Leyton Orient - "The sums of the delusions of made the single ones added up"

[Orient1996]

Leyton Orient

"The sums of the delusions of made the single ones added up"

Welcome to the Leyton Orient Football Manager 2017 thread. The title comes from a quote from current Leyton Orient manager Alberto Cavasin when asked why the players have such low morale following the 6-0 FA Cup defeat to Sheffield United.

First things first. Why are you starting a save with Leyton Orient? No, I am asking, seriously why? Its now just over two years since eccentric Italian Francesco Becchetti took over the proud London club and the club are in freefall, sat 91st in the Football League and under the control of Alberto Cavasin, the man who was the 1999 Serie A manager of the year as well as, more recently, Sampdoria's worst ever manager. However, there are some good players in the squad and the Owner has enough money to support a rise up the divisions so there is the potential for a resurgence. 

A Brief History of the Orient

Leyton Orient were formed by members of the Glyn Cricket Club in 1881. They were renamed as Clapton Orient in 1898 and under this name came one of Orient's proudest moments came under, when they became the first English club to sign up en-masse to World War I and lead the line in the Footballer's Battalion. 20,000 fans came to Orient's final game before their enlistment, which Orient won 2-0, but sadly three players lost their lives in the Battle of Somme. Richard McFadden, George Scott and William Jonas are remembered every year for their sacrifice as Leyton Orient fans travel to the Somme to pay their respects. 
 

The London club can't claim a lot of success in their long history but one such period came during the early 1960's when they were promoted to the top flight for the first and only time in their history. Despite finishing rock-bottom of the league, they managed to claim victories over Manchester United and West Ham. They also managed to reach the FA Cup semi-final in 1978 when they defeated clubs like Chelsea and Middlesborough before losing 3-0 to Arsenal. 

They bounced around the third and fourth division before owner Tony Wood's coffee growing business was destroyed in the Rwandan Civil War, leaving the clubs in severe financial difficulties. The Channel 4 documentary 'Club for a Fiver' chronicles the club as they try to survive, the documentary becoming infamous for then-manager John Sitton's infamous half-time rant against Blackpool where he sacked fans favourite Terry Howard and offered out another member of the playing staff.   

However, the club survived after Sporting Businessman Barry Hearn bought the club and he managed to stabilise the club and eventually promote them to League 1 in the 2005/06 season when they clinched a dramatic last minute win over Oxford United. Orient struggled in League 1 for a few years before Russell Slade was appointed as manager, saving them from relegation before slowly building a team of free-transfers and loan players which took the club to a fairytale League One play-off final against Rotherham. Goals from Moses Odubajo and  Dean Cox put Orient in the driving seat at half-time but two goals by former O Alex Revell, including one of the greatest goals at Wembley, took the game to a playoff final where Rotherham managed to clinch promotion. 



In the summer before the 2014-15, the club were taken over by Italian Francesco Becchetti. An incredibly rich man, good times were promised with outgoing owner Barry Hearn exclaiming that 'If I was West Ham I would be petrified of this fella'. However, it soon became clear that this wasn't to be. After a mere 6 games in the season, in which Orient had lost twice, fans favourite Russell Slade was told he had one game to save his job by the new owner. Following fan outrage, Becchetti tried to backtrack by saying he didn't mean it but the damage was done and Cardiff City snapped up the bald beauty. Kevin Nugent was given the job, or was he, as the club refused to confirm the manager's claim he was given the job full-time and was replaced after a month by Sporting Director Mauro Milanese. He was given a month and then translated in the press conference for his replacement Fabio Liverani. 4 managers by December and while Liverani was given time, he was a complete failure. The Italian couldn't speak any English and was dogged with stories of players taking their own team talks in the tunnel, not knowing anything about the players who joined the club and rumours of players being on as much as 20k per week, as Orient were relegated just 12 months after their day out at Wembley. 

The 2015-16 season promised to be better as Becchetti appointed former Orient captain Ian Hendon as manager and the club brought in a number of younger players from Premier League clubs and non-league. They started in fine form as they won the first 5 games in the league and cruised to the top of the table. However the fine form wasn't to last and they could only win 4 of the next 20 as Becchetti was detained on fraud and money laundering charges, players were forced to go to a hotel for a week after losing to Hartlepool and Becchetti was banned for six games after kicking Assistant Manager Andy Hessenthaler after a 3-2 win over Portsmouth. Hendon was sacked in January and was replaced by player-manager Kevin Nolan. Form immediately picked up as Orient won 7 of his first 11 games in charge before going on a small run of 4 games without a win which resulted in, you guessed it, Nolan being removed as manager although he was kept as a player (a mysterious ankle injury stopping him from playing another game). Both Hendon and Nolan have claimed interference from the owner, although Orient disputed this with the quote 'If the managers sometimes listened to the advice of the chairman, the results could have potentially been better'. (I swear thats true).

