Max Ehmer is a Gillingham player – again and the central defender admits he is glad to be back where he belongs.
The central defender has re-signed for the Gills twelve months after he left for Bristol Rovers, but after an unsuccessful season at the Memorial Ground, Ehmer has returned to Priestfield for next season in a major coup for manager Steve Evans – who didn’t want his captain to leave in the first place!
Ehmer will surely play a major part in Evans’ plans for the new campaign and will almost certainly increase his 250 appearances for the club that currently has him 28th in the all time Gillingham appearance list.
When he spoke to KSN this week, Ehmer was buzzing about his return to Kent and also reflected on his season in Bristol. “It’s been a strange twelve months…” he admitted, “but it’s now time for me to refocus and I can’t wait to get back and started at the Gills. Really excited and thankful to the Gaffer and the Chairman for making it happen and I can’t wait to get things started in pre-season.”
“It was a frustrating year in Bristol – I think we had a good squad when we had Ben Garner in charge; it was possibly a harsh sacking, but I really enjoyed my time under him, and I do think that he would have got things going due to his style of play and that’s what the club philosophy was at the time.”
“We then had Paul Tisdale and Joey Barton after – it worked for a while under Paul Tisdale and really enjoyed it under him, but then…”
“Had Ben been given more time I do believe it would have worked – sometimes a whole new squad takes time to get that cohesion and it was starting to work until the dismissal came.”
“We got a little bit going under the new manager but hit a bad run and never really picked up from there…”
Ehmer agreed that his return to Priestfield had came as a surprise to a lot of supporters. “I’d been talking to the Gaffer, and he said he would be interested in bringing me back and as soon as I heard that, there was nothing else that I wanted to do,” he admitted.
“Knowing the club so well – the supporters, all the people around the club, how good a manager the Gaffer and his staff are.”
Ehmer then paid tribute to his new/old manager, “I do honestly think that Steve Evans is the best manager in League One and possibly higher as well; I think his record speaks for itself really and what he’s done with Gillingham over the last two years is a massive credit to him really.”
“He’s working with what he’s working with in terms with a small squad at times, but he just manages to get results and hopefully this year we’ll be able to take things further and this year with the players that he is hoping to bring in, and players that he’s brought in already, hopefully we can have a right go at the top six, if not further.”
“I’m looking forward to playing with the boys again – I think Kyle Dempsey is a top player; Vadaine Oliver was always a handful when I played against him, so I’m happy we’re now team-mates. There are good players everywhere in the squad – really exciting players and I can’t wait to get started again.”
The fans reaction to the news of his return has really struck a chord with the big defender – “I really do appreciate all the messages that I’ve had and the welcome back – I can’t say thank you enough really – the fans have been superb for me since the first day that I joined on loan; I just hope that they keep going and getting behind the team, and I’m sure we’ll have a right go!”
“They know what they’ll get from me, and I hope to bring them even more. You can never read enough good messages and I can’t say thank you enough for all their support and I can’t wait to repay them with performances and clean sheets – and goals hopefully!”
Picture supplied by Gillingham Football Club.