They say a week is a long time in politics, so by that measure a month is an absolute age in football.
Remember a month or so ago, when we were told that Gary Mulligan wanted to stay in League One?
Well, just one short month later, Mullers has changed his mind and decided to sign for us. His reasons are open for debate. It is his commitment to the cause, or the lack of offers from League One clubs? You be the judge.
Throw in Mulligan's less than prolific goalscoring record and it's perhaps not that surprising that Mulligan's signing has provoked a mixed response from Gills fans.
But that hasn't stopped the local free paper Your Medway printing that the club have "struck gold" by signing him.
Now let me be honest, I quite like Gary Mulligan. Whenever he's out there on the pitch, you know you're going to get every ounce of effort from him, and that's why he's a reasonably popular figure with the fans. But he's a forward, and unfortunately, he doesn't score anywhere near enough goals, despite the amount of playing time he gets.
At the beginning of last season, he told the BBC, "I should definitely beat my figure from last year (nine goals) because I'm aiming to get at least 15 to 20 goals this term."
He managed just five.
My view is, based on what we've seen from him so far, he just isn't good enough to be played as a striker, even in League Two. I think we should seriously consider using him elsewhere on the field.
A Gills-supporting friend and I both refer to Mulligan as a poor man's Dirk Kuyt, and Kuyt as a rich man's Gary Mulligan, and watching the way both players operate, it's easy to see why. Both have undeniable work-rate and bring a lot of industry to their respective teams, but both share the tendency to drift into non-goalscoring positions. The positions that the old FA coaching "guru" Charles Hughes might have called "The Positions of Least Opportunity". Even when they do find themselves in good goalscoring positions, all too rarely do they find the net.
But for Liverpool and for
With the pressure of scoring off his shoulders, Kuyt has turned provider, while also giving defensive support down the right hand side. His forward role also makes him tricky for defenders to pick up, as he operates in the gap between the opposition fullback and centre half.
This is a role that I feel would suit Mulligan perfectly. His work-rate would suit such a role, while not leaving him under pressure to score so many goals.
With him on the right channel, Dennis Oli on the left and Adam Miller between them, and all three playing behind Simeon Jackson, I could see a good attacking blend developing.
Assuming no summer arrivals, the team could look like this:
Royce
Southall, Richards, King, Nutter
Crofts, Bentley
Mulligan, Miller, Oli
Jackson
I still want to see us sign a big, bad centre forward, but if we're to make the most of what we've got, maybe a change of system might just work.
You never know we might even score a few more goals, too. Even Mullers.