Virtually absent for the first 10 or so games of the season due to picking up two red cards early in the campaign, Gustavo Hamer has returned better, and more disciplined, than ever. So often the man that everyone in Sky Blue turns to for inspiration in games, it is rare to find a midfielder with Hamer’s ability to dictate play, chip in with goals, while also break things up at the other end, all in one package. He is a player that Coventry City are very lucky to have, yet it feels like the first time in a while that he can be appreciated for how good he is without simultaneously worrying about his future at the club – with this written during an open transfer window, these could be famous last words.
It is the combination of Gustavo Hamer’s excellent footballing technique and his willingness to shoulder the responsibility to drive the team forward that makes him so important for this Coventry City side. Some of the passes to quickly open up the play that Hamer is capable of are jaw-dropping, but what is most impressive is that many of those outstanding passes will have been preceded by Hamer winning the ball off an opponent in his own half and followed up by a supporting run into the penalty area. The downside with Hamer has always been his tendency to pick up a slew of bookings, borne of that desperate desire to be dictate the game his team’s way, however, he has shown over the past few months that he can be smarter and more controlled in his defensive play, without making him any less influential without the ball.
To wrap things up on Gustavo Hamer after 100 games, thoughts inevitably turn to what his future at Coventry City might look like. For the time being, those two red cards early in the season are likely to keep interest in his services cool, if Hamer can maintain his current run of discipline, however, then there would be little reason for bigger clubs not to seek his services – especially as he begins the final year of his contract in the summer. Gustavo Hamer is such a unique midfielder with so many strings to his bow, the focus for Mark Robins right now has to be on how to get the most out of him while he remains at the club. Hamer is the beating heart of this Coventry City side, almost everything the team does goes through him, it is hard to imagine what the Sky Blues would look like without him.
Sideways Sammy 