Can Neil Harris revive Gillingham's fortunes?

Gillingham are stuck in the penultimate spot in League One, eight points off safety. Steve Evans was sacked earlier in January after the club failed to win a single fixture since October. Caretaker manager Steve Lovell guided the team for the rest of the month but with no success.

The Gills finally announced the arrival of Neil Harris to kickstart some sort of revival.

Expectations from the new boss at Gillingham

Harris made his name as head coach at Millwall, where he spent four seasons until 2019. He guided the club to several midtable finishes and even came close to promotion once.

His last outing was at Cardiff City, which unfortunately for him was a major setback.

He arrives at Priestfield Stadium with a point to prove.

However the challenges are incredibly difficult given the club's current standing in the division and their quest for survival.

Crumbling affairs

Gillingham showed some promise in Harris' first game in charge with a 1-0 win over Crewe Alexandra. However, the momentum failed to continue as they went down 1-0 to Ipswich on Saturday.

The club's last win since their recent victory came against Doncaster Rovers in October.

The club have struggled offensively in the division which has cost them plenty of points so far. Their 4-1-3-2 was aggressive only in formation as the club lacked the profile and pedigree to make use of such a style. They have scored the second-lowest goals in the division just ahead of bottom-placed Doncaster.

Interestingly, veterans Danny Lloyd and Vadaine Oliver have accounted for fifty percent of their goals so far.

Last-ditch attempt in the transfer market

Gillingham's last hope of survival essentially lingered in a solid winter transfer market. They managed to rope in Pontus Dahlberg from Watford U-23 and Ben Thompson from Millwall on a free transfer.

Thompson's arrival in particular was aimed at improving the creativity of the club's midfield, which has been rather dull for most of the season. Thompson also brings in the experience of a Championship-level player, which is vitally important in raising Gillingham's odds of survival.

Final third of the season

Neil Harris only has one-third of the season in hand to create a miracle. The struggles for the club are not only restricted to their lack of points in the league but also to a very damaging goal difference.

February will essentially be a make-or-break month for the Gills as they will have as many as three of their four games against other relegation threatened outfits.