Paul Scally is hoping Gillingham’s new-look squad can put the wrongs from last season right.

A woeful start to the 2010/11 campaign left the Gills facing an uphill battle for promotion in a season which Mr Scally confessed had been a failure.

But with nine new signings this summer, a wave of renewed optimism has swept around Priestfield.

He said: "It was a failure because we didn’t get promoted.

"We all failed – myself included. That’s part of the job.

"We didn’t expect to fail and we didn’t plan to but it was an unsuccessful season. This season we want to put that right.

"We didn’t fail because Hessy got it wrong, we failed because the players weren’t strong enough mentally in the times they needed to be.

"That’s a combination of things but the fact remains that it’s in the past now and we can’t change that."

This will be Mr Scally’s 17th season at the helm and he admits that putting together his "best squad ever" has been no easy task.

"I would say this has probably been my most difficult period between May 1 and end of July," he added.

"We took a lot of unfair, unnecessary and unplaced criticism I understand from people but we were working every day non-stop in different countries to try and pull these deals off.

"It was a team effort between myself and Hessy. It was difficult and it meant different things coming together but we managed to achieve it in the end."

The Gills chairman, like every season, has only one aim.

"The aim is to try and get promoted," he said. "It’s pretty straight forward and nothing changes."

Mr Scally was similarly optimistic last season but a poor start left the club at the wrong end of League 2.

He opted to back Hessenthaler with new signings in the middle of last season and gave him time to put it right but he doesn’t believe that makes him a lenient chairman.

He said: "I don’t think I am lenient but I am fair.

"Just because we haven’t had a successful season doesn’t mean the staff haven’t tried or done the right thing. It just means it hasn’t happened.

"I think I have shown in the past that I am fair but I can be not fair or ruthless when I need to be."

See Friday's Medway Messenger newspaper for a comprehensive pre-season preview, including interviews with Ross Flitney and Matt Fish and the 2011/12 team picture.

Are you happy with the re-building job at the club this summer? Comment below.