Hessenthaler was made manager for the remainder of the season, as Becchetti openly was involved in team selection, and was named as full manager in the summer. He started poorly and was sacked in September of 2016 and the club currently sit under the reign of Alberto Cavasin, who hasn't managed since relegating Sampdoria in 2010. Orient haven't enjoyed any new manager impact, losing 6 of his first 8 games in charge as Orient slumped to 23rd in League Two which is where Orient currently sit at the time of writing. 

 

[Orient1996]

Leyton Orient

"The sums of the delusions of made the single ones added up"

THE TEAM

So its time to meet the mishaps that make up the Leyton Orient playing squad. Don't expect much, I'm begging you. Please note that the stats for the youth players are completely random so on some saves you will get a better batch than on others!

GOALKEEPERS

 

Alex Cisak (27 years old, Australian) - Signed during the relegation season in 2013/14 and became one of the fans favourites, one fan even promising to tattoo Cisak's face onto his face when rumours of a permanent signing came about during the summer of 2014/15. He's a decent keeper and is generally one of the better Orient players consistently. He sometimes receives interest from MLS clubs and if you receive a bid, I would recommend to accept as you can get better, but I wouldn't try to ship him out as he can do a job. 

Charlie Grainger (19 years old, English) - This time last year was considered one of the club's brightest talents and made a spate of appearances when Cisak went on Australia duty but has struggled to hit the heights that was suggested of him and has fallen below Sam Sargeant in the pecking order. I would loan or sell him. He won't make the Orient starting squad as it stands. I can't imagine much transfer interest so loaning out until his contract expires in 2017 seems like the best bet. 

Sam Sargeant (18 years old, English) - He made his first team debut in the game against Yeovil on the final day last season and was named in the Football League team of the week as he impressed. He's a more than capable backup and could go on to be a good player so you may consider implementing him as a first team player sooner rather than later. 

 

LEFT BACK

Callum Kennedy (26 years old, English) - Was the other player in the famous penalty argument with Akinfenwa in last years League 2 playoff final. He signed for Leyton Orient during the summer and is a decent player. He works hard and means that left-back isn't a position of priority for your transfer business. I'd keep him, at least for the one year on his deal. He probably won't be able to make the step up to League 1 if you reach that level but he is more than capable for League 2. 

 

Josh Doherty (20 years old, Northern Irish) - Signed from Watford during the summer, he is a high potential young player. His attributes are around the same level so he needs to bump up around all around for him to reach his potential. I'd keep him for sure. You may want to loan him out for first team football but that probably means bringing in a player for the meantime. He can press on Kennedy and probably take his spot in the team as the season progresses. 

 

RIGHT BACK

 

Jens Janse (30 years old, Dutch) - How this player is rated so highly on Football Manager is beyond me because he's a donkey on the pitch, although he's currently vital as the only starting player that can speak Italian! Nonetheless he is rated generously on the game, is strong and can put a tackle in. Another one of your players with just a year contract, he's worth keeping. He's a good player for this level and on a fairly reasonable contract of £1500 per week. His determination is low so I wouldn't suggest keeping him for any longer than his ability allows him to, as I don't think he'll be much use for tutoring. 

Alan Dunne (33 years old, Irish) - A Millwall legend and came in with much excitement from the Orient fans but had a howler last season, playing a handful of times, giving away 3 penalties and getting sent off twice before being shunned from the first team. He was recently brought back into the first team fold but has made only a couple of appearances since last November, which makes FIFA 17's rating of him as the best defender in League Two as rather baffling. I would get rid. He has another year left on his contract and I would recommend loaning him out until then, Tranmere an interested party. If you try hard, you could probably find a taker on a permanent deal but I don't imagine you'd get a fee for him. 

Nicky Hunt (32 years old, English) - Brought in by Kevin Nolan last season, Hunt has been a steady player for the O's. He is the club captain (god knows what that means) but will do a solid job for you and provides some cover at CB. I would keep him as he provides some cover and will act as a good tutor, which could be useful if you get one of the random FM games where Myles Judd is any good!

