During five years in which Tottenham and Chelsea have had four managers each, Orient have shown the value of standing by your man. Orient were 91st in the Football League when Martin Ling was made caretaker boss on 27 September 2003, following the sacking of Paul Brush.

Fast forward to 2008, and Ling is still in charge, making him the sixth longest-serving boss in English football. He has taken Orient from the brink of dropping out of the League to establishing them in League One following promotion in 2006.

Ling's immediate concern is to guide his team into the third round of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy at Brighton tonight, but it is a source of pride for the 42-year-old that he has outlasted men like Jose Mourinho and Martin Jol.

"In some ways, I am surprised still to be here," said Ling. "To be going into my sixth season as manager is a rarity in the modern game. To be in the same company as men like Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and David Moyes is something I am proud of, but I have to be doing the right things for it to happen.

"People say the chairman Barry Hearn has been loyal to me, and he has. But I like to think I have given him reasons to be loyal.

"We were second-bottom of the Football League when I took over, and have finished progressively higher each year. We have to finish in the top half of League One this season, which is a big test."

Hearn made his name as a snooker and boxing promoter, and is best known for managing stars like Steve Davis and Chris Eubank. But during his 13 years at Brisbane Road, Hearn has allowed his own managers to do their job in peace.

His hands-off approach is appreciated by Ling, who said: "I have a big say in this club from top to bottom. If I were to leave, it would have to be to a club where I would have the same remit as I do here.

"Here, it is up to me to make sure that everything from the first team to the Under-9s is done correctly, and I don't know how many other clubs allow their manager that kind of control.

"I am out of contract at the end of the season, so it will be interesting to see how the chairman feels, but it is not a worry. The aim is to move the club forward, and my contract is secondary to that.

"My ambition is to manage in the Premier League. If a club came in for me that the chairman saw as a step-up from Orient, I don't think he would stand in my way."

And while he is content with his own progress, Ling hopes he is only a quarter of the way through his management career.

The former Swindon, Exeter and Southend midfielder said: "I would have to be a manager for 20 years to do it, but if someone told me I would reach 1,000 games as a boss, I would take it.

"I'll be 57 then, and I'd like to think I'll be able to sit down with a cigar and a glass of wine. But at that age, it seems people want it even more."