With a captaincy call, Mark Bonner need to give Gillingham players the opportunity to refute Joey Barton.

In the team’s warm-up matches, new Gillingham manager Mark Bonner has evaluated his alternatives and tried out different lineups. Soon, he will begin assembling his first-choice starting lineup for the Gills’ August 10 season opener at Priestfield against Carlisle United.

Prior to kickoff, he will also need to decide who will wear the captain’s armband for the Kent team this year.

And although Bonner has said that he has not discussed who will lead the team this season with any of his players, there is one player that jumps out as the most likely choice to do so in 2024–2025.

Max Ehmer, who moved up to sixth in the club’s all-time appearances list during the season’s final stretch, was the man who wore the armband on the pitch for the most in the previous campaign.

After club captain Shaun Williams was benched, Ehmer assumed the role of leader on the pitch, and the seasoned defender did a great job leading the team all season long.

As Ehmer continues his career in his second term with the club, it demonstrated how important he is to the organization. The German-born defender is the obvious candidate to lead the team, standing head and shoulders above the other competitors.

He is a strong option due to his background, seniority, and general on-field expertise, but what is really crucial is that he has been a reliable player over the past 12 months.
In the past, Ehmer has struggled through slumps in performance and had his abilities and character severely questioned by both his manager at Bristol Rovers, Joey Barton, and a former colleague at Queens Park Rangers.

When Ehmer first joined Rovers, he was named captain. However, when Barton assumed control during the 2020–21 campaign, Ehmer lost his leadership and was benched, with Barton criticizing the defender in front of the media. Even though Ehmer still had a year remaining on his contract at Memorial Stadium, he quit the team and signed for Gillingham right away.
After a few inconsistent games in his first season back, Ehmer has found his form and is now one of the team’s most reliable players. This is the club where he has played his finest football.

Barton has been proven wrong by his performances as a center half and captain, both the dressing room and the devoted supporters who have witnessed his contributions to the team during his two periods at Priestfield hold him in high regard.

Furthermore, after returning to Priestfield, Ehmer’s playing career has flourished, whilst Barton’s managing career took a nosedive during his tenure at Bristol Rovers.
There are several players that possess the kind of attributes Bonner may be seeking in a captain, and there are a few viable candidates who might all provide a reliable choice for Bonner’s captain going ahead.

Max Clark is a player Bonner knows well from their days together at Cambridge United; he may be a reliable confidant who helps close the communication gap between the manager and the players, while Conor Masterson has the makings of a strong captain going forward.

There are other more seasoned choices as well, such as the team’s highly regarded midfield maestro Jonny Williams, who has performed at the top level of the game.

However, after weighing all the variables, Ehmer appears to be the front-runner to keep the Gills armband on. Furthermore, Ehmer, whose value to the team is sometimes undervalued, would be the most worthy player to win a trophy at the end of the season if Bonner guides Gillingham to promotion this year.

A promotion-winning campaign and the captain’s armband would be a worthy tribute to one of the club’s most devoted employees in the contemporary period.