Fresh development shared as Gillingham move closer to making managerial decision | OneFootball

Highlights

Gillingham have had a second interview with Stephen Clemence about their managerial vacancy and are close to making a decision, according to journalist Alan Nixon.

The Gills have been managerless since October 5th when they chose to relieve Neil Harris of his duties, and it has been a thorough process as they look for his successor.

And, Nixon revealed on his Patreon account that Clemence is firmly on their radar.

"The experienced coach has previously worked with Steve Bruce and wants to be his own man now. The League Two outfit are also keen on Dean Holden but he may be offered the Bradford City job this week."

Following the sacking of Harris, Keith Millen has been caretaker manager for the Gills.

During Millen's spell in charge, Gilllingham have won just twice in the league, but they sit eighth in the League Two table and just one point behind the play-off positions.

Who is Stephen Clemence?

Stephen Clemence has not been a first team manager in senior football, however he does have plenty of experience as an assistant manager.

After a successful playing career, in which he played for Tottenham Hotspur, Birmingham City and Leicester City, Clemence retired from football in 2010 after a serious heel injury.

He then took up the role of assistant reserves manager at Sunderland prior to the start of the 2010-11 campaign. He held this post until the end of the 2011-12 season.

In his next step into management, Clemence was the Hull City under-21s boss during both the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons.

It was during this spell that he caught the eye of Steve Bruce who was the Tigers' first team manager at the time. The pair worked together at Hull from July 2014 all the way up until October 2016.

After this spell at Hull, Clemence has been an absolute stalwart of Bruce's coaching team wherever he has gone since.

The duo have worked together at Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday, Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion.

Clemence now believes he is ready to take up the role of first team manager at Gillingham.

Would Clemence be a good appointment for Gillingham?

He certainly could be.

League One and Two are often a great place for budding young managers to learn their trade and take their first step into first team management.

Russell Martin is a great example of this. He did very well at MK Dons, then of League One, in his first spell as a manager and caught the eye of Championship clubs. He is now doing well with Southampton in their quest for promotion.

On the other hand, there is such a huge gap between being an assistant manager and being the number one boss at a football club.

His rich experience in assistant coaching may not translate into successful first team management.

There could certainly be spells in Clemence's prospective tenure where the Gills' board may have to maintain their patience with him.

What sort of playing style could we expect from a Gillingham side managed by Clemence?

Having been Bruce's assistant for the vast majority of his time in managerment, Clemence can be seen as somewhat of a disciple of Bruce's footballing philosophy.

We could therefore expect a Gillingham team managed by Clemence to place heavy onus on having a solid foundation and good defensive structure.