The 5 big questions heading into Gillingham's pre-season fixtures | OneFootball

How will Gillingham set up under new boss Mark Bonner? The Gills' pre-season should give us the answers...

Highlights

Gillingham's pre-season gets underway on Monday as the players return to the club from their off-season holidays, as the hard work gets underway ahead of the 2024/25 League Two season.

Since Mark Bonner's appointment as the new Gillingham manager, plenty of work has already been done at the club, with the off-season signings of striker Elliott Nevitt, midfielder Armani Little and wingers Jack Nolan and Aaron Rowe adding some much-needed firepower and creativity to the squad.

Now Bonner has to spend his pre-season moulding his squad into a cohesive unit that can step out onto the pitch and hit the ground running when the season gets underway on August 10.

Here, FLW looks at five questions that should be addressed during the course of the club’s pre-season preparations.

Does the defence really pick itself? And will Bonner return to a back four?

If you asked the Gillingham fanbase to pick their starting back line, the chances are you’ll get a near-unanimous verdict in terms of the personnel.

Remeao Hutton is the clear selection at right-back, while Player of the Year Conor Masterson’s partnership with Max Ehmer last season means they’re likely to be the starting pairing at centre-half, though Shad Ogie will be pushing hard for a starting spot, too. Left-back is a fight between Max Clark and Scott Malone, but with the latter transfer-listed by the club, Clark would seem to be the current favourite for that spot.

The two main questions for Bonner this off-season are whether Ogie can force his way into the starting lineup and whether the Gills boss wants to play a back four or a back five.

The Gills tended to favour a back five under Stephen Clemence but their struggles up front weren’t helped by a lack of balance going forward.

However, Bonner has already stated his preference to have wingers at his disposal and has signed two very good ones already this summer.

That suggests a formation with a back four is more likely to accommodate the two wingers into a balanced formation that will allow the team to attack down both flanks. But, when Clemence arrived at Priestfield, it was thought that he also favoured a back four, but changed his approach to fit his personnel. It will be interesting to see how Bonner sets things up in his first couple of pre-season games.

Will Gillingham go with a lone front man or a strike partnership?

While there are questions about how Bonner will select and set up his defence, there are similar uncertainties about how we’ll line up in attack.

Elliott Nevitt was Bonner’s first signing, and the former Crewe man looks a near-cert to lead the line for Gillingham in the upcoming season. The question is, will he do so alone, or with a strike partner?

We’ve already mentioned that Bonner likes to play with pace and width, and with Jack Nolan and Aaron Rowe operating on the left and right flanks, respectively, it will be very interesting to see how that duo is deployed in relation to the strike force.

Will the wingers be pushed forward with Nevitt the lone striker through the middle, in a 4-3-3 lineup, or will the wide men operate in midfield roles? If the latter is the case, that then opens up the question of the extra man. Will Nevitt be supported by an attacking central midfielder, like a Jonny Williams, or will Bonner go for an out-and-out strike partner to join Nevitt up top?

If so, then we could see Nevitt partnered by Josh Andrews. The six-foot-five striker is mobile, powerful and good in the air, and Bonner may see him as the perfect foil to Nevitt’s movement while providing a formidable target for the two wingers – and the overlapping Hutton – to hit with crosses.

Clearly, with the players already at his disposal, Bonner has options, and seeing how his different permutations fare will be one of the more fascinating threads to follow during the pre-season games.

Who will win the battle for Gillingham's midfield places?

We’ve talked about the defence and the attack. Now it’s time for the midfield, where a lot of players are fighting over only two or three spots in the starting XI at Gillingham.

Armani Little’s arrival as one of Bonner’s new signings would suggest that he’s very much in the new manager’s plans, but there are plenty of other names also in the frame.

Ethan Coleman won the Players’ Player of the Year award last season for his performances in the holding midfield role. If Bonner wants one of his midfield men to act as its anchor, he would appear to be the natural pick. But if he plays with a flatter lineup centrally, it opens up more options selection-wise.

Tim Dieng has the ability to get forward and score important goals, and his influence on the team was increasing as the season came to an end last term. He could still have an important part to play, and may be considered a good option alongside Little. Robbie McKenzie would be a more combative midfield selection, while the transfer-listed George Lapslie remains an option, though he hasn’t found his best form so far in a Gills shirt.

Then there’s Jonny Williams. His best role would appear to be “in the hole” between the midfield and the forwards, but in a team that already has to accommodate wingers, is there space for him to also feature in the starting XI?

If Bonner plays just the one striker, then the answer is yes, and a lineup with two wingers, plus Williams through the middle, would certainly create chances. It may come down to a straight choice between the Welshman and Josh Andrews, with Bonner deciding whether to play Williams behind Nevitt, or a partnership between Nevitt and Andrews. Again, it’s nice to have options, and Bonner has two solid ones.

Can any of the transfer-listed players get back into contention?

Usually, when players are transfer-listed, their fates are all but sealed. But when that decision is made before a new manager arrives, there’s perhaps still a chance a transfer-listed player can turn things around.

Yes, Bonner rubber-stamped the retained list compiled by the club before his hiring, but if he sees something he really likes from one of those transfer-listed players, make no mistake, he’ll make sure they’re part of his plans.

The four transfer-listed players in question are midfielder George Lapslie, defender Scott Malone, and strikers Oli Hawkins and Ashley Nadesan. And, on first glance, the player who may offer Bonner the most benefit to keep in the squad could be Malone. His leadership, experience and ability to provide cover in a number of positions could be seen as a real benefit to the squad.

But as we head into the pre-season, it will be interesting to see how much, or little, the transfer-listed players are involved.

The final question is one that fans are always interested in getting the answer to, and that’s regarding the Gills’ skipper.

Sometimes a new boss likes to bring in a new man, while others prefer the continuity of an established dressing room leader.

Last year, Shaun Williams was made captain by Neil Harris, but as the season progressed and Williams lost his place in the side, vice-captain Max Ehmer took on the armband and let the side for most of the campaign.

Bonner may continue with Ehmer, or he might look to a younger, longer-term option like Conor Masterson. New signing Armani Little may also be a potential consideration, too.

Right now, we don’t know what direction Bonner will take, but whoever he selects will need to be in sync with the new manager’s approach as he looks to transform Gillingham's fortunes this coming season.