Leyton Orient v Swindon Town Official Matchday Thread

[jimmy_onions]

56 pages?!  Blimey.

Pls forgive me for not having read all the way through (although I did read some of the thread on the train home last night).  But just one point (that I made a little earlier in a London Reds e-mail)was that the feeling was last night that relegation is now more of an expectation than a fear.  You saw that in the gallows humour at the end (very vocal, very funny), you saw it in the relative lack of 'Wilson Out' chanting.  I think most of our fans are resigned to relegation now - barring something unforeseen.  Can't see a way out, and don't see replacing the manager as an immediate solution to all of our worries.

You also have to ask which manager, in his right mind, would choose to join us at the moment with a very realistic prospect of chalking a relegation up on his CV in less than 3 months from now?  If DW does leave (and after yesterday, his position is looking very shaky) we could very well end up with a caretaker until May.  (Shirtliff anyone?)

I do think that DW has lost his way.  And I do feel gutted for him.  He's a decent chap.  He took us to Wembley last year and even now I'm grateful to him for that.  But it's all gone wrong and it's clear he doesn't really understand why.  (Individually, some of our lot did well last night...Lecs and Ritchie in particular.  It's not all bad.)  For that reason alone, I can't see his tenure lasting much longer.  It's all very sad.  How did it ever come to this?

"It's all very sad.  How did it ever come to this?"

Amen brother - I think this sums up our collective mood perfectly.

[Samdy Gray]

My main worry is that if (and it still is if) we get relegated, will Fitton, or more probably our other major backers, think "fuck this, I'm off" and cut their losses and leave us totally in the shit again?

Fitton kept harping on about his 3 year plan to get into the Championship (which evolved into a 5 year plan). I'm fairly confident that getting relegated to the basement division doesn't feature anywhere in that plan.

Nobody expected a relegation battle after the highs of last season, but it simply can't be allowed to happen. It would be such a massive backward step for this club. We've done fantastically well to attract the calibre of player such as Douglas, Cuthbert, Lucas, Prutton etc. We've no hope in hell of keeping hold of those players if we get relegated, let alone attracting decent replacements. It'll be the likes of Ricky Shakes, Gareth Whalley and Chris McPhee all over again.

Although we probably spend more than most in League One, the board have shown us that they operate a very strict budget. If we lose our best players, then we will languish in League Two. Attendances will dwindle and the progress made financially will take a severe knockback. I cannot see us simply spending our way out of that league - it's not the Fitton way.

If Fitton is serious about this club realising his personal ambition of becoming an established Championship football team then he needs to do something about this current rot, quickly.

Relegation is simply not an option.

[ghanimah]

56 pages?!  Blimey.

Pls forgive me for not having read all the way through (although I did read some of the thread on the train home last night).  But just one point (that I made a little earlier in a London Reds e-mail)was that the feeling was last night that relegation is now more of an expectation than a fear.  You saw that in the gallows humour at the end (very vocal, very funny), you saw it in the relative lack of 'Wilson Out' chanting.  I think most of our fans are resigned to relegation now - barring something unforeseen.  Can't see a way out, and don't see replacing the manager as an immediate solution to all of our worries.

You also have to ask which manager, in his right mind, would choose to join us at the moment with a very realistic prospect of chalking a relegation up on his CV in less than 3 months from now?  If DW does leave (and after yesterday, his position is looking very shaky) we could very well end up with a caretaker until May.  (Shirtliff anyone?)

I do think that DW has lost his way.  And I do feel gutted for him.  He's a decent chap.  He took us to Wembley last year and even now I'm grateful to him for that.  But it's all gone wrong and it's clear he doesn't really understand why.  (Individually, some of our lot did well last night...Lecs and Ritchie in particular.  It's not all bad.)  For that reason alone, I can't see his tenure lasting much longer.  It's all very sad.  How did it ever come to this?

Good post that. I would just to like to add that if relegation is inevitable please please oh God please do not let the Poxford scum get promoted as well. I dread the inevitable deluge of gloating should the passing of ships in the night happen.

[Power to people]

The problem with Wilson and we have seen this throughout his tenure is he does not seem to know how to change a game when things are going wrong, he does not seem to be tactically aware, and he very rarely is prepared to just go for it when we have basically lost the game by willing the team forward to try and get a goal and cause the opposition some slight concern, ok it is a risk of concedinig another but better to have lost 4-0 and tried to get back into the game than to lose 3-0 and lay down and die

I'm not sure what JP or Ferry have done but you would have thought last night if we needed a wide player instead of playing a full back in midfield put JP in at left midfield and bring Ferry on for that extra attacking prowess but that does not happen, he brings on Prutton as always, Caddis is eculed as he plays in that position as well as full back.

