John Coleman insists he’ll turn things around at Gillingham and hopes the fans will keep the faith.
A defeat in his first game was met with a familiar chorus of boos from a fanbase left frustrated with unmet expectations.
Last Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Priestfield against Doncaster Rovers left the Gills sitting 16th in the table, lower than at any time during the last campaign, one which led to Neil Harris’ sacking after 11 games and Stephen Clemence’s dismissal days after the season finale.
Coleman understands the frustration from supporters who have bought into hopes of a promotion challenge ahead of the last two seasons.
The Gills head to lowly Tranmere this Saturday looking to chase down the play-off places, now 12 points adrift.
“I can understand the fans because they will feel it as well,” said Coleman.
“The fans will feel dejected, ‘Here we go again, another false dawn’.
“I just beg them to stay with us because I know we will get it better and we’ll get it right.
“I can understand the frustration towards the end [of Saturday’s game] because who wouldn’t be, watching Gillingham fail again?
“But as I said before in my opening statement (reacting to that defeat), in all walks of life you’ve got to have the element that you can fail, otherwise success means absolutely nothing. You shouldn’t be afraid to fail. We’ve got to get that into our heads, particularly our forward players.”
Coleman added: “Long term, we’ve got to look at progression. There’s no point looking backwards at what’s gone on in the past. We’ve got to look forwards.
“I’m not one of those people who’s going to be a happy clapper and say things are all good.
“Everything’s not fine at the moment but we’re here to try and make things a bit better.”
Fans were hoping for news of a new striker this week after another blank in front of goal. The Gills haven’t managed to score in their last four games.
Coleman said: “We need to get that feeling that we’re going to score.
“I think the feeling is there but the belief isn’t there and we’ve got to get that belief. That will come from hard work and certainly a lot of practice.”
The Gills did hand Crystal Palace loanee Asher Agbinone a debut last weekend. He was bright and lively and Coleman’s confident he can help.
The manager said: “He’s still getting a handle on the game as well. It’s a different style of football playing League 2 than playing under-21s or Premier League 2, being in and around the first team, it’s a totally different sport to be honest.
“I think he’s got the ability to be able to handle it.
“It’s great when a player gets the ball and the fans start cheering. I think once he gets his head around playing League 2 football he can be an exciting asset.
“I was pleased that the fans got something to get their teeth into in the first 25 minutes but disappointed it ended the way it did.”
