And now he’s third favourite for gills JoB
Jay Saunders has been speaking about his long service at Maidstone in a week that’s seen him made third favourite for the Gillingham job.
Saunders is priced 5/1 to succeed Ady Pennock, who left Priestfield by mutual consent on Monday.
He watched Gills’ game against Scunthorpe on Tuesday night but that was arranged with Pennock a week ago when the clubs held a training-ground friendly, so no one should read anything into that.
Saunders is the third longestserving manager in the top five divisions of English football after six-and-a-half years in charge at Maidstone.
He has only Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger (21 years) and Sutton chief Paul Doswell (nine years) in front of him, quite an achievement for someone who wasn’t sure about management in the early days.
Saunders said: “I’ve done something right to be able to stay in the job that long.
“I’m lucky I’m at a good club with good owners who I get on well with and I think they’ve got trust in me.
“I’ve had their full backing, which a lot of managers nowadays don’t seem to get.
“Early on, when we were groundsharing at Sittingbourne, I did question whether I thought it was right for me but certainly when we came back to the Gallagher and you’ve got all the facilities and everything, I’m glad I stuck with it.
“I found that first year a real struggle and it was the thought of having the new ground that kept me going. Now I enjoy managing more than I did playing. I love it.
“I enjoy dealing with the players, everything about it.”
Saunders must have one of the safest jobs in football after leading hometown club Stones through the leagues.
They finished mid-table in the National League after three promotions in four years and are only three points off top spot this season.
But despite that, Saunders takes nothing for granted.
He said: “People are under constant pressure and it’s no different here.
“I’m under no illusions that if we had a bad run and we were down there and really struggling then I’m sure the club would have to look at it.
“Last year, some people were questioning whether I should keep the job because we were struggling at Christmas and that’s the way football is now.
“It doesn’t matter what you’ve done in the past, people want results and they want them straight away.
“We spoke about Frank de Boer when he got the sack at Crystal Palace.
“You bring someone in and give him four games – it’s an embarrassment.”