 

CENTRE BACK

Tom Parkes (24 years old, English) - A Summer signing and a decent player. Not the quickest player in the world but a good tackler and a fairly brave player too so will do the dirty work. He's worth keeping as he's a good player to have in the team, although would struggle if you went up to League One. 

Aron Pollock (18 years old, English) -  Made a couple appearances to acclaim last season and looks a decent player in real life. A strong player with good tackling attributes, but has low concentration and anticipation which is worrying. Perhaps worth tutoring him with Tom Parkes to help boost some of his stats but I'd keep him. 

Teddy Mezague (26 years old, French) - I can't say anything about him from real life, mainly because he is yet to play for us. Why you ask? BECAUSE WE SIGNED A PLAYER WHO IS INJURED FOR SEVEN MONTHS! Nope, he didn't pick up that injury while at us, we signed him knowing he was injured until January. What a relief we gave him a 3 year deal then! In terms of his FM stats, they are very good - his physicals are very very good and his heading and bravery stats are good too. 

Yvan Erichot (26 years old, French) - Another summer signing but at least he's fit. Another player with good physicals, perhaps boosting his strength would be beneficial but he's quick and excellent in the air which should suit League Two. He could do with some work on positioning to take him to the next level but definitely a first team player. 

 

LEFT MIDFIELD

Sandro Semedo (19 years old, Portuguese) - A player who has come through the Leyton Orient academy and a very talented player of that. The curly haired winger is a good dribbler and of reasonable pace, he has poor decision making and could do with work passing but should turn into a very good player. Should be the starting left midfielder unless you sign someone. 

Josh Koroma (17 years old, English) - Highly regarded at Orient, he's made a number of first team appearances already. However, FM has given him a random PA so he could either be brilliant or not very good at all. Looks like I didn't get so lucky! 

 

RIGHT MIDFIELD

Harry Cornick (21 years old, English) - On loan from Bournemouth and a very good player. He impressed at Yeovil last year and got 8 goals and should be of similar impact for you this season. He has decent pace and works hard, with pretty decent stats across the board. He will be very useful for the season while he's on loan. 

Gavin Massey (23 years old, English) - Joined from Colchester during the summer and nabbed a few early season goals, although a very inconsistent player. He provides some cover across both sides of the pitch and has good pace. He's at a good age too so could be an important player for your season. 

 

CENTRE MIDFIELD

Liam Kelly (26 years old, Scottish) - Thankfully FM is yet to receive the news he is out injured until February as he is a vital cog to your machine. He is a hardworking player with a good pass on him. He's got a back of scoring goals in real life and should do the same on FM with a good long shots attribute. Definitely a key player.

Michael Collins (30 years old, English) - Fresh from a period in India, Collins is a new signing for Orient with a short term contract until January. He's a decent centre midfielder who shall provide good cover for your team. You can get better players in January so I recommend keeping him until his contract expires in January. 

Robbie Weir (27 years old, Northern Irish) - The first team captain, but not a popular one as he has made a poor start to his Orient career. But on FM he has some good stats so definitely a key player for your team, as a good ball winning midfielder. The main worry for your team is creativity down the midfield but he's an extremely brave player who will get stuck in. 

Freddy Moncur (19 years old, English) - Son of John Moncur and younger brother of George Moncur so no pressure lad! He's another young player with random PA so could turn out either way. Just gone out on loan in real life so may be unavailable on future updates but is a talented player. His heading of 1 on my save is the biggest worry as a CM though! 

Zan Benedicic (20 years old, Slovenian) - Former AC Milan wonder boy, he's been a strange signing in real life as Orient went through a CM injury crisis and would rather play two RB's in midfield than play Benedicic but he's rated on FM and has very good potential. He has all round good stats for a ball winning midfielder and could force you to make a choice between himself and Robbie Weir.

Nigel Atangana (26 years old, French) - Another ball winning midfielder but a fans favourite in real life. He's probably more of a backup player on FM though as he is the third best ball-winning midfielder in the team and perhaps worth selling as he can usually get a fee. 
 

FORWARDS

 

Jay Simpson (27 years old, English) - Was once the next big thing at Arsenal and whilst his career never got off the ground at the Emirates, he's made an impact at Leyton Orient, scoring 25 league goals last season. He will get you goals this time around so should be the first name on the team sheet and is quick and a good finisher. 

Ulrich N'nomo (20 years old, French) - He's not made too much of an impact at Orient since signing on deadline day but my experiences of him on FM are usually positive ones. I believe his PA varies slightly but he will come up with some goals, a quick player that can also play on the right wing. 

