Peter Taylor has been named as interim manager of Gillingham, yet he has already made it clear he wants the job on a permanent basis.
The Gills secured promotion to the third tier of English football when they won the League Two title last season. However, they have won just two of their 11 matches in League One this term, and this resulted in Martin Allen being sacked at the weekend.
Former England Under-21 coach Taylor, who had a brief spell as manager at the Priestfield Stadium in 1999-2000, has answered Paul Scally’s call to take charge on an interim basis. And the 60-year-old has made no secret of his desire to land the job permanently.
“I’m sure Paul has been inundated with agents and CVs,” Taylor told Sky Sports’ FL72 Review show. “I think he just didn’t want to make another long-term decision at the moment so he asked me if I’d be prepared to go in there short-term, which I am. I’m very happy to do that and I want to be doing well to throw my name in the hat.”
Taylor, though, could be waiting a long time before Scally makes a decision on Allen’s future. The Gills chairman has indicated he will into be rushed into naming a permanent successor, especially as he claims to have already received plenty of interest in the role.
“I have received already a huge response from potential new candidates such that the process of considering a replacement manager is clearly going to take some considerable time,” said the chairman. “With that in mind, and based on my view that the playing staff require some immediate assistance to prepare for up and coming games, I contacted Peter Taylor to ascertain whether he would consider coming back to the club on an ‘interim manager’ basis, pending a full-time appointment to be made in the weeks ahead.”