Is there something in certain players contract's that says they have to play games even if they are put in any position regardless he always seems to bring on Prutton

The stats don't like we have won once in the last 12 games - this is relegation form.

Didn't we think we was too good to go down last time we was relegated, I do not beleive that we have the players for a fight, most like to play pretty football and don't know any other way of playing, when you are down there you need to fight and scrap for every point - is our squad capable of this ? can the manager continue to motivate them, can he get the tactics right, can he pick the correct players for the right positions ?

[Freddies Ferret]

My main worry is that if (and it still is if) we get relegated, will Fitton, or more probably our other major backers, think "fuck this, I'm off" and cut their losses and leave us totally in the shit again?

Fitton kept harping on about his 3 year plan to get into the Championship (which evolved into a 5 year plan). I'm fairly confident that getting relegated to the basement division doesn't feature anywhere in that plan.

Nobody expected a relegation battle after the highs of last season, but it simply can't be allowed to happen. It would be such a massive backward step for this club. We've done fantastically well to attract the calibre of player such as Douglas, Cuthbert, Lucas, Prutton etc. We've no hope in hell of keeping hold of those players if we get relegated, let alone attracting decent replacements. It'll be the likes of Ricky Shakes, Gareth Whalley and Chris McPhee all over again.

Although we probably spend more than most in League One, the board have shown us that they operate a very strict budget. If we lose our best players, then we will languish in League Two. Attendances will dwindle and the progress made financially will take a severe knockback. I cannot see us simply spending our way out of that league - it's not the Fitton way.

If Fitton is serious about this club realising his personal ambition of becoming an established Championship football team then he needs to do something about this current rot, quickly.

Relegation is simply not an option.

agree with this 100% I really dont think we can just give up and say fuck it we are in league 2. Like you said Sam, I cant see Fitton spending his way out of the bottom tier and I fear we will end up there for years!

[jonny72]

How much will relegation cost? Will it actually cost anything, or will we make more?

A successful season in League 2 and getting promoted straight back up is likely to mean higher gates and higher income, it definitely had a positive effect on attendances last time round. So maybe it's not all bad?

[Lumps]

The table looks scarey frankly. Only the shit form of Plymouth and Exeter gives me any hope. Walsall, who've taken 7 points from their last 9, scoring 10 goals in the process, will piss past us soon unless there's some miraculous transformation in our performances.

Actually looking at the form table there's a chance that 4 west country clubs in Argyle, Exeter, Rovers and us could go down this season.

Bastard.

[Samdy Gray]

How much will relegation cost? Will it actually cost anything, or will we make more?

A successful season in League 2 and getting promoted straight back up is likely to mean higher gates and higher income, it definitely had a positive effect on attendances last time round. So maybe it's not all bad?

And therein lies the flaw in your frankly ludicrous suggestion.

[Peter Venkman]

And therein lies the flaw in your frankly ludicrous suggestion.

Agreed, a pretty major flaw.

[jonny72]

What happened the last time we were relegated to League Two?

[Peter Venkman]

What happened the last time we were relegated to League Two?

What happened the previous time we were relegated to the bottom division?

[pauld]

What happened the last time we were relegated to League Two?

We scraped over the line in 3rd. A couple of dodgy results either way and we'd still be mired down there.

[jonny72]

So what happened 20 years ago is more relevant than what happened a few seasons ago, thus making my suggestion ludicrous?

Mind you, I do have a track record of ludicrous suggestions recently that got shot down just as quickly. Calling for Wilson to be sacked just after Christmas and saying the Charlton result was a blip and he should still go spring to mind.

[pauld]

So what happened 20 years ago is more relevant than what happened a few seasons ago, thus making my suggestion ludicrous?

No the idea that scraping over the line in 3rd a few years back guarantees we will always come straight back up from League 2 is what makes your suggestion ludicrous

[jonny72]

No the idea that scraping over the line in 3rd a few years back guarantees we will always come straight back up from League 2 is what makes your suggestion ludicrous

Try reading my post again. I never said anything about it being guaranteed. You even refer to it as a suggestion.