Jordan Bowery (24 years old, English) - A target man, who has an okay scoring record. He is probably the player to partner Jay Simpson up-front if you have two forward but he can be pretty inconsistent. Has good physicals and good in the air. 

Paul McCallum (22 years old, English) - Joined last season and formed a very good partnership with Jay Simpson, before doing his ACL and ending his season. He's an interesting one as he could as easily be an important player as he could be a forgotten player. He doesn't work very hard which may encourage you to play Bowery but is a good player regardless. 

Ollie Palmer (24 years old, English) - The fans love him in real-life but an incredibly frustrating player. He is the definition of a work-horse with 20 work rate and 16 determination and is a decent enough player. He starts of transfer listed but he's worth keeping if a defensive forward fits into your formation in my opinion. 

 

 

 

[Orient1996]

Leyton Orient

"The sums of the delusions of made the single ones added up"

THE STAFF

http://imgur.com/a/DvPdA

Leyton Orient have changed their staff regularly over the two years under Francesco Becchetti so its worth going through the key staff members. 

 

Director of Football - Roberto Gagliardi

Information: The only staff member not on the screenshot and a deeply unpopular one. He was previously goalkeeper coach and translator for ex-manager Fabio Liverani but departed with the manager when he was sacked. He had a brief spell as goalkeeper coach at Welling before being brought back as Director of Football. He was rumoured to becoming manager when Nolan was sacked and then filled in the goalkeeping coach when Lee Harrison was sacked, despite Alex Cisak winning player of the season. 

Keep? His stats are terrible. Definitely get rid. 

 

Assistant Manager - Andy Edwards

Information: In contrast to Gagliardi, Andy Edwards is a very popular member of the staff. He has been working at the club as Youth Team manager, his first decision being to keep a young player called Moses Odubajo that the previous manager had released. That decision was rewarded when Odubajo became the joint record transfer out of the club and now is a key player for Premier League Hull, although suffered through serious injuries this season. He was also Head of Youth Development and brought through a steady stream of young players before having a brief spell as caretaker manager. 

Keep? His stats are probably more suited to a Head of Youth Development role, but he's a capable assistant. 

 

Head of Youth Development - Richard Thomas

Information: Stepped into the role once Edwards was promoted and has achieved success in real life, overseeing a youth team that remains unbeaten in November in real life.

Keep? His stats are not great so you can probably find better so I'd say not. Jason Blake or David Wright are decent replacements. 

 

Goalkeeping Coach - Martin Brennan

Information: Formerly the goalkeeping coach at Fulham, he joined Orient during the summer for the second time after a spell in the early 200's. 

Keep? He's okay. You could do better but you could do worse, so its up to you. Replacing him isn't a priority. 

 

Fitness Coaches - Simone Lucchesi and Alfredo Vergori 

Information: Both joined during the summer, Lucchesi having an impressive resume that includes Sampdoria and New York Cosmos whilst Vergori has worked at Vis Persaro.

Keep? Lucchesi is a decent coach but Vergori is unimpressive so I would definitely get rid of him. 

 

[Orient1996]

Saved

[Orient1996]

Just in case

[Mad Fortune]

Quote

First things first. Why are you starting a save with Leyton Orient? No, I am asking, seriously why?

Because it indeed is a proud London club that deserves better than League 2. And Dean Cox was one of my favourite players in Football Manager, what has happened to him?

 

This was our theme for the season:

 

And we did it.

Leyton Orient's best ever season points-wise.

The original squad was lacking in depth, so I brought in some free players for the future and also for tutoring purposes.

Loan players Andre Dozzell and Kaylen Hinds played especially well. Managed to get Dozzell on loan from Ipswich in January to help our promotion push and especially his set pieces were excellent. In the original squad nobody can take corners or free kicks.

Sandro "decisions 5" Semedo was a pleasant surprise on the left wing. 8 goals, 13 assist, 5 MoM. Unfortunately he still has Balanced personality although being tutored and is still very much a work in progress.

Ulrich Nnomo was a major flop. He had a very promising pre-season and I had high hopes for him but he only managed to score once in 13 league matches.

Jordan Bowery started the season well but then just suddenly lost his ability to score. Same thing happened to Jay Simpson.

Alex Cisak had a solid season and got a two-year contract extension. Tom Parkes and Matthew Upson formed a decent (although painfully slow) central defensive pairing.

 

Our tactic was a copy of Herne79's 442 with a mad twist. Most of the times the starting point was Defensive Structured. Because the DLF didn't drop deep I had to play him at the AM strata.

