Imagine the following situation

Person year end is Dec 8 2013
Person becomes GGL on Dec 15th 2013 thanks to a ridiculous amount of travel
Person issues "gold partner card" to s.o on Dec 16th 2013. His normal year in jan8-jan8, and is instantly promoted from blue to gold
Time marches on
Come Dec 8 2014 person has already renewed GGL, but doesn't get two new cards
Jan 8th 2015 s.o gold card expires
Dec 8th 2015 GGL renewed, new gold card to hand out

11 months of goldless travel for the GGL's partner. Doesn't seem right.

P.s. I used my first year GGL on an ET redemption to AMS, I had about a month to spend it before year end. When I phoned up to ask about using the "joker" I suddenly realised that was probably an FT term, what are they called officially? I didn't use the second one, as I wasn't 100% sure they would reset, and I certainly want to use it for 3 to JFK and back from SFO early next year.