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John Coleman pulls no punches and chairman embarrassed by Gillingham’s 3-0 defeat to Barrow

John Coleman pulls no punches and chairman Brad Galinson had been left embarrassed by Gillingham’s 3-0 defeat to Barrow on Saturday.

Coleman described the game as “an absolute disgrace,” highlighting a lack of fight, desire, and easily avoidable goals conceded.

He apologised to the fans for the performance, indicating his own frustration and embarrassment over the team’s display, with the Gills now nine league games without a win, while it’s winless in 5 under John Coleman, since taking over at Gillingham, who sit 19th in League Two, 9 points above the drop zone. Barrow are 18th.

Brad Galinson said: “Embarrassed. Despondent. Frustrated. All I can take away from that is I am so proud and thankful for the brave souls who travelled I don’t know how many hours to support us.

“We are still Gillingham FC. We are still a tight community of people who want to be proud of our team. We are clearly not even close to that right now. Gotta figure this out. I am not a proud man right now.”

Gillingham manager John Coleman said, per Kent Online: “Firstly, I’d like to apologise to the fans. If I’d travelled six hours, paid hard-earned money that I’d been working for all week, to see them just boot the ball up forward with no idea, no passion, no fight, no drive, no desire. I would be absolutely livid.

“I’m livid myself. I’m livid for the lack of responsibility they’ve shown to the fans. I think it’s been an absolute disgrace.

“We didn’t start the game very well at all. It was 20 minutes before we put two passes together. We got a foothold into the game, had a couple of chances. The game petered out to a nothing, first-half, 0-0.

“We’re rallying them, trying to have a go, saying ‘we can get back on top here, we can win this game’. Then we proceed to just boot the ball up to Joe (Gbode) and hope that he just fights and wrestles for it.

“No idea of how to pass the ball. Everything we’ve worked on in training this week, which was very, very promising, very positive, the way we approached training this week. I went into this game super confident. It evaporates when players just don’t seem to want to care.

“I’ve been managing 25 years. I’ve got to say, that is up there with one of the worst feelings I’ve had as a manager, but also one of the worst performances I’ve seen from any one of my teams, with a lack of fight and a lack of desire.

“Conceding goals that are easily avoidable, well the second two. The first one, you’ve got to give Sam Gale his due, he’s tried to win the header, it just come off him a bit awkwardly and it’s a great finish from the lad. But again, there’s no one picking the runner up.

“We didn’t have any desire to pick up any second balls, they picked up all the second balls.

“Things have got to change. I’ve come in and tried to change it as quick as I could, that hasn’t worked.

“I’m going to have to use different tactics. The players are treated too well in my opinion, they’re too soft, they’re too cosseted. I haven’t altered it quick enough so I’ve got to take the full responsibility for that.

“It’s down to me, I put the team out onto the pitch, I pick the team. I haven’t toughened them up and that’s something that I should be ashamed of to be honest, because every team who’s ever played for me has had that desire. I apologise for that as well, I apologise to the fans for not toughening this team up.

“Everything is laid on a plate for these players and when you turn in performances like that, it sticks in your throat, it makes me sick, it makes me want to vomit to be honest.

“This team have got to start earning the corn and showing passion and pride and playing for them fans, because them fans deserve miles more than this.

“I feel like crying for them. I know how long the trip is, we did it (on Friday) and them fans have travelled all this way to see an absolute nonsense of a second half.

“An abject performance with no drive, no desire. I’d be losing my head if I was a fan.

“I’m losing my head now because I’m the manager and I see players who just don’t care and on my watch that’s an absolute disgrace.

“History tells you by the teams I’ve put out that they have run through a brick wall, that’s not a team that would run through a brick wall. That’s a team that wouldn’t run through a cardboard wall.

“It might seem as though I’m throwing them under the bus. No, I’m taking the blame myself because I haven’t toughened them up enough and that was my remit to come in here and give them a shake.

“I have tried to give them a shake. The tactics I’ve used so far hasn’t worked. They’ll be harsher tactics and I’m going to get players playing for this club and I’m going to get players playing for these fans because they deserve it miles more than what they’re getting at this moment in time.

“Particularly when you travel away from home and you know the games we’ve lost so far, they’ve been by the odd goal and we’ve always been in the game.

“We threw the towel in there and that’s an absolute disgrace. A disgrace and I won’t allow it.”