 

For League 1 we have to strengthen the squad in certain positions. Jens Janse played well at right-back but he has certain flaws in his game (determination 4, aggression 6). Still unsure whether he deserves a new contract.

We also need a striker. Kaylen Hinds' contract with Arsenal is up but I'm afraid he will attract interest elsewhere. Jay Simpson just does not deserve a new contract.

Niklas Jokelainen is very promising youngster. He signed from Stoke on a free transfer and upped his personality to Resolute with no tutoring(!) Already better than Ulrich Nnomo but not ready for a key role.

 

So it seems that the Orient Express is finally back on track. At least for a while.

[Orient1996]

On 15 December 2016 at 20:46, Mad Fortune said:

Because it indeed is a proud London club that deserves better than League 2. And Dean Cox was one of my favourite players in Football Manager, what has happened to him?

Well, he suffered a major injury last season, came back to much acclaim and had a good start to the season but he rejected a move to Northampton on deadline day and that mightily annoyed Orient's owner, therefore we released him after the deadline so although he's joined Crawley, he hasn't been allowed to play in the Football League since August and has played for non-league Burgess Hill to pass the time. Genuinely a model professional and Orient legend and the fans were furious about how he was treated, but thats the story of the current owner. 

Mid-Season Update

League Table

So I am at the start of January, on one of my more successful attempts at a Leyton Orient save, and its going really well so far. 

We sit top of the table, and have played really well to be fair. We've suffered the odd defeat, to the likes of Doncaster, Colchester and Notts County but we've claimed some really impressive victories so far - the 3-1 win over Plymouth, the 3-1 win over Crewe and the 3-0 win over Stevenage being personal highlights. We crashed out of the cups, losing to Walsall in the FA first round and Reading in the League Cup. 

Transfers

I felt Orient have a pretty strong squad so didn't feel I had to make overwhelming changes, although I did try to sell the likes of Dunne and Palmer, knowing they wouldn't fit into my tactics. I wanted to make two signings, the signing of an attacking midfielder and of a centre-back. I loaned Jack Harper, the ex-Madrid player, from Brighton and he's done fantastically. He has 8 goals and 10 assists in 24 games and has become a key player for us, despite the fans initial reservations. The signing of Charlie I'Anson hasn't been as good, performing distinctly average at CB and he is beginning to be pushed out as Teddy Mezague makes his return. I also have just signed Dean Hammond following the conclusion of Michael Collins contract, and he has played one game and scored twice so I'm excited about what he can contribute. 

Tactics

 

A large part of this save was that I wanted to play with a Libero, and I felt that Yvan Erichot had the attributes to be a decent one. I've managed to retrain him to become an accomplished Libero and he's performed well, an average rating of 7.15. 

Jay Simpson has lead the line well, picking up 16 goals in 23 league games. I have played Ulrich N'nomo when he's been injured, because of his obvious potential, but I find him a bit hit and miss - he's got 2 goals in 10 games. Just behind Simpson is Harper, who leads the leagues assist charts with 10. 

On the wings, Sandro Semedo and Harry Cornick have been excellent. Semedo, who has rotated with Callum Kennedy, has 8 assists in 21 games whilst Cornick has an excellent return of 10 goals and 5 assists in 24 games. 

In midfield, Zan Benedicic (unlike in real life) has been a key player for us. He has the best average rating in the division and has picked up 3 goals as well. Beside him Liam Kelly has performed well too, an average rating of 7.08 whilst Robbie Weir has an average rating of 7.24 from his 22 games. 

In defence, Parkes has been a staple in the team throughout the season whilst I have rotated between Pollock and I'Anson. Mezague has done alright in his 4 games since injury so I hope he can make that position his own. 

The Future

I am still evens favourite to be the next to be sacked but I guess thats the nature of working under an owner who has had 9 managers in 2.5 years. I will look to consolidate my promotion credentials and whilst I am not looking for immediate signings, I will plan for next season and perhaps try and offload a few more before the end of the January window. 

[Orient1996]

2016-17 Update

I am currently in the 2020-21 season so I will try to go through each season to bring you up to speed with how I got on. 

League Table

The second half of the season was an incredibly successful one, as we went on a run of 19 games without defeat from December 31st to March 14th (come on real life Orient - do the same!) which consolidated our position at the top of the table. 

We managed to comfortably win the league title in the end which was very pleasing and we did it by only losing once more in the second half of the season so we saw a great improvement over the course of the season. 

