Elland Road ready for Gillingham and chairman wars TSS September 19, 2009 Leeds United 4 Comments Eighth place Gillingham are the opposition at Elland Road today as Leeds look to maintain their undefeated start to the season and get back to winning ways after last weeks draw at Southend. Ben Parker could make a return this afternoon with Jason Crowe doubtful after going off injured last week. Rui Marques is also a doubt but is unlikely to be replaced by Richard Naylor who returned to action for the reserves earlier this week. I’d suspect he’ll be a couple of weeks away from full fitness yet. Gillingham have had a good start to the season but have yet to win away from home. They did manage to pick up a point in their last away game against Walsall, but have lost the other two to Tranmere and Colchester. Their last two fixtures have seen them win and keep clean sheets against Millwall (2-0) and Exeter City (3-0). Head-to-head we’ve met eight times, with Leeds winning four, drawing three and losing just once. Last season we drew to them away when they snatched a late equaliser after Seb Carole’s first half strike put us ahead. Jermaine Beckford and Tresor Kandol were sent off in that fixture. At Elland Road we beat them 2-1 with goals coming from Johnson and Kandol, after falling 1-0 down early on. One player Leeds fans may recognise today is Curtis Weston who played for us during the 2007-08 season. He made very few appearences but did manage to score for us once. So far this season, he’s been on target for the Gills three times, including the last fixture against Millwall. Gillingham are currently managed by ex-Newcastle United and Portsmouth defender, Mark Stimson. He’s been in charge since the clubs relegation season of 2007-08 and brought them back to League One via the League Two play-off’s last season. Meanwhile, the two clubs chairmen have continued their war of words which started in 2007 when Leeds were deducated fifteen points. Gillingham’s chairman Paul Scally was openly supportive of the deduction leaving Bates unimpressed. On the dawn of this game Scally said “Ken Bates rambles on and says things he shouldn’t” whilst Ken claims the Gillingham chairman once came to him for advice about recreating a Chelsea Village style complex in a new stadium plan for the Gills. Ken claims that the move would have involved a name change for the club to Medway United. The two chairman are never going to see eye-to-eye, so in the interests of resolving this matter (and keeping us all amused) what I suggest is a Gladiator-style half-time battle with the loser never being allowed to speak publically again. We really can’t lose from such an agreement! Gillingham will be confident coming into this game and Leeds will have to guard against complaicency. They’ve won the last two and managed to pick their first points up away from home in their last away fixture, which will have helped their confidence. This is a game Leeds should be winning though and I’d be extremely disappointed with anything less.