50 signatures reached
To: Paul D.P. Scally (chairman of Gillingham Football Club)
Stop the GFC Injury Epidemic/Plague NOW!!!
Come on people. An injury plagued squad stands no chance, as we have seen all season. Get this signed & shared to give us a fighting chance. Let's make Scally do something about this so that we don't get short changed, and so that this squad and manager gets a fair crack of the whip. We NEED a full squad to compete. We wont get that if we are forever fighting a losing battle on the injury front. It seems that no sooner have we nursed a player back to fitness that another succumbs to yet another injury to set us back even further. We are making no progress. One step forwards and two back.
As fans on the outside, we can only speculate as to what the cause/s is/are of this injury plague. And with no info forthcoming from the club or chairman, we are being kept in the dark. If the club NEVER consults the fans, how are they to know when fans are genuinely concerned and worried?
Some have said the training pitch is too hard, some have said the players are overweight, some say the training methods aren't right etc etc....At the end of the day, this is all speculation. Whatever you think it is or may be, it falls to the chairman to deal with it and put it right. Whatever improvements need to happen, SHOULD happen, and as soon as possible. It's Mr Scally's sole responsibility as he is in charge here.
A proper and thorough investigation needs to be conducted by the club immediately, so that the root cause/s of these many many injuries is determined once and for all and swiftly dealt with. The sooner the better. Our season has been well and truly ruined by them so far. Let's not let this get any worse. Time is of the essence. How long do we wait until we step in?
This action has been made necessary because the chairman has so far shown no indication whatsoever of even acknowledging the problem, let alone coming up with an effective plan to try to deal with it! So now it is time for us to force his hand, as it is now obvious that without somehow being prompted, he will continue to neglect and ignore it. Fans of any other clubs would not tolerate it, so why should we?
I'm demanding 4 things from the chairman...
1. ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE CLUB HAS A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH INJURIES - Allay fans' fears and concerns, treat the loyal and incredibly supportive fans with the respect and dignity that they deserve, and do not keep us in the dark, by at the very least ACKNOWLEDGING that the clubs players sustain an abnormally high amount of injuries compared to all other professional football clubs at any level. So far the chairman has refused to even acknowledge that it's been a serious problem all season. Is he the only person who can't clearly see it? Or is he just turning a blind eye to it in the hope that we, the loyal paying fans, do the same, and so that he can avoid having to spend some money on whatever changes are needed to deal with the problem properly?
2. INVESTIGATE & IDENTIFY the root cause/s of these persistent and never ending injuries that are ruining our season and making the managers job impossible. The fans plough hard earned money into this club and deserve a team that is on a level playing field in terms of fitness to opposing clubs.
3. Once the root cause/s are identified, implement the necessary changes that are required. If this means INVESTMENT from the chairman, then this is what MUST happen. We as fans will not simply let this ridiculous scenario continue any longer
4. Fourth and lastly, once 1-3 have been carried out, set up a regular scheme whereby fans can be regularly consulted about any concerns that may arise. If a spokesperson is needed to represent the fans and through whom all questions/fears/concerns etc can be directed to the club, then this should be done. This has been standard practice for other clubs for a long time. As things are now and have always been, there is just a metaphorical brick wall between Gills fans and the club. This simply should not be. If we have a concern as a supporter then there should be a system in place whereby we can express our concern and get our voice heard both by the club and by fellow fans. The fans should be regularly consulted to see what aspects of the club they are happy with and which ones they aren't. Communication is key and will improve massively the relationship between fans and the chairman.
There is so much invaluable feedback that Gills fans have to offer the club that has up until now been discounted and dismissed as irrelevant and useless. This couldn't be further from the truth. There is no better way to keep your customers happy than by having regular dialogue with them and getting their feedback. If the fans are never consulted and included in decision making processes that affect the club, then the club has no way of ever getting this feedback.
If this is done then there should be no need to start another petition of this kind ever again in the future.
As fans on the outside, we can only speculate as to what the cause/s is/are of this injury plague. And with no info forthcoming from the club or chairman, we are being kept in the dark. If the club NEVER consults the fans, how are they to know when fans are genuinely concerned and worried?
Some have said the training pitch is too hard, some have said the players are overweight, some say the training methods aren't right etc etc....At the end of the day, this is all speculation. Whatever you think it is or may be, it falls to the chairman to deal with it and put it right. Whatever improvements need to happen, SHOULD happen, and as soon as possible. It's Mr Scally's sole responsibility as he is in charge here.