Transfers

I didn't make any more signings in the second half of the season, Dean Hammond came in and did a job. I did sell Ulrich N'nomo, receiving 190k from Montpellier HSC and he went on to spend a few years there without making an impact and now plays for Lokeren in Belgium and doing well there. 

Player Performance

Its pretty clear that I had a main first eleven and I stuck to it. I rotated a bit in defence, particularly as Teddy Mezague recovered from injury as well as in central midfield as we had good cover in that area.

Jay Simpson was a particular highlight as he scored 29 goals and Jack Harper provided another goalscoring outlet as an AMC. Zan Benedicic was the pick of he CM's as won player of the year, and obviously we extended his 6 month contract. I was particularly pleased with Yvan Erichot's good performances as he spent the season playing as a Libero, a position he wasn't particularly versed in but he did exceptionally well. Alex Cisak did fine in goal, I have never been 100% happy with Cisak but he did a job and I had few complaints about his performances. 

[Orient1996]

2017-18 Update

This season brought my first season in League 1. 

League Table

Ultimately it was a very good season, especially as a newly promoted team, although it ended in disappointment as we lost to Gillingham in the Playoff Final. We started off poorly as we lost 5 of our first 9 games. I made a change of tactic and brought it new players which allowed us to pick up form and we went on a run of 19 games unbeaten. A late season mini-collapse in form meant we just managed a playoff place and we ultimately lost in the final.

Transfers

It was a season of high turnover but we recruited sensibly. The main talking point was the departure of 29 goal scorer Jay Simpson to Championship side Millwall. I didn't want to sell him but the board took it into their own hands and accepted the bid, despite my pleas to cancel the deal. That did however give us a bit of money to spend and I raided recently relegated Coventry. I signed Marvin Sordell as the Jay Simpson replacement and then despite much deliberation, decided to smash our transfer record by bringing in Jodi Jones for £600k. That seemed a lot of money at the time but it definitely was worth it. 

We made a few more signings as the early season form struggled and we changed formation to a 4-3-1-2. I had secured an extension to Jack Harper's loan and brought in Adam Le Fondre to add competition up front. The signings of Ethan Ebanks-Landell and Brian Lenihan were the real game changers as they added real quality to the defence that we didn't have before.

I also raided the players recently released by Premier League clubs and most didn't make much impact but Ash Kigbu did exceedingly well for 6 months and we sold him for a huge £775k to Middlesborough. in January 2021, he's still at Middlesborough but has only made 2 appearances so I think we did excellently to get such a deal which involved a lot of negotiations. 

Player Performance

A lot of the player performances speak for themselves. Marvin Sordell was a key player and formed a fantastic partnership with Adam Le Fondre who became top scorer. Jodi Jones pipped in with goals and even managed 14 assists to boot. Ebanks-Landell and Lenihan were excellent in defence as we had a good season. We even managed rotation as Kamara and Harper managed significant game-time which was nice as both were excellent depth to have. 

[Orient1996]

2018-19 Update

After the failure to get promoted last season, we naturally wanted to take the next step this season. 

League Table

Charlton ran away with the league but we really did well to manage promotion at the second time of asking. We didn't really have periods where we did well and periods where we didn't, it was a consistent season of performance. We managed some memorable wins, such as the 6-1aet win over Championship Birmingham and the 5-1 win over Bury and 4-1 win over Oxford. We were knocked out of the FA Cup in the 5th round as we lost 3-2 to Prem Bournemouth, after falling 3-0 down and almost completing a brilliant comeback. We were promoted on the final day, despite losing to Bolton, as Sheffield United only managed a draw. 

 

Transfers

Another season of good buying I felt, as we once again raided the recently released Premier League players. Again none really made an impact on the first team but Lorenzo Gonzalez, despite only making two appearances, was sold for a joint club-record £1 million pound. We also managed to bring in club favourite Jack Harper on a free as he was released by Brighton and I spent £210k on central midfielder Aleix Febas, who has turned out to be a gem. I also brought back Jay Simpson on loan and he set the league alight as he smashed in goals so that turned out an incredibly successful transfer. 

Player Performance

Again we managed to be a prolific goalscoring side as our front three of Sordell, Simpson and Le Fondre managed a combined 75 goals. Jack Harper managed to grab the odd goal when he played and the likes of Jones and Benedicic did well from midfield to grab a few goals. 

The performances of Anderson and Ebanks-Landell were superb in CB and the signing of Curtis Nelson in the final half of the season meant we were well covered in centre-back and ultimately helped us secure promotion.

