Gareth Ainsworth - New Gills Boss!

Gills have announced that former Shrewsbury Town boss Gareth Ainsworth as the next manager of the Gills, and be the successor to current boss John Coleman.

Gareth Ainsworth, 51, will be no stranger to Gillingham fans having been in the opposition dug out on many occasions against The Gills, particularly for Wycombe Wanderers. Ainsworth took over the Wanderers job in 2012, following the sacking of Gary Waddock, with The Chairboys sitting in League 2. He had an impressive record at Adams Park, taking the Buckinghamshire side from the 4th tier up to the Championship in 2020 via the play-offs. He became part of the furniture at Wycombe, having a managerial stint lasting from 2012 up to his departure in 2023 as well as featuring as a player for Wycombe 3 seasons prior. Alongside 2 promotions with Wanderers, Ainsworth picked up a number of individual awards including League 2 Manager of the Month on 3 separate occasions, League 1 Manager of the Month twice, and the LMA League 2 Manager of the Year for 2014/15. Ainsworth met Gillingham 6 times during his time at Wycombe, with an equal record of 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 defeats between the 2 sides over the course of 2013 - 2022.

In 2023, he departed Adams Park in favour of a move to championship side QPR in February. He finished the 22/23 season with Rangers sat in 20th place but with club dwindling in the relegation zone in October 2023, Ainsworth was dismissed of his duties lasting just 8 months in the job at Loftus Road.

Without a job for over a year, he was appointed Shrewsbury Town manager in November 2024, with the club sitting rock bottom of League 1. However, 5 months on and Shrewsbury still sit bottom of the 3rd tier and Ainsworth having just 5 league wins to his name in that time.

Gareth Ainsworth will take over at Priestfield Stadium with immediate effect, seeing John Coleman depart his role after just 3 months in the job and 9 games remaining on his contract which expires at the end of the season. This would also leave Shrewsbury Town without a manager for the time being. Gills fans have been critical of Coleman's record since joining in January with just 2 wins from 14 games, 7 of which were draws and the remaining 5 losses. However, with Coleman's task of keeping Gills in the football league almost a certainty, it would appear the veteran manager can leave the club having completed what he was set out to do upon his arrival, despite a shaky reign.

With the arrival of Ainsworth, he will become the 6th Gillingham manager in the last 2 and a half years since the Brad Galinson take-over of the football club. He will precede Neil Harris, Keith Millen (Temporary), Stephen Clemence, Mark Bonner and the already mentioned John Coleman in the job, all since December 2022 when the American businessman took over. The idea of another manager at the helm has almost become a joke among fans saying that we chop and change managers far too often to get any sort of identity or style instated.

Gareth Ainsworth will begin his tenure on Saturday with an away trip to Harrogate Town. This would leave him with 9 games of the season left to see the current squad in action in preparation for the new campaign.

Talk to us, Gills fans, how do you feel about the appointment of Gareth Ainsworth? Was it time to change now or should we have waited until the end of the season? What did you make of John Coleman's time at The Gills? Get in touch and let us know on our social media pages.