Many of Mark Stimson's biggest critics have criticised his choice of players since he began his rebuilding job last season. With the vast majority of players coming from non-league circles, the accusation of a "non-league manager bringing in his non-league mates" was one that was oft-levelled at the Gills manager.
But over the last couple of weeks, we've seen Stimson continue to recruit - only this time, he has added young talent from top clubs to his squad of hungry former non-league battlers. In short, we're adding quality to the squad.
Leigh Mills is a highly-regarded centre half at Tottenham Hotspur, and has been capped at England youth level. He stepped into the side within days of arriving and didn't do himself any harm at all. Along with the established pairing of Simon King and Garry Richards, Mills brings flexibility and options to Mark Stimson's armoury. As a result, Stimson now has the personnel to deploy an alternative 3-5-2 lineup instead of his preferred 4-4-2 formation, should the situation demand it. Mills arrived on an initial one-month loan, which has already been extended to three months, taking his stay with all the way to the turn of the year.
Also from Spurs comes Charlie Daniels, who brings a much-needed presence to the left hand side of midfield. John Nutter has looked totally exposed in matches so far this season, and this has largely been down to the club's dearth of left-sided players to operate ahead of him. With virtually a full season of League One appearances under his belt after his spell at Leyton Orient last term, he arrives at Priestfield ready to step straight into the side. Daniels joins on a one-month deal, but should he impress, we could see him hang around for rather longer.
Both the Spurs youngsters are loanees, but we've made what could prove to be one of the signings of the season today, with the permanent signing of midfielder Curtis Weston on a two-year deal from Leeds United.
Weston looked handy, if a little uncomfortable, on the right hand side of midfield, but looks far better in the middle of midfield. He's sharp, very tidy in possession and isn't scared of a tackle. With Andrew Crofts best deployed in an advanced midfield position, breaking into the box, Weston's passing range and ability to put his foot in makes him a prime candidate for the midfield 'pivot' role. With Crofts bombing on, Weston holding the centre, and the option of two young wide men in Daniels and Tyrone Berry, Gillingham's midfield is beginning to show some real balance.
And Stimson may not be done and dusted yet. Reports suggest the Gills boss is still looking to add to his squad, with a striker thought to be high on his priority list. With summer signing Mark McCammon looking a tad unconvincing so far, Stimson may be looking to add another sizeable presence to his strikeforce to pep up the competition a little. Simeon Jackson's tidy finish against Darlington will hopefully see him off on a lengthy scoring run, while Gary Mulligan is playing like a man with a point to prove, and looking all the better for it. McCammon needs to find his feet soon, or he could find himself out of the side.
But all things considered, I'm far from down about our start to the season. We had a very poor performance against Luton, but a good performance and a late goal to draw with Bournemouth was encouraging, and after grinding out our first away win in seven months or so at last year's high-fliers Darlington, I think things may be looking up.
The squad should be in good spirits ahead of this weekend's home clash with Accrington Stanley, and hopefully by 5pm on Saturday the Priestfield faithful will be, too.