[Orient1996]

2019-20 Update

I wasn't expecting much from this season other than to consolidate our position as we played our first season in the Sky Bet Championship. This update brings you up to date with where I am as I am midway through the 2020-21 season. 

League Table

Another excellent season as we managed to claim promotion to the Premier League for the first ever time. We had some truly outstanding results, like the 5-1 win over Blackburn and the 7-3 win over Watford and the 6-0 win over Rotherham. Our middle of the season was brilliant as we claimed 11 wins from 14 games before a late season run of poor form threatened to damage our promotion hopes, wins in the final two games of the season confirmed promotion. 

 

Transfers

We let Adam Le Fondre go and we didn't pursue Jay Simpson so we needed to find another goalscorer and I decided to buy last season's League 1 top scorer Paddy Madden. He had scored 38 goals for relegation threatened Scunthorpe and it made sense to bring him in. I also had my eye of a young Finnish talent called Janne Korhonen who I'd consider to be one of my best ever signings as he came in and slotted in nicely alongside Febas. He's a young 19 year old who has the ability to be a top class player. The loans were squad players brought in because we ran out of money and needed to fill the bench! I do regret signing Callum Ainley though as he failed to make an impact at the club. 

Player Performance

Paddy Madden came in and scored goals which was what we wanted from him but our main scorers were players who were already at the club as Jack Harper and Jodi Jones began to shine. Harper scored 26 in just 35 games and claimed 13 assists too whilst Jones got 25 goals from midfield with 13 assists as well. 

Korhonen, Febas and Kamara made up a great midfield as they all managed to complement each other, Korhonen scoring 11 times and getting 10 assists whilst Febas scored twice and got 8 assists from a deeper role.

Ebanks-Landell and Anderson continued to work well at CB as Lenihan did well again at right back. 

[Orient1996]

2020-21 Update

We'd reached the big boys. We'd done it a year or two before I expected so I was naturally concerned about our survival chances. We started off with good news, we were in a financially good position, especially with the incoming TV revenue and we announced we were building a new stadium. Named the Tommy Johnstone Stadium, after the clubs record goalscorer and will hold a capacity of 17,986. 

With that news, also came the news that Brisbane Road wasn't available for use in the Premier League so we announced a two year groundshare with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park until the new stadium was built. The President also agreed to improve the Youth Facilities and improved the junior coaching to excellent and youth recruitment to average. 

I also received a surprise as I was approached for the England job. I hadn't applied following Gareth Southgate's sacking but they approached me and I took it, splitting my time as England and Orient manager. 

League Table

It was a difficult season as we definitely suffered from a lack of quality at times. We had some famous results, beating Liverpool every time we played them but we also suffered heavy defeats, such as when Arsenal stuck seven past us. Nonetheless, we were predicted to finish bottom and a very good second half of the season gave us a top half finish so we can have no complaints about how the season went. 

The first half of the season was poor as we lost 11 of our first 19 games, with the odd win keeping us out of any relegation danger but we picked up our form in 2021 as only lost 5 times in the second half of the season, claiming 6 draws and 8 wins including a 2-1 win over Manchester United and three wins over Liverpool. We reached the FA Cup Fifth round before losing 5-1 to Arsenal and suffered a pretty embarrassing EFL Cup defeat to Grimsby. 

Transfers

We made a number of signings as I looked to strengthen to team to compete in the Premier League. I signed Hiroshi Shimoda, a Japanese goalkeeper, and Hisashi Shibamura, a Japanese right-back, as I beat off competition from Europe's top clubs. Both were under the age of 19 and are wonder kids who could come straight into the first team and potentially rise up with us or at least make us a lot of money in the future. 

I signed a number of other young players to fill the team up and give the team some depth. The main area of worry, especially after Sordell and Madden's departure, was a goalscorer. I signed Davie Selke from RBL after he hit 21 goals for them the season before. We had just suffered a Hard Brexit so I was battling with getting work permits for new signings and I originally had a deal agreed for Enes Unal but when he originally failed his work permit, I went for Selke. Unal eventually was granted a work permit but I chose Selke and I definitely believe I made the right choice considering Unal's below par performances for Zaragoza. 

The likes of Conroy Marshall was a regen who was signed on loan as cover but he pushed to become a first team player whilst Zelalem and Da Silva-Lopes were backup signings. 

