Leyton Orient currently sit within the relegation zone in EFL League One this campaign, with them positioned 22nd on 33 points.
Now, with the remainder of the season coming up, Orient will be looking to climb up the table and prevent being relegated within the remainder of the season.
Ahead of their next fixture against Northampton Town on the 21st of February, I sat down with the Orient Outlook Podcast to talk all things Orient in a Leyton Orient interview.
Before we start, we would like to thank Leyton Orient podcast Orient Outlook for taking part in this Leyton Orient interview.
Their responses were informative and aim to give you an insight into Leyton Orient as a club currently.
Leyton Orient currently sits 22nd in the league. How do you feel your team has performed so far this season?
Paul – “As we write this, we’ve dropped to 22nd and to say we’re concerned is probably an understatement.
“After the highs of last season, this is an unexpected and unwanted surprise.”
Steve – “The table doesn’t lie and 22nd is where we deserve to be.
“Our defence has shipped far too many goals and although we’ve had bad luck with injuries, the majority of performances have not been good enough and neither has the recruitment over the summer and January transfer window.”
Compared to your feelings before the season started, would you say your thoughts now are more positive or negative?
Paul – “Definitely negative and to the point where certain factions of the fanbase are questioning if Richie Wellens is the right manager for us.”
Steve – “Would agree with this. It’s not clicked this season and there is a fair amount of negative feeling amongst the fanbase.
“Not only for Richie, but the players and even the board at this moment in time.”
Who would you say has been your best player so far this campaign?
Paul – “Dom Ballard who is the joint second leading scorer in the league as we write this. Nobody had heard of him and he’d stated as second choice to Aaron Connolly.
“But since Aaron’s injury he’s blossomed scoring hat tricks, goal of the month and man of the match awards.
“It’s been quite a season for him.
Steve – “Dom has had a brilliant season and far exceeded expectations, but I do think Aaron Connolly who hasn’t played over the last few months had stayed fit he’d be top of the League One scoring charts as he was really starting to find his feet as an Orient player before picking up his injury.”
Who has surprised you the most this season, and why?
Paul – “Dom Ballard a for the reasons mentioned in the previous question. But also Dan Happe, who is a vastly experienced player and given his age, we haven’t see him be the commanding player we feel he should be.”
Steve – “I would say Tyreeq Bakinson and Josh Koroma. Two experienced League One players who came with big expectations and have vastly undelivered against the level they should be playing at.”
How do you feel your team has performed in cup competitions this season?
Paul – “Like our league games, not well overall. We were out of the FA Cup at the second round after a 4-0 loss to a League Two side.
“We did well in the EFL Trophy group stage but lost to fellow League One side Plymouth Argyle. And we were out of the Carabao Cup (EFL Trophy) in the first game following a 1-0 loss at home to Wycombe.”
Steve – “After the excitement of last season’s FA Cup run (getting knocked out by Man City in round 4) it was a shame to go out in the second round, not only that but to a team a league below us with a 4-0 defeat in front of the TV cameras was a hard pill to swallow.”
Do you think your manager Richie Wellens has done a good job this season, and why?
Paul – “It’s the first season where we have struggled under Richie.
“His post match interviews have sometimes baffled us and some of the team set up doesn’t seem to work for the personnel he’s using. He has sat in the stands at times which started off working well but is now on the touchline – not sure if the players appreciate this.”
Steve – “We all know Richie’s ability and he has done an amazing job at the O’s over the last four years. It is easy to look at the recruitment and say he’s not been backed with quality, but at times he hasn’t helped himself at all from his post match interviews, team selections and tactics.”
Have your owners supported your team enough this season?
Paul – “Think we’d have to say yes they have. We now have a much higher wage budget. We’ve got five loans in, they didn’t work so got rid and replaced them with five more plus more permanent signings.”
Steve – “Not sure to be honest. Lots of turnover in the squad which was always going to happen and from the outside they have financed players coming in, but I get the feeling personally that the new owner is more focused on other club priorities than the team.”
Which position has been the most beneficial to your side this season?
Paul – “Strikers. With Aarron Connolly and Dom Ballard we have two strong and different players.”
Steve – “Agree, our Goals For has been decent this season and the goal returns for both Dom Ballard and Aaron Connolly for the games they have played has been more than decent.”
Which position do you feel has held your team back the most this campaign?
Paul – “Having conceded 52 goals, it has to be the back four and goalkeeper.”
Steve – “The goalkeeper issue has been unlike anything we’ve seen before this season. As it stands we’ve seen four goalkeepers play for us (Tommy Simkin, Killian Cahill, Toby Oluwayemi and Will Dennis) and another one (Daniel Bachmann) injured before he even played a minute of football for us.”
What do you believe to be a realistic aspiration for your team in the closing stages of the season?
Paul – “We hope it’s mid table but at this rate it could be relegation in all honesty.”
Steve – “At this moment in time for me it’s just survival. A huge game at Northampton awaits which could define the season.”
Thank you for reading the Leyton Orient interview with the Orient Outlook podcast. If you have any feedback about the Leyton Orient interview, please comment below.
