Gills interim manager Peter Taylor reflects the mood in the Priestfield dressing room
24 hours ahead of his first match in charge of the Gills for 13 years, interim manager Peter Taylor admits he’s delighted with the way the team have responded since his appointment, saying, “The players have all been fantastic, I have had one to ones with all of them and had meetings with them as a squad and they have all been excellent.“They want fresh ideas, because every manager is going to be slightly different but they all seem keen to be on the training pitch and want to improve. There is a very good spirit there, it’s not just the case of working, and there has been plenty of banter around.
“The atmosphere has been great and there has been good quality shown on the training ground, they all want to impress they are dedicated to the game and they all want to learn, so it’s encouraging.”
Taylor is looking for an instant response from his players, when the Gills take on Preston this Saturday, and confirmed the team are making his selection difficult, adding, “When a new coach comes in you can bet your bottom dollar that players that may not have been in the squad previously are now thinking I’ve got a chance, and to be fair that’s how all the team have played these past few days.
“This is a fresh start and if the end product is exactly the same, then that’s when the players have to look at themselves and not the coaches or previous coaches.”
Finally, questioned by the media about the role of his predecessor’s son Charlie Allen, Taylor revealed he’s spoken closely with the young midfielder, saying “I’ve had a good chat with Charlie Allen on the training pitch today and I think Charlie appreciated my honesty.”
“I told him that I will treat him the same as every other player, if he is good enough he will play, if he is not good enough he will be sub or he won’t be in the squad, but I promised him that he will be treated the same.
“I think he had a little bit of a bad experience when he left Notts County, maybe whoever took over in charge there wasn’t going to treat him correctly and that’s certainly not my style.”