A crisis in London: Leyton Orient's sorry descent

It's April, and we've now reached the tail end of the football season. There is still much to play for at the summit of leagues (although the Premier League may well be a full gone conclusion) and teams are fighting for survival with relegation dogfights likely to go down to the wire. However, I digress - this season has also been a year for crisis clubs; Blackpool, Blackburn, Charlton, Coventry and Morecambe all falling foul of chaos both on the pitch and behind the scenes, with shoddy ownership playing a major factor in the downfall of their seasons.

The turmoil at the aforementioned clubs is nothing when you compare it to the Italian spearheaded meltdown which is ongoing in the heart of London at Leyton Orient. A club destined for relegation for non-league football, not through a lack of passion or footballing misjudgement, but purely down to a poisonous owner.

The team which lined up against Wycombe Wanderers last weekend was a comparative shell of the squad which lined up at Wembley two seasons ago on the brink of securing the O's promotion to the Championship. Despite their squad's relative inexperience, from my perspective in the away end, the passion was still there both on the pitch, and even from the long-suffering supporters present in the stands, however, a swift straight red card for a high challenge and two quickfire goals from Matt Bloomfield and Myles Weston saw the Chairboys enter cruise control less than half an hour into the afternoon, soon after the life was predictably sucked out of the game and what buzz that existed around Brisbane Road was quickly distinguished. Much like most of the dismal home performances this season, the action on the pitch mirrored the situation that waste-management magnate Francesco Becchetti has created during his two-and-a-half year reign at the club off the pitch.

Since Becchetti's arrival, the O's have been relegated to the fourth tier despite extensive investment most notably in striker Jay Simpson and winger Jobi McAnuff, whom both earnt hefty paychecks for that level, seen a conveyor belt of failing managers - with eleven swiftly coming and going, and a most dramatically of all, a winding up order for unpaid debts in excess of £1 million. Whilst the toxic owner himself has been investigated for money laundering, banned for six matches for kicking Orient's then assistant manager Andy Hessenthaler, and operating at best a blasé ownership model - at worst suicidal. 

The culmination of all of this is Orient's worst home record in their league history (17 defeats from 21 outings) and their probable relegation from the football league - a membership that has spanned 112 years. The bedlum behind the scenes at the club was aptly summed up by a protest staged by supporters in the Brisbane Road director boxes during Saturday's fixture, with fans unveiling a banner sneaked in which simply read 'BOLLOCKS'.

Leyton Orient fans express their frustrations this weekend

For myself and other Wycombe supporters the game was more than gaining somewhat of a 'gimmie' of a victory and taking the three points back to Buckinghamshire, it was also about showing solidarity towards fellow football supporters and their club. Chants of 'Becchetti Out' and some less savoury chants rang around the group during the second half, after all what is occurring at the London club is disgraceful and I wouldn't wish it upon any football club, people's livelihoods are at stake after all - especially at this level.

Although the club survived a recent winding up order and given more time to pay outstanding the significant overdue debts, players and staff continue to see little or no pay, whilst Becchetti hasn't been seen on a matchday for months on end. Supporters are doing all they can to create a sustainable future for the club, with fan ownership become a more viable option for smaller clubs. However, as it stands, without footballing authorities acting against an owner clearly unfit to operate at the helm of a football club, Orient don't just need an action plan to stay in the division - they need a miracle.

Definitely puts things into perspective, doesn't it Arsenal fans?

Twitter @DLster

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

If you ask any supporter of English football the vast majority will agree that the FA Cup is a special competition, steeped with history, prestige and of course lower league opposition facing Goliaths of the game for a chance of a fabled 'cupset'.

As a supporter of Wycombe Wanderers, one thinks back to 2001 in which the FA Cup journey was cut short a game shy of the final following a famous 2-1 defeat to Liverpool, with the likes of Heskey, Fowler and Gerrard finally seeing off a spirited Chairboys team. Since then, the cup hasn't been too kind to the mighty Blues. With defeats to non-league Hereford and Fleetwood - albeit spearheaded by one Jamie Vardy, the closest the Wanderers had come to cup glory was last season as they succumbed to a somewhat dishevelled Aston Villa team in a third round replay.

With such a poor start to the season this year, a trip to Portsmouth in the first round definitely wasn't the type of draw supporters of the Chairboys were jumping for joy over, especially following a 4-2 drubbing earlier in the season. However, a 2-1 victory against Pompey, a 5-0 away thrashing of League One strugglers Chesterfield, and a less than convincing 2-1 home victory against plucky FA Cup underdogs Stourbridge gave the reinvigorated Wanderers team a fourth round berth for the first time since 2001.

So after one of the most nerve-racking experiences on the terraces during the third round tie with Stourbridge, when Tottenham Hotspur appeared alongside Wycombe Wanderers on the night of the fourth round draw, both supporters and the squad itself (a video of the Wycombe squad learning the news of their opposition went viral) were ecstatic, and FA Cup fever took a hold of the town.

So on the morning of January 28th 2017, myself and the rest of the sold out allocation of 4,035 fans sporting the famous light and dark blue quarters journeyed to White Hart Lane, with no one really expecting anything more than a straight forward Tottenham victory, despite the wholly impressive 16-game unbeaten wave the Chairboys found themselves riding. What followed was truly unforgettable.

