Why give careful analysis when you can give snap analysis?
The Shouting Ben evaluates the new signings at Gills
This month our Gills columnist Ben Hopkins makes a snap evaluation of the club’s new signings and will probably be proven wrong by the start of March.
Remeao Hutton
Prior to the Galinson era, Gillingham’s January transfer dealing often had the air of a final roll-of-the-dice using whatever measly budget remained. The likes of Ollie Muldoon, James Morton and Tyreke Johnson must make even the most ardent Gills fan think, “Who are ya?” while Bondz N’Gala lasted a matter of hours, and even more ambitious signings such as the much-maligned John Akinde and the ill-fated Pontus Dahlberg ended in despair.
But nabbing Remeao Hutton from Swindon for what is speculated to be a decent fee was weirdly encouraging: a massively in-form player signed for the weakest position in the team with the intention of playing to his strengths. Crazy talk.
Not that making the most of Hutton’s ability is rocket science. Get possession, look for Hutton to find space at right wing-back, and he’ll either jink for an opening or quickly ping it towards towering striker Olly Hawkins’ forehead. Repeat multiple times a game. It’s a bit like how old football video games had one move you’d always score from, so you’d try it every time.
Of course, Gillingham being Gillingham, nothing is ever quite that easy. Within a couple of weeks of signing, a video emerged of him promising to bring some ”gay ting, some racism and shagging” to the club. Edgelord humour? Rubbish prank? Bit of an idiot? Whatever. Stick to the assist ting, Remeao.
Josh Walker
It has been desperately obvious that Gillingham have been missing a goal scorer this season, and that elusive target has been a source of speculation since last summer. Strikers proven at this level and higher have been rumoured, even if the costs involved in signing Alfie May or Jonson Clarke-Harris seemed a bit too ambitious to be true. But there must be someone, right? Right?
So when Josh Walker stepped in on loan from Burton, the reaction was understandably underwhelmed. He had a good track record in non-league, but had made little impact in his solitary year in League One. Could he potentially get some goals? Of course. Was he anywhere near a sure ting (dammit, Remeao) that could make the difference between mediocrity and the play-offs? Nope. Not that he’s short of confidence, as evidenced by comparing himself to Jermain Defoe.
Yet when Walker was introduced to Gills within the vast soulless void otherwise known as Stadium MK he showed a whole lot of eagerness that the club’s other strikers had lacked - and his efforts were rewarded with a consolation goal.
Subbed off in the subsequent three games before returning to the bench for Newport, the jury on Walker is still out. But as a gamble, it looks like he’ll at least improve the squad and he offers something a little different: Defoe-lite, perhaps.
Jorge Canezas Hurtado
Gillingham’s track record for signing near-unknown foreign players is somewhat erratic. There has been the very rare, “You’re a bit too good for this,” (current La Liga star Paolo Gazzaniga), a few pleasantly above average (hi Tomáš Holý), and the slightly more common, “Did he ever exist?” (Anthony Scaramozzino, two more zeds in his name than Gills appearances). At least Jorge Cabezas Hurtado has already beaten Scaramozzino (at Gills appearances, if not zeds in his name).
Hurtado’s career trajectory isn’t one you’ll often see on a Wikipedia hunt. He started at Real Cartagena in the Colombian second division before moving to Watford, where he has played just a single game, via loans at Independiente Medellín and New York Red Bulls as well as a seemingly strong run of tournament performances for the Colombian U-20 team.
And from the mean streets of Medellín, young Hurtado now finds himself in the presumably more mundane streets of the Medway.
Given that his entire Watford first team career to date consists of a 20-minute sub appearance, we didn’t have much to judge him from aside from a ludicrously entertaining highlights reel. Set to a near constant stream of “golgolgolgol” commentary (you don’t get such flair from iFollow/BBC Kent summariser Peter Lloyd), it shows the even-younger-than-he-is-now Hurtado trying endless audacious spins, charging like a bull through defenders, and, for good measure, finishing some fleet-footwork with a decent cross.
And his three brief Gillingham performances to date pretty much live up to that summary, the highlight so far being a scorching run to win a penalty against Swindon (he looked almost comically disappointed to not being allowed to take it before Connor Mahoney scored from the kick). He’ll be a cult hero if he has the opportunity for one of his wilder madcap moves to pay off. He’s halfway there already after leading the celebrations after the 3-1 win at Notts County. But there’s a sting in the tail: news of a possibly season-ending injury added more gloom to the black clouds circulating before kick-off at Newport.
Josh Andrews
Football dinosaurs love the theory of a big man/short man attack force. In brief, the big dude holds up the ball and wins headers for his nippy partner to score with. The signing of striker Josh Andrews, from Birmingham via a loan at Accrington, allows me to dream of the rare big man/big man combo, with him and Hawkins sharing almost four metres of height between them, while Hutton does the probing cross ting from the right.
At the age of 22, Andrews hasn’t scored much but he also hasn’t played much yet either. It doesn’t take much imagination to expect him to be the kind of big lump (strong, able to hold up the ball, great in the air) that causes problems every time a ball is punted in his general direction. I suspect he’s more of a long-term signing (not least because he’s currently injured - please don’t be the new Ricky Holmes). Let’s put a more informed assessment on the laterbase, but now I’ll go with cautious optimism.
Exit through the gift shop
Going in the other direction, Lewis Walker returned to purgatory (recently rebranded as Woking) on a permanent basis. Ousted by Hutton and with Robbie McKenzie’s more than decent cover, Cheye Alexander’s contract was mutually (or perhaps otherwise, says the rumour mill) cancelled. Expect he’ll pop up somewhere in the bottom half of the division or a more moneyed non-league side soon. We never saw the best of Macauley Bonne, who will still be parking where he wants just so long as it’s in Cambridge, on loan for the rest of the season. And last season’s hero, Tom Nichols, has taken his enthusiasm for a Sunday roast to Mansfield permanently.
On the outskirts of the team
Like Bonne, we’ve never seen the best of George Lapslie and he had been rumoured to be off on loan. But he’s still around and hopefully can begin to fulfil his potential with the help of a new haircut. Jayden Clarke seems to be in limbo despite showing some promise: he’s not really a wing-back, yet if Hutton is playing the right-midfield slot is redundant. Robbie McKenzie remains unlucky to be in a situation where he’s effectively Gillingham’s minister without portfolio. And given veteran midfielder Shaun Williams hasn’t played for more than two months it’s hard to see him coming back, despite a little praise from head coach Stephen Clemence.
Footnotes
Ben Hopkins is a connoisseur of pessimism, thereby providing all of the qualities needed to be a Gillingham fan.