Mark Bentley: He could do a job, but not in the position we need to cover
There's many who believe one of Tilly's few mistakes was allowing midfielder come centre-back Mark Bentley to leave the Shrimpers after we won promotion to the Championship in May of 2006.
Off he went to the garden of England, well, Gillingham, and he's been there ever since.
However, at 33, his one-year contract coming to an end in the summer, and first team opportunities limited with the League Two play-off contenders, he wants to get in the shop window and show clubs there's life in the old dog yet.
And who knows, Blues boss Paul Sturrock might be interested, but Bentley is probably looking for more than we can pay him and anyway, with Luke Prosser recalled it's up front and cover for top scorer Barry Corr and Luggy's boy Blair that is the priority at the moment.
Good luck Mark, but as Gills boss Andy Hassenthaler says, he's going nowhere at the moment and is in the first team squad for Gillingham's vital game at Shrewsbury Town Saturday afternoon.
Hessenthaler told www.gillinghamfootballclub.com: "Mark came to see me this week. He told me he has been frustrated in training because he just wants to play and if the roles were reversed, and I was in that situation, I'd have done the same thing. Mark is an experienced lad and I have a lot of time and respect for him. We had a good honest conversation and, as much as I don't really want to let him out on loan, I respect his wishes and we'll see what happens."
And here's the words of the man himself, including the 'frustration' quote:
www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/sport/2011/february/25/mark_bentley.aspx4 Rotherham United 31 9 5 2 37 20 5 3 7 17 19 14 8 9 54 39 50 +15 5 Bury 30 5 6 3 20 14 8 3 5 31 20 13 9 8 51 34 48 +17 6 Port Vale 31 8 4 3 17 12 5 5 6 18 17 13 9 9 35 29 48 +6 7 Gillingham 32 8 5 4 19 14 4 6 5 26 25 12 11 9 45 39 47 +6 8 Oxford United 32 8 2 6 22 17 5 6 5 20 21 13 8 11 42 38 47 +4 9 Southend United 31 7 3 6 24 24 6 4 5 19 14 13 7 11 43 38 46 +5 10 Torquay United 30 6 4 5 24 20 5 7 3 24 17 11 11 8 48 37 44 +11
The Bentley Files
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mark James Bentley | ||
| Date of birth | 7 January 1978 (1978-01-07) | ||
| Place of birth | Hertford, England | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder/Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Gillingham | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1998-1999 | Enfield | 26 | (2) |
| 1999-2002 | Aldershot Town | 68 | (14) |
| 2002-2003 | Gravesend & Northfleet | 27 | (7) |
| 2003-2006 | Southend United | 93 | (12) |
| 2003-2004 | → Dagenham & Redbridge (loan) | 25 | (6) |
| 2006- | Gillingham | 170 | (11) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12 February 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). | |||
(Player info supplied by Wikipedia, for the full article go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Bentley)