Player Performance

The first thing to note is the performance of our two strikers Selke and Marshall. Both of them came alight in the second half of the season, Marshall scoring 10 after December. Paddy Madden returned from his loan in Scotland and grabbed a few goals to help out. 

In midfield, the star of the show was Janne Korhonen as he was our Player of the Season, grabbing 12 league assists as only Christian Eriksen got more than him. Febas was his usual reliable self and did well whilst Jodi Jones did surprisingly well, managing to claim a decent 8 goals.

In defence, Anderson and Ebanks-Landell played well but we conceded a large amount of goals whilst the young Hisashi Shibamura was one of our star men at right back and was an incredibly consistent performer. 

England

It was my first season as England manager and it was an ultimately successful period. We were placed in an Europe International League group with Spain and Norway, which we managed to win comfortably before thrashing Portugal 5-0 in the semi-final and then beating Germany 2-1 in the Final. We also managed to make a 100% start to our World Cup Qualifying group and are in pole position to qualify. 

[Orient1996]

My main problem at the minute, as I'm in January 2022, is that the owner has been desperately trying to sell the club. We had discussions with a foreign tycoon but those talks broke down. And we're currently in talks with an American who used to own Dundee, but those talks have gone on for 3 months now (with me under embargo for that time) so I'm not sure how thats going to work out. It is frustrating, especially when the club is in such a strong financial position anyway. 

EDIT: Finally been taken over in January after the three month talks. And the new owner has immediately offered me a new contract so that is nice. And the clubs financial status is still considered rich so its looking good I'd say.

[Orient1996]

2021-22 Update

After such a good first season in the Premier League, I wanted to consolidate that position. We were naturally still favourites for relegation and as the club were rich, I didn't see any reason to change the season expectations. 

We were taken over in January of this season as well, after a long time of the President trying to sell the club so that offered stability which was also nice. 

League Table

It was another good season as we finished 8th again. We started slowly once again as we only won 3 of our first 11 games but we were drawing far more than we lost so at least we were putting points on the board. We had an excellent middle to the season where we beat the likes of Man City and Liverpool but ultimately, we didn't have the quality that the bigger teams have to push into the European places. I suspect it will be a good few years before we can start competing against the big boys, especially the likes of Tottenham who have the best striker in the world up front for them. 

Transfers

I had a big budget so I tried to use it. My biggest problem is that I am unable to convince world class players to talk to us so my main hope was trying to buy young or forgotten players to help us get to the next level. 

I broke my transfer record to sign Jeff Reine-Adelaide from Arsenal, the winger had played only a handful of games for Arsenal other than a few loan spells but he was very highly rated and wanted by big clubs in Europe. Rob Hall is a talented young defender who has the ability to be a very big part of the team whilst Xavi Quintilla is a  defender who could come in and be a first team regular now. 

I thought I made a few excellent deals as well, Jerry St. Juste coming in from Newcastle for just £1.9 million was an absolute steal, whilst Jordan Rossiter was a good signing for £4.5 million. 

Player Performance

Our defence became a lot more solid and whilst we still conceded more than I would have liked, the performances of the likes of Hisashi Shibamura and Jerry St. Juste were excellent whilst Janne Korhonen was brilliant in midfield. 

David Selke didn't have as good a season as last but he still got a few vital goals, whilst Nishan Burkart got a few off the bench. 

England

We won every game in our World Cup Qualifying group, conceding just twice in the entirety of qualifying.

We were drawn in the World Cup against Ghana, South Korea and Portugal in our group. We started with a comfortable 2-0 win over Ghana as Will Hughes and Callum Wilson scored, before a 4-0 win over Japan secured our place in the next round. We drew 2-2 with Portugal to top the group. 

We then got a tough second round draw against Italy but won 2-0 as Marcus Edwards and Calum Chambers scored before a nicer draw against Ivory Coast in the Quarter Finals, also winning 2-0. We had a tough game against Brazil in the semi-final as we won 2-1, Marcus Rashford scoring either side of a Neymar goal. 

In the final we played rivals Germany, the same opponents we beat in the International Nations League final just a year before. We took the lead through Marcus Rashford in the 24th minute before Harry Kane and Eric Dier took us to a three goal lead. Germany got a goal back in the 69th minute but we held on and secured a 3-1 win to make us World Champions. 

I instantly resigned after the World Cup victory, I was quite happy to return to the Orient job solely and I achieved the highest I could achieve as England manager, ending a spell in which I won 23 games, drew 4 and lost only once, a friendly against Japan. 

[adam_thomas]

A great read. I'm just starting my journey as Orient boss.