Before Saturday’s 3-1 defeat of Port Vale at Brisbane Road, Leyton Orient had had as many managers this season as home wins. Their fifth was much needed. Other results mean they remain 22nd in League One, their division since 2006.
A year ago, a model of stability under Barry Hearn’s ownership (19 years) and Russell Slade’s management (four), they entered April having never been out of the top three and ended up losing to Rotherham on penalties in the play-off final after leading 2-0. Now, instead of looking up, they are trying not to look down.
It all changed in July when Hearn, having failed to stop West Ham securing the Olympic Stadium and encroaching on Orient’s fanbase, sold the club for £4m to Francesco Becchetti. A fan for 55 years, Hearn, now honorary president and still owner of a ground that, with its four tower-block corners, feels like a well – or perhaps Hearn bay – said in January he had no regrets about selling. But he did suggest that “the danger for an East End club is to be run as an Italian club. For whatever reason a very good management structure was virtually entirely replaced.” Becchetti made his money in waste management.
He quickly spent some of it on older players, Jobi McAnuff and Darius Henderson among them, as well as a couple of Italians, divisively on wages three times as high as that of the players in situ. On Saturday McAnuff was away with Jamaica and Henderson, due to start, was held up by a traffic accident and relegated to the bench. With Ryan Hedges absent with Wales Under-21s and Romain Vincelot, chief creator, out for the season with a knee injury, their victory gains in virtue.
It was unimaginable for 40 minutes, with Vale as slick as Orient were slack. For almost half a century, until 1945, the home side were Clapton Orient. Here they looked more clapped out. Alex Cisak fisted over a Louis Dodds bullet and Gary Sawyer cleared off the line before Chris Birchall put Vale ahead. Cisak then got just enough on Tom Pope’s shot to stop a second. Before half-time, though, David Mooney and Dean Cox at least hinted at riposte.
Rumours had told of communication problems with the manager, Fabio Liverani, and of the players doing their own team talks. Whoever said what, they changed from men dispossessed to a team possessed. Chris Dagnall inspired a thrilling move before having a shot beaten out by Chris Neal, who was then sent off for tripping him when clean through. Mooney converted the penalty. Dagnall was later to hit a post and the bar.
Between times Neill Collins put into his own net under pressure from Jake Taylor, freshly on loan from Reading,Mooney wasted a second penalty and Cox fired home from 25 yards. As Vale capitulated to a fourth defeat running home fans danced on the verandahs.
Slade, with 10 points from eight games, has the best record of the four managers and Liverani may need at least that strike rate to survive. Their last four games are against the sides now in the play-off positions. If they fail, they could always become Leyton Occident.
