Gillingham FC must buck EFL trend with transfer strategy in next two windows | OneFootball

Stats have played a part in the recruitment of Gillingham's recent signings, but there are qualities missing from the squad that stats can't measure.

Gillingham's failure to mount a sustained promotion challenge in League 2 has resulted in the dismissal of three different managers over the past couple of seasons.

First, Neil Harris was given the boot after 90 games in charge then his replacement Stephen Clemence was jettisoned after failing to make an impression in 34 games. Mark Bonner was drafted in, but he lasted just 28 games as once again the club opted to take their management in a different direction.

All three bosses struggled to produce winning, attacking football and lost their jobs as a result. Three bosses, three different approaches, three stints in charge, but that one crucial issue remains at Priestfield.

Gills hope John Coleman's approach can turn their form around

Now John Coleman has arrived mid-season in a bid to transform the club's fortunes, but is a managerial change alone enough to fix Gillingham's longstanding issues on the pitch?

A change in approach on the training ground can certainly help, and Coleman's passion for attacking football will only be a positive as he looks to drag the current squad out of their malaise.

But the issue of producing consistently positive, attacking football, and a side that can find the back of the net regularly, may involve more than simply a change of coaching ethos.

The team's failure in recent seasons certainly hasn't been due to a lack of investment. The Galinson family has provided transfer funds to every Gillingham boss during their tenure, and there has been no shortage of new arrivals at the club during the Florida family's time at the club.

The issue may lie in the type of players signed or, more tellingly, the qualities that appear to be missing in too many of those signings.

Stats alone can only take you so far

Much has been said about the methods used by the club's recruitment department to identify and sign players, with analytics said to play a major part.

But, when assessing the arrivals at the club during that time, far too many have failed to match their big billing on arrival.

While stats and analytics can give you a black-and-white picture of what a player has been able to achieve before, it only tells part of the story.

Other factors, such as the style of play adopted by their team, the position they're being played in, and what sort of players they have around them are all factors that don't show up on a stats sheet.

Lack of character and commitment have been major issues at Priestfield

Players who had impressive numbers prior to arriving at Priestfield have struggled to reproduce anything like that productivity at Gillingham, and some players' performances in a Gills shirt have seen their desire, fighting spirit and character questioned by the fanbase.

Those three qualities can't be tracked with analytics. The only way you can see a player's character is with your own eyes, and it may require a return to some old-school scouting and more focus on background-checking players to get a sense of what they're like when things don't go well.

It feels like, in some cases, the club may have signed a few "flat-track bullies" – players who have shown the ability to deliver when things are going well, but have also been seen to evaporate when things turn against them and it's time to roll up their sleeves and fight.

That's a worrying assessment, and it's one that many in the stands at Priestfield appear to have made. Despite the fact that Gillingham's 1-0 home defeat to Doncaster Rovers last weekend was Coleman's first game in charge, the boos rained down from the stands. Some may have felt that was a tad harsh for a manager taking charge of his first game at the club, but those boos weren't for the manager, they were for the players.

New signings need to bring strength of character to Priestfield

Poor form and a resulting lack of confidence can be accepted by the fans in the stands. But players with proven ability – as the recruitment team's analytics will no doubt show – not giving their all is something that fans will never react well to.

It means that any future signings at Priestfield will need that quality that doesn't show up on a spreadsheet, but can still be seen as plain as day by watching a player in action. That quality is strength of character, and it's been the hallmark of Gillingham's best sides down the years.

Without it, Gillingham are doomed to mid-table mediocrity. But with it, the Kent club has a fighting chance in the seasons ahead.