MARTIN: "PLAYER CONFIDENCE IS HIGH"

Pressure not an issue according to Gills boss

Martin Allen has dismissed any suggestions that he and the players are feeling any pressure, and says the squad are committed to claiming their first win of the season..


later today and the Manager said that the current situation is far from negative, and three points would propel the club nearer to mid-table.Gills take on Bradford City


He said: “Where is the doom and gloom? I was down the Strand at 7.10 Thursday morning and a bloke called Ben, with painting trousers and a rucksack, was walking along who said `Well done Martin, keep it going, the lads will turn a corner.`


“I was filling up with petrol at Strood garage the other day and some bloke walked over, shook my hand and went `Keep the faith, keep going, the boys are playing well.`


“I think most supporters realise we have been up against it a few times and we have to change how we play tactically to how we played last year which took a bit of time of course.



. If you’re going to be like that every week then oh my god, I wouldn’t sleep and it would be pandemonium wouldn’t it? Wolves“On the whole it’s not like we are playing like we did against


away we changed it after half an hour and got in to the game. What is pressure?Crawley was fantastic, Coventry“Performances have been fantastic –


“Pressure is self-induced? I don’t think they are lacking in confidence, there have been lapses in concentration that have been crucial at difficult times and there have been decisions that have gone against us.


“Pressure is when you have to go to hospital when you’ve got have a scan on a tumour – not when you have to win a football match in your job.”


The players took Monday and Wednesday off this week to get themselves in the best shape possible for the match, with Martin not wanting the squad to become tired.



He said: “We’ve changed training – we didn’t train Monday because they were off. Trained Tuesday, off Wednesday, training Thursday and Friday.


“An old school of thought would say they should be training every day but as soon as you start making them do that sort of stuff their heads will go down.


“Performance levels will go down, the pressure will build up and then the intensity will build up and the last thing I want is for that to happen to our players.



“They train hard every day and you just need to tick along and tweak and improve their own individual performances and not come down on them like a tonne of bricks.


“It’s not a catastrophe; we are not in a disaster. We are doing OK, we are playing well and they will get the points that they deserve.


“We are positive week in, week out and I will never change that way of working and living. I was the same last year when we were top and think you’ll find I’m probably exactly the same being where we are today.


“We learn from the DVD’s, take it forward and see if we can help our players get better and better.


"Everyone is available and I think this Saturday we will be very strong.”


here.Watch Martin deliver his pre-match press conference by clicking