New Cardiff Boss Russell Slade watched his team suffer an unacceptable 1-0 loss at the hands of a spirited Blackpool, but it won’t just be the Cardiff fans who will feel let down by such an inept showing.
Leyton Orient fans must be scratching their heads wandering how on earth the last few months have been so bad since their Play-Off Final defeat to Rotherham. After a less than impressive showing so far this season, they now also find themselves without a manager.
Bad run
It isn’t a surprise to any one that Leyton Orient are still suffering a hang-over from their impressive promotion campaign last season after finishing third – their highest league position in many, many years. It was always clear that it would be difficult to repeat such a feat, but with the success of last season, there was always going to be higher expectations from the O’s fans this time round.
It’s been a sorry start from the North-East London club, going in to their home match with Swindon Town in a lowly 19th place, with only one win in their last six games. It is early days, but some Orient fans are already struggling to motivate themselves to watch their side. Of course, it is a simply a bad run – lots of teams experience this, but I’d imagine it’s the off-the-field issues that are troubling the Orient faithful.
Uncertainty
There was a fair amount of speculation over Slade’s position, especially after their League One Play-Off defeat to Peterborough, despite being 2-0 up at one stage – sorry Orient fans.
The now-Cardiff boss was linked to Premier League sides Crystal Palace and West Brom in the wake of their managerial issues, but rejected the rumours at the time. Fans of the club will point out that the slump came after Barry Hearn, who owned a 90% share in the club for twenty years, sold it to Italian businessman, Francesco Becchetti.
Hearn stated, “he’s the right man to take the club forward”.
It has been a disappointing start, but with the vast majority of the squad still turning out for the club, chances are they won’t be facing a relegation battle at the end of the season, but fans shouldn’t necessarily expect a promotion campaign either.
Leyton Orient did some tidy transfer business this summer, bringing in Championship proven players such as Shane Lowry from Millwall and Jobi McAnuff from Reading, as well as keeping hold of Kevin Lisbie, Romain Vincelot and David Mooney, who will be vital in helping the O’s achieve their aims this season, whatever they may be.
One thing we could all definitely agree on is that it is not panic stations yet for Leyton Orient, but if their poor run continues up until Christmas, eyebrows may be raised and questions will be asked.
Kevin Nugent will take temporary charge of Orient’s game this afternoon as the search for a new manager begins, with Nugent himself looking to throw his hat in to the ring. A tough start against high-flying Swindon, who currently sit in third, will be his first test.
You can watch highlights of Leyton Orient v Swindon Town on The Football League Show at 11:50PM on BBC One.