“It’s unbelievable after what the man achieved last year and I really don’t think it will ever happen again. But this is why it’s a horrible industry – it really is!” the words of Gillingham coach Ady Pennock this week after Claudio Ranieri’s sacking from Premiership Champions Leicester City.

It topped off an emotional week for Pennock as he explained on Friday to KSN.

“What happened with Ranieri is a joke for me it really is, it’s a disgrace!” the Gills coach admitted,

“But it’s the business we’re in and I hope and am sure that he’ll be OK.  But we love it and that’s the thing – there’s the pressure that you’ve always got to in games and I’ve said from day one that this is a results business and this week has proved that.”

“He wins the League in May and gets them into the Champions League where they’re doing OK – I thought the result on Wednesday was a good one for them – but again, this is a results business, but being in management is what it is.”

“I’m very lucky that I’m getting paid for what I love to do and this is the next best thing – the best thing is playing and this is the next best thing when you retire.”

“I’m one of these people who never feels pressure, if you’re top of the League doesn’t really matter – I know that I’ll give it my all; I know that my staff will give it their all and I know that the players will give it their all and that’s all that really matters at the end of the day.”

“Make no mistake; we want wins – there’s no hiding that fact…  Since we’ve come in and thrown a hand grenade into the place, performances have been good and I think that the players deserve three points more than anyone else.”

“The workrate in what they do – they’re all hungry to do well here and we’re really not too far away.  They’re putting everything they can into getting the three points and I really can’t wait to get the win for them.”

Pennock then let us in on his search for new players – he said, “I’m not joking when I say I’ve been hunting the world because where the transfer deadline has gone here, we were close to getting an experienced central defender in, but unfortunately he got injured for his current club.”

Zesh Rehman has joined the Gills this week to bolster the side’s under siege defence and Pennock was happy to get his new man.

“Zesh came up through a mutual friend,” he said.  “I looked at him and his background and I think that once the international clearance comes through – which might be in time for Saturday – he’ll be perfect for us.”

“He’s got experience, he’s a good talker – a leader and I think that’s what we need – someone at the back who can organise.  I think he’ll be great and he’s really looking forward to it, even after one session he’s chomping at the bit.”

When asked his other selection options for Saturday’s game with Southend, Pennock said, “I think Bradley (Garmston) and Deji (Oshilaja) will be out and we’ve got two or three others who are fifty-fifty for Saturday.”

“Bradley had a scan on Thursday that I haven’t seen the scans from yet, and Deji isn’t as bad as we first thought – we feared it would be four or five weeks to start with, but it’s not as bad as we first thought.”

“But they’ll be late calls after getting treatment right up to Saturday and late tests, but fingers crossed.  But on the plus side, Joe Quigley is here and training with us from Bournemouth.”

“He played sixty minutes for their reserves on Tuesday and they’ve given him the OK to come here and that gives us another new face and a different dimension.  He’s a good size, a presence and he’ll hold the ball up well for us and he likes the place.  He’s ready and raring to go.”

“Phil (Brown) has done a great job with Southend getting them up the table and I’m told that they’ll be bring 2,000 fans with them which will make it a cracking atmosphere come Saturday.”

“The performance on Tuesday was very positive – I thought we were unlucky not to get the three points again, but the boys are really looking forward for Saturday.”

“Collectively they are a good team with a good bench, so it will be one heck of a test for us, but I want them to worry about us as we are playing some good stuff at the moment.”

“I got the response that I wanted after a poor first half at Coventry only to be disrupted by the injuries on Tuesday which is pleasing and hopefully we can go that extra bit on Saturday.”

Pennock then finished his briefing by paying tribute to the former Ebbsfleet United skipper Paul McCarthy who passed away on Tuesday.

“Unbelievably sad news – I was absolutely shocked when I found out and devasted!” the Gills coach said clearly upset.

“I spoke to Liam Daish and Roly Edwards (Ebbfleet’s former secretary) and everyone’s exactly the same – totally devastated and in shock!  He was only 45 years old with four young daughters and to hear things like this puts things into perspective for me.”

“A genuinely nice guy – and there aren’t too many of them in football but he was one of the nicest men that I’ve ever met in football.”

“He was Mr Consistency – a very good footballer and a very good coach indeed when he retired.  I played against him a number of times and I knew him from Ebbsfleet and kept in touch with him – it was such a shock and our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and young family and everyone involved with him and god bless him!”