A proper and thorough investigation needs to be conducted by the club immediately, so that the root cause/s of these many many injuries is determined once and for all and swiftly dealt with. The sooner the better. Our season has been well and truly ruined by them so far. Let's not let this get any worse. Time is of the essence. How long do we wait until we step in?
This action has been made necessary because the chairman has so far shown no indication whatsoever of even acknowledging the problem, let alone coming up with an effective plan to try to deal with it! So now it is time for us to force his hand, as it is now obvious that without somehow being prompted, he will continue to neglect and ignore it. Fans of any other clubs would not tolerate it, so why should we?
I'm demanding 4 things from the chairman...
1. ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE CLUB HAS A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH INJURIES - Allay fans' fears and concerns, treat the loyal and incredibly supportive fans with the respect and dignity that they deserve, and do not keep us in the dark, by at the very least ACKNOWLEDGING that the clubs players sustain an abnormally high amount of injuries compared to all other professional football clubs at any level. So far the chairman has refused to even acknowledge that it's been a serious problem all season. Is he the only person who can't clearly see it? Or is he just turning a blind eye to it in the hope that we, the loyal paying fans, do the same, and so that he can avoid having to spend some money on whatever changes are needed to deal with the problem properly?
2. INVESTIGATE & IDENTIFY the root cause/s of these persistent and never ending injuries that are ruining our season and making the managers job impossible. The fans plough hard earned money into this club and deserve a team that is on a level playing field in terms of fitness to opposing clubs.
3. Once the root cause/s are identified, implement the necessary changes that are required. If this means INVESTMENT from the chairman, then this is what MUST happen. We as fans will not simply let this ridiculous scenario continue any longer
4. Fourth and lastly, once 1-3 have been carried out, set up a regular scheme whereby fans can be regularly consulted about any concerns that may arise. If a spokesperson is needed to represent the fans and through whom all questions/fears/concerns etc can be directed to the club, then this should be done. This has been standard practice for other clubs for a long time. As things are now and have always been, there is just a metaphorical brick wall between Gills fans and the club. This simply should not be. If we have a concern as a supporter then there should be a system in place whereby we can express our concern and get our voice heard both by the club and by fellow fans. The fans should be regularly consulted to see what aspects of the club they are happy with and which ones they aren't. Communication is key and will improve massively the relationship between fans and the chairman.
There is so much invaluable feedback that Gills fans have to offer the club that has up until now been discounted and dismissed as irrelevant and useless. This couldn't be further from the truth. There is no better way to keep your customers happy than by having regular dialogue with them and getting their feedback. If the fans are never consulted and included in decision making processes that affect the club, then the club has no way of ever getting this feedback.
If this is done then there should be no need to start another petition of this kind ever again in the future.
Why is this important?
JUST TO BE CLEAR...all the petition is asking of Scally is for him to look into possible reasons as to why we are getting so many injuries. Now what possible harm could that do? And that is all that it is asking of him. I think it's a pretty reasonable request myself.
This is important because Gillingham fans loyally put large amounts of money into this club. We are simply asking for what we deserve - a team that can fairly compete. A team that is constantly disrupted and ravaged by injury after injury after injury cannot fairly compete at any level of football, nor can the manager do his job in an efficient manner when he is constantly working with such a small squad due to persistent and relentless injuries that are sustained by the players - SOMETHING OR SOME THINGS ARE CAUSING THEM. STOP IT NOW AND GIVE US A TEAM THAT HAS A CHANCE. THAT'S WHAT WE PAY FOR AND THAT'S WHAT WE DESERVE
We will never be able to attract the top players if we have a reputation as a club that suffers one injury after another
This is important because Gillingham fans loyally put large amounts of money into this club. We are simply asking for what we deserve - a team that can fairly compete. A team that is constantly disrupted and ravaged by injury after injury after injury cannot fairly compete at any level of football, nor can the manager do his job in an efficient manner when he is constantly working with such a small squad due to persistent and relentless injuries that are sustained by the players - SOMETHING OR SOME THINGS ARE CAUSING THEM. STOP IT NOW AND GIVE US A TEAM THAT HAS A CHANCE. THAT'S WHAT WE PAY FOR AND THAT'S WHAT WE DESERVE
We will never be able to attract the top players if we have a reputation as a club that suffers one injury after another
How it will be delivered
In person
