Contrasting views from fans on the great debate pver Gills boss Mark Stimson

Should he stay?

GARY PIPER, season ticket holder, from Rainham.

WITH only 15 league games to go it would be foolish to change the managerial staff now; the upset to the team would probably mean relegation.

While results have not been good is it all the manager’s fault?

Against Tranmere he chose a side that most of the boo boys would have selected and, to be fair, the players just did not perform. Too many times the ball was given away cheaply and too many players looked disinterested.

While I agree motivation is part of the manager’s job, surely the players should be looking at themselves as well. After all, Stimmo doesn't run on to the pitch and play every Saturday afternoon.

We appear to prepare well for games and set up, certainly away from home, to get at least a point. At home we have used the same tactics that saw off Swindon and Millwall at the start of the season.

All in all Stimmo has done a good job at the Gills. He has had next to no money to bring in players and has instead tried to use the loan market. Last season he took the Gills to Wembley and a great day out was had by all. How short some memories are because it is the same fans singing his name in May who are now wanting him out. Fickle? I would say yes.

While I agree that we all pay our money and so are entitled to a view, it is also true that some fans need a reality check.

This team is not that which did so well in the Championship; that side was put together for a lot more money. When they were relegated all but a few jumped ship and we were left with players who weren’t up to and/or didn’t want to do the job they were paid for.

Mark came in and to his credit offloaded the deadwood, brought in fresh faces and won promotion from League 2 at the first attempt.

We find ourselves in the best League 1 for years and, unfortunately, most clubs have bigger budgets than ours and can attract players with higher wages.

Is the answer to pay stupid money and put the club deeper in debt or to try and balance the books to keep the club afloat?

Surely most people would think the latter.

Mark has his hands tied since the chairman governs the books (as do all club chairman) and so has to make do with what he has.

Any new manager would have the same problems and players.

At the end of the day Stimmo is a winner. He has proved it time and again, both at non league and at league level with the Gills.

When the time comes for Stimmo to go - and all managers are hired to be fired - he will come back with another team and haunt us. He is, I think, a manager who will one day work at a higher level.

Unfortunately, injuries and a shortage of funds hang like a noose around Mark’s neck, but instead of moaning he gets on with his work and rarely criticises his players publicly, even though at times those players so badly let him down.

No doubt in my mind that Stimson should of course stay.

Or should he go?

DAVE CREASY, season ticket holder, from Rainham.

LIKE many fans back in November 2007, I thought it was time for Ronnie Jepson to go. When I heard a Conference manager was front runner to get the job I had my worries, but like all Gills fans wondered if things could get any worse.

The answer had been yes, they can.

When Mark Stimson joined we were in trouble, but relegation never crossed my mind.When all the big name players started leaving it was different.

Yes, we had money problems but to get rid of all those players so quickly was, I felt, a mistake. It was the first time I probably thought: “Does he have a clue? What is he doing? We want to stay up and he is releasing everyone?”

Then the non league players start arriving and taking over. Yes, some have done well but some have been found out yet are still getting picked. I think any manager who has six months to keep a team up should be able to do it and he didn’t.

As for last year, paying my money to watch League 2 football was embarrassing. We had a day out at Wembley and a promotion but I reckon I could have got us out of that league.

Now for the disaster that is this season.

Mr Ego walking out before games and instead of clapping the fans who pay to watch their team he looks for a face in the crowd to glare at.

He is the only manager I have ever known not to have a chant about him and if, in his words, about 5,000 supporters don’t like him that means 1,200 of them didn’t even turn up against Tranmere to tell him. That’s because only 3,800 attended the game.

I think if he stays and keeps us up he will still be unwelcome among the majority of the fans.

He has had his go and is now so tactically inept we need to change before is too late or before too long we will be watching Barnet, our FA Cup conquerors Accrington and even Stimson’s ex-team Stevenage, who seem to have improved since he left. Is that strange or just coincidence?

Your time is up Mr Stimson. Save our club and leave.