This is what fans are saying as John Coleman pulls no punches and the chairman left embarrassed by Gillingham’s 3-0 defeat to Barrow…

@JohnMcLellan82: It’s about time someone other than the fans said what we have seen for months now. The players have to take most of the responsibility. It has been like this for far, far too long. I’m afraid the captain has to take a chunk of the heat too @GillsInTheBlood

@pdunmall: Please do John. Give these absolute shit heads the worst week of their lives. Unacceptable, pathetic individuals

@aroundgroundsss: Really fair and honest interview and fans will respect that. Players though have to come out though and take ownership, fans can take losing trust me but when players aren’t fighting for the shirt and the badge when fans are travelling the country to support them that’s what gets my back up. Fans just wanna see fight and passion, it’s not much to ask. #Gills

@Deutsch_Gills: Right. You’ve said it now, so stick to your word. Do what is absolutely necessary to sort this bunch out and make sure we don’t drop out this league. Whatever sanctions you’re giving, they better bloody work!

@DomGFCBallard: “I’ve been managing 25 years and that’s one of the worst feelings I’ve felt” 😳

@JHughes4196: Come on John like you say gloves are off – club is full of serial losers and you’re not one of them. Show them what it takes to win and if that means dropping most of the first XI and giving kids the chance to play then do it. No wins in 9 and no idea, youth would at least fight

@AdrianS68692778: Sorry brad 😭 you and Shannon have been let down by the whole squad because for someone who supporter the club since 1974 who seen the good and the bad time too but one thing i never see a team without the desire to win or try until now.sadly this squad not fit to wear it badge

@AGraizevsky: Brad, my issue is that we’ve barely anybody in the club that knows how to get out of this league, and nobody with a history of success. If we’re serious about getting promoted in future, we need the right people off the pitch, who can then bring in the right people to play on it.

@keelan_____: We could lose every single game for the rest of the season and you’d still have 6000 Gillingham fans behind you and Shannon. Heads have to go now, we need to start being as cutthroat as the teams at the top of the table if we ever want to get there in our lifetimes.

@JRPKent: Can imagine how you must feel Brad. It hurts anyone who loves the club for sure. So much respect for those fans that travelled today, this club has some incredible supporters, and we are a community. We are in this with you for the long haul 🙏🏻

@nathanswanexp:
JC:
– #Gills players have it too easy
– Tomorrow off but from Monday they are in 7 days a week (note the stark contrast to MB)
Let’s see if he sticks by that. Perhaps only having Sundays off after a win might see an uptick in effort.

@Deutsch_Gills: We all feel the same Brad. I am happy you have come out to express this to us all. It is a really tough time supporting Gillingham currently. The disconnect between the fans and players is huge, and the biggest I have ever seen. I trust you will do all you can to turn this ship around, but there needs to be some drastic action. I am not a proud Gills fan at the moment, I am sad to say. UTG

@WesleyJBaker: @BradGalinson In business, we understand that if we keep doing the same thing, we will get the same result. To improve, we must be willing to change and adapt. The issue here is not solely with the football coach or manager, it lies with the playing squad and, perhaps more crucially, the team advising you since you took over the club. Initially, you had to rely on others with footballing knowledge, but after several years in charge, you now possess significant experience yourself. It’s time to take decisive action. Look at Arsenal’s transformation in the Premier League. They overhauled their recruitment team, bringing in fresh minds with a shared vision. They surrounded the club with former champions who understood how to win and restructured their squad, focusing on youth, quality, and versatility ensuring they had depth and players capable of covering multiple positions. Their success didn’t come from doing the same thing repeatedly; it came from bold, strategic decisions. You have invested heavily, but much of that investment has not yielded the desired results. Hope alone is not a strategy. If this were a property development and management project, you would assess the structure, identify weaknesses, and make the necessary changes to ensure long-term success. The same principles apply here, you must step back, restructure, and build a foundation for sustained improvement. Wrexham’s success offers another valuable lesson. Their turnaround was not by chance, it was driven by a top manager, the recruitment of high quality strikers, and a carefully strengthened squad. They took expert football business advice and refined their formula over several years. Now, they are on the verge of becoming a Championship club. Fans get passionate, but really all the crave is the dream that they believed in. Times are difficult in Kent and Medway and they hoped that glory days would be coming back but they are seeing depression and hard earned money being wasted, they feel that they have to blame someone or groups of people, yet all they really want is to smile and be happy. I believe they want reassurance that is all that future plans are in place and the dream will happen.

@jfoote4: Brad, do whatever you need to do to persuade Paul Fisher to come back to steady the ship. I’m sorry, Joe Comper is a commercial manager but not a Managing Director and definitely not should be making football decisions!

@MichaelGrunwell: Respect how when things are as tough as they are, we have an owner willing to come out publicly and face the music, when it’s certainly not easy to. Many would shirk the responsibility and go radio silent. Something we can be proud of. We’ll get there #gills

@nicholson1_jack: We trust you can sort this brad. Please take a look at every single aspect of the club this summer. And not just on the pitch

@al13gills: You have been poorly advised on how to spend the money Brad, poor signings, poor managerial appointments & poor decision making. We don’t care if we don’t get promoted, we care that we have a team and manager to get behind that give everything each game and we don’t unfortunately

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