Leyton Orient was a well-run, stable lower league club for decades. That’s changed under the reign of owner Francesco Becchetti, and Orient supporters have had enough. During the final game of the League Two season, with Orient trailing Colchester 3-1 in the 85th minute, their supporters rushed the pitch in protest and delayed the match:
Leyton Orient fans rush field in protest, delay final Football League match
Their owner has taken a previously stable club and destroyed it en route to two relegations in three years.
Just three years ago, Orient finished third in League One, the third tier of English football. They failed to win promotion to the Championship but were expected to challenge for a playoff place again the next season.
Instead, Becchetti fired long-serving and popular manager Russell Slade in September 2014 after a slow, though not disastrous, start to the season. Everything went downhill from there, as Becchetti cycled through three more managers en route to their relegation from League One.
Orient stayed up last season despite a number of managerial changes, including a brief player-coach role for Kevin Nolan and two caretaker stints for Andy Hessenthaler, who Becchetti once kicked.
There have been five different managers in charge this season, with Andy Edwards serving as caretaker boss on two separate occasions. And while this has been going on, the squad has turned over several times thanks to a bizarre transfer strategy that has seen huge groups of players come in and out seemingly at random.
Recently, things have gotten bad enough at the club that players and staff stopped receiving their wages on time. Club employees have asked the FA and EFL to intervene.
And now Orient is heading out of the Football League to the fifth division of English football. Orient is London’s second-oldest club, and the team hasn’t played outside of the top four divisions since 1905. Their relegation two seasons ago ended a nine-year run in the third division. Their fans had no reason to believe their club could ever fall apart quite like this, and they’re rightfully mad.
That’s why they’re trying to bring attention to what’s happened to their club by getting their final match in the Football League called off. An hour after their protest started, the match still couldn’t be restarted.
Orient have massive history plus a great stadium and support for their current level. If their fans can find a way to force Becchetti out, either by compelling him to sell the team or convincing the FA to strip him of his ownership, they can start to rebuild and take their club back to where they believe it belongs.
See More:
