Andy Hessenthaler comments about Southend

[SUFCStu]

Gillingham manager Andy Hessenthaler believes League 2 leaders Southend are no better than his team and now wants his players to prove it.


The Gills sit 10th in the table and are seven points off the top but despite the gap, Hessenthaler claims his team have enough quality to match anyone in the division.


Hessenthaler (pictured) said: "It shows you, without being disrespectful to Southend, that if they are capable of going on a run, then we are as well.


"We are as good as any of them and we showed that at Southend earlier in the season. If we had taken our opportunities and not come up against a keeper in fine form and didn’t switch off from a corner, we would have won.


"They have got confidence and the bit between their teeth and are on a run. That’s all it takes. There is no reason we can’t come into that category."

Loads of IFS in there Andy... Feel sorry for Gillingham fans, some seem embrassed by this outburst aswell.

I know this comes with being top of the league and if it was anyone else he would be speaking about them, but it seems he is not the smartest manager in the league it seems.....


http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/sport/2011/october/13/andy_hessenthaler.aspx & http://fansonline.net/gillingham/mb/view.php?id=146299

 

[Leoblue]

Loads of IFS in there Andy... if your are as good why are you 10th. Feel sorry for Gillingham fans they seem embrassed by this outburst aswell.

I know this comes with this comes with being top of the league and if it was anyone else he would be speaking about them, but it seems he is not the smartest manager in the league it seems.....

Have you got a link mate ie what the Gill's fans are saying about these comments? Ta

 

[Magnum PI]

That was a huge win for us.. It started this run.. who knows where we would be now without the Phillips header?

 

[McNasty]

The guy is saying all the right things. His job is to motivate his team and inspire them and it is no good saying things like "Southend are the best team in the division (even if we know we are ) and we have no chance of catching them."

 

[Leoblue]

The embrassed comments come from some people I know, but on here http://fansonline.net/gillingham/mb/view.php?id=146299 some seem to agree with him and some seem to question the outburst.

Cheers mate..

 

[BrettieAngell]

I don't really disagree with him we ground out a couple of wins at the start of the run without playing well, those couple of wins gave us some confidence and we kicked on from there.

 

[Cy_sufc]

That was a huge win for us.. It started this run.. who knows where we would be now without the Phillips header?

Indeed!

The guy is saying all the right things. His job is to motivate his team and inspire them and it is no good saying things like "Southend are the best team in the division (even if we know we are ) and we have no chance of catching them."

You don't see honesty like that in football when it comes to the media. My respect for him has increase considerably. I can't stand it when United beat someone 5-1 and Alex Ferguson or Phil Whelan says "We played well today against a side that's ... this that and the other". Why can't they just tell the truth and say, "Today we running them ragged".

It's one of the things I liked about Damian Scannell, I met him literally just after he sign and all the website said was he's a winger. So I asked "What flank do you play on? ... because we really need someone who can play on the left" he replied "It doesn't matter mate, I'll spank them in with either peg".

Okay he never lived up to that, but it was much better to hear than the typical humble dribble you usually get.

 

[WESTY_SUFC]

Andy Hessenthaler just said what every team should be hearing in the league, if it were the other way around everyone would be agreeing on this message board.

They were probably slightly better than us that night BUT we had a weaker team out with no reconised center forwards playing (sorry Blair doesnt count). If we played them today im sure we would smash them.

 

[canveyshrimper]

I think what he's said is about right. It's very early days, and I expect Gillingham to be there or thereabouts at the end of the season.

 

[silentshrimper]

He's isn't far wrong, so many teams in this league have the potential to do what we have done, but surely it is the managers job to help unlock that potential, which I guess is what he is trying to do.

 

[FarmdogSUFC]

To be fair, all it does take in this division is a run of games, and they weren't the worst team when they came down to the Hall

 

[Magnum PI]

They will definitely be in the playoffs ... expect them to win big at Torquay today

 

[Somerset Ex-TTB]

"If we had taken our chances, and if we hadn't switched off from a corner, we would of won". Sadly that is what seperates the wheat from the chaff at this level, and probably most levels from Ryman League to the Championship.

We did take our chance that game, and we didn't switch off from corners, so we won, they lost, we are top they are 10th.

How many games have we come away from saying the same thing having lost????

That's football, however Gillingham are a decent side and will be in the hunt for the top 7 at the end of the season.

 

[overseas shrimper]

I don't see a problem with what he has said. There is a fine line between success and mid-table mediocrity at this level and we've just been hitting the right notes of late with some good individual performances and good management. This is as much a compliment as it is anything else.

 

[Rudi Luftwaffe]

Andy Hessenthaler should stick to Baywatch and Knight Rider and stop mugging us off like a ****.

 

[Sleaford Shrimper]

They will definitely be in the playoffs ... expect them to win big at Torquay today

You certainly weren't wrong there, sir. I trust you took a few quid off Mr Ladbroke by backing your prediction.

 

[RootsHallRoar]

They will definitely be in the playoffs ... expect them to win big at Torquay today

hope you put your money where your mouth was today!:smile:

 

[eastling]

I s'pose that's his job and tbh Gillingham did play reasonably well against us until Mohsni was sent off and then we were the better side and scored.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

The Gills have Kuffour which I must say is a good signing.