Interview with the Editor 2

What is your present squad like?

Well, the fact that our subs bench will be the reserve keeper and half the youth team answers that one.

No money, a transfer embargo, (hopefully soon lifted), injuries, and now suspensions, could mean 11 fit first teamers on Saturday!

However, what is there is not bad at all and boss Steve Tilson gets them to give 100% every time.

How do you think you are doing this season?

Considering what's been going on behind the scenes, pretty good, in fact we should have a few more points on the board. I'll be very happy to continue with an average position in midtable and stilll have a club to support next season.

Favourite player in present team and why?

Captain Adam Barrett. Local boy and would die for the badge. Never flinches from a challenge, has been outstanding this season.

Which youngster has made the biggest impression in your team this season?

It has to be left back Johnny Herd. Thrust back into the first team when loanee George Friend was not allowed to extend his loan from Wolves, strong in the tackle, shows plenty of skill on the ball, and has a throw that could cross the Thames and reach Gillingham from Roots Hall.

What's your manager like and will he still be there at the end of the season?

We bloody hope so, but it's been incredible a team from a higher division hasn't snapped him up when you consider his, and assistant Paul Brush's, record at the club.

Must be very frustrated at the off field events yet couldn't even imagine what a mess the side would be in if he left.

Are you happy with your chairman/backroom staff?

Ha, no not really, then again he's like the majority of chairman in the Football League not backed by millions, and with a £2million bill to be settled in the High Court Friday, I'll keep my council.

If Chairman Ron Martin and the board keep us out of administration that's a start but how did we get into this mess?

With Sainsbury's starting to build a supermarket on Roots Hall at some stage and Ron's dream of a 22,000 ground at Fossetts Farm nearby just a dream in the present financial conditions, fancy a groundshare?

Favourite ever player and why?

Stan Collymore. Gets a bad press nowadays but only around for a few months and playing 30-odd league games but kept us in the second tier almost single handed back in the early nineties.

Only George Best of players I've seen live come close to matching the buzz of expectation in the ground when he got the ball, and he usually delivered.

Best ever Southend game seen?

Nov. 27th, 1993. Derby 1 Southend United 3.

Whatever we think of him now, Barry Fry had taken over as manager, spent
the Collymore to Notts. Forest money on creating the most exciting Shrimpers team I've seen to this day, and this game summed him his time at the club.

Tore the Rams apart, took us up to fourth in the old First Division, top flight football beckoned.

Two weeks later he'd buggered off to Birmingham, Peter Taylor had taken over, remember him, and that was that.

Which team do you want to beat the most and why?

I used to pick Orient, but now we've actually beaten them 3-0 on the last two home games we've played them the fun's gone out of it a touch.

No it hasn't, it's still Orient.

Why? Why not?

Favourite away ground and why?

Like you I'm going for Brentford and Griffin Park, nice to see them back this season and you can't beat a pint of Fullers, anywhere around the stadium!

Er, plus I live only 30 minutes away from them at the moment. It would be nice to actually beat them there though!

Bar Southend of course, who is going to be the shock team of this year's competition?

Getting harder to see anyone out of the present Premiership top six actually winning it and, no need to apologise, I could see Colchester having a run, along with Norwich and Southampton.

Thoughts on Southend's present financial and what's going on in the game overall?

The Times wrote an article the other day saying the Football League may not exist in a decade's time and they could be right.

Unless you can grab a rich sheik who doesn't want the easy life of a top flight club, more and more will get into bigger and bigger debt. And this time around the banks will not just bail them out.

We'll still owe a small fortune even if we survive the High Court this time around and it's not going to get any better. I wish Gillingham and any club in similar circumstances as ourselves, but maybe not come to light yet, the best of luck.

Supporting Southend has given me some of the best experiences of my life, as well as some of the worse, and I wouldn't want it any other way.

If the team did go under my live football match days would end with them.

(Questions asked by Simon Head, editor of http://gillingham.clubfans.co.uk/)