean if you go back and look at pictures of me three months ago I don’t look too

Different to how I do today I’m still ugly I’ll get that that’s fine before tells me but people can put on an act yeah 100% don’t be ashamed to ask your mates how they’re do it and don’t be ashamed to tell your mates if they have ask that you’re struggling yeah and I

Think you you’ll touch on this obviously I think you’re amazed out how many people do reach out and do um offer the support so don’t be ashamed to to to talk about it or M might I’ve I’ve said numerous of times to anyone it don’t matter who who you are I couldn’t know

You from Adam just drop me an inbox if you want to chat just take take your mind off things M will be the same absolutely yeah if that’s about football just yeah something you’ve done that day or if you want to tell me about your problems that’s fine I’m not an expert

And I’m never a professor to be but I’m I’m always willing to listen exactly mate and that’s all we can do um but no absolute legend for speaking out about it because uh you’re a top guy and it’s been an absolute pleasure to have you on

This uh talking clubs because uh you you speak so well about your football club and just football in general you’re you’re a proper football Master as I like to call you um and like say I’ve uh become really good pals we now so I’m hoping one day I can get down to Jill’s

Game and sit with and uh that’d be good yeah definitely well let me know if you’re do and I’ll buy your ticket lovely stuff appreciate that mate um absolute pleasure to have you on talking clubs Mt last one mate um just give your send a plug and any anyone that you’d

Like to see on this next episode that’s a tricky one um I’ll give myself a plug that’s easy yeah if you can go and press the Subscribe button on Jes In The Blood TV on YouTube it’ be absolutely brilliant we’re trying to get to 3,000 subscribers as quick as we can

I think we’re about 1 140 away which which would be Monumental for for just this bloke who started talking into his phone about six years ago and still sometimes struggles to believe how it’s grown from there but yeah we’re on YouTube like I say if you want to go and

Follow the Instagram page if you don’t like football don’t because there’s nothing else on there um yeah and we’re on Twitter as well so JS in theblood TV it’s it’s an easy one to remember I love talking football with anyone whether that’s sh Wy fan other JS fans Premier

League fans I I’ll sit and talk about football all day long so yeah that’s that’s me if you’ve got any issues with mental health related stuff then then drop me a message as well and I’m willing to talk about that as well in terms of

Next uh oh I know a really good one from when they were down in League one with us and then now back in the championship gram from what F podcast it’s a Sunderland podcast right I I’ll reach out to it man and uh hopefully get him

On for episode four of um talking clubs but Matt absolute pleasure to have you on uh We’ve smashed an hour here now I don’t know how we’ve done it been a been brilliant really enjoyed it thank you mate no worries and drop this guy a subscribe let’s get into 3,000 and uh

His content’s absolutely fantastic Matt thanks for coming on mate uh thanks everyone for watching have a great New Year this will be out New Year’s Day fingers crossed um so thanks for watching everyone cheers