Over 4,000 Chairboys fans flocked to the Lane for a piece of the action

Paul Hayes, a man who has somewhat been slated by supporters this season and for his inconsistancy, appeared on the team sheet. And just a mere 40 seconds into the game saw his free header crash against the crossbar. Was today a fairtale in the making?

Despite the growing Wycombe pressure, and a back line struggling to deal with 'The Beast' Adebayo Akinfenwa, alongside the carnival atmosphere coming from the wall of blue positioned in one corner of White Hart Lane, Tottenham had the first opportunity, with Son missing a sitter.

Then 'it' happened. The sweetest volley he'll ever strike. Paul Hayes of all people. Limbs everywhere behind the goal. I couldn't believe we'd gone ahead, nor could the rest of White Hart Lane for that matter. Never had a goal been celebrated quite like that one.

12 minutes later. Dreamland. Hayes from the spot this time. Spurs silenced. Wycombe rampant. Tears of joy from some in the stand. Gobsmacked. We were beating Tottenham 2-0 in their own back yard. Only the FA Cup.

Yet, we were far from confident. And low and behold following the introduction of Dele Alli and Mousa Dembele, Spurs found themselves level midway through the second half, fully expecting a battering to ensue.

Instead, with seven minutes to play, the truly unthinkable happened. Myles Weston stormed down the wing, delivered a delightful cross for Garry Thompson another of the old guard to head home. I've run out of superlatives, an amazing feeling. An eerie silence came over three quarters of the ground.

Garry Thompson puts the Light-Dark Blue army ahead

With one minute to play, still celebrating what we thought was the winner - the cries of 'Que Sera Sera' were shortlived. A poor goal kick from a nervous Blackman let Alli dance through the deep Wycombe back line to slot past the on loan Chelsea keeper in net.

A replay it was then. Surely?

But alas. into the 97th minute of the game, hearts were broken. Son drilled past Blackman. The final whistle blew just too late.

Full time. Tottenham 4, Wycombe 3.

Football can be cruel. Distraught was an understatement. The life had been sucked out of the men in Blue.

The Wanderers had nothing left to give, and were rightfully clapped off by both sets of fans, in a game that they undoubtedly deserved something from, despite the late Spurs onslaught. After all the League Two outfit were the first team in some two-and-a half years to dispatch three goals here.

Walking back towards the train station, the bittersweet feeling kicked in. The way in which the defeat came was sickening. But what I witnessed on that hallowed turf on a winters afternoon was a team high in spirit, character and talent. Days like that make me proud to be Wycombe Wanderers supporter.

Who says the cup doesn't matter anymore?




Follow me on Twitter @DLster



 

The magic of the trophy...

Well, it's been a while. But here we go again. Here's to some consistency.

Back in June the FA announced a revamp of the English League Trophy (formerly the Johnstone's Paint Trophy), or the 'Tinpot Trophy' to many football league team supporters. Academy teams were to feature for the first time, expanding the competition from 48 to 64 clubs a gateway to higher attendances, increased prize money, opportunities for young talent to shine through, and a platform to restructure the Football League in the future.

The FA thought they were on to a winner.

Well, the reception was somewhat muted from clubs, with many big academy sides (Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea) declining to take part. League clubs cited issues such as extra travel expenses as the competition is no longer regionalised, the inclusion of academy sides and the 'make the rules up as you go along' attitude to the new competition format.

As for fans, these plans went down like a lead balloon. Nobody wants to watch West Ham's kids take on a League 2 side on a wintry Tuesday night, in a cup that doesn't really matter, not even West Ham fans. Just imagine the final between Stoke Academy and Swansea Academy in front of a few thousand at Wembley. Embarrassing. Fans were also wary of the fact the restructuring of the EFL Trophy was the first step towards League 3 - the inclusion of B Teams in the official English League system - something the vast majority of fans are against. Triggering plans for blanket boycotts of these matches, despite the FA expecting attendances to rise.

Six months on and we've reached the Quarter Final stages. And low and behold the concept has failed miserably. One academy team remains, illustrating that the 'promising talent' that the FA suggested hasn't materialised, highlighted massively by League 2 relegation candidate Cheltenham's 5-1 thrashing of Premier League champions Leicester City's academy side.

Even less surprisingly following the mass coverage of the #BTeamBoycott on Twitter and the general acknowledgement from football league fans that this new concept has been horrifically executed has led to record low attendances for competitive matches at grounds around the country, with over two-thirds of fixtures being witnessed by less than a thousand spectators, with just 392 lucky souls seeing Fleetwood take on Blackburn Rovers academy - a one-goal thriller.

Portsmouth take on Reading Academy at an eerily quiet Fratton Park

When even football league teams are taking the proverbial by breaking FA rules and fielding under strength teams, and in Bradford's case playing a full strength team and then substituting their first team goalkeeper Colin Doyle after he had a 'poor 45 seconds' the FA have to ultimately admit defeat.

Don't get me wrong, as a Wycombe fan I definitely wouldn't sniff at another day at Wembley and some silverware to boot. But the dire performance of the EFL Trophy deserves a wry smile and a little 'we told you so' from League One and Two supporters.

Twitter @DLster