How annoyingly frustrating are international breaks? Especially this one that comes just as the season is getting underway to accommodate the Nations League – a “competition” that most football fans don’t really understand, and even fewer see the point of!

Perhaps the only good thing is that the enforced break from league action will have given Richie, the coaching staff and the squad time to regroup, put some work in on the training ground, and get ourselves ready for what is coming up over the next few weeks. Let’s hope so, because our schedule to the end of September looks at least as daunting as our start to the season was: 

• Reading away – Without the points deductions and transfer embargos of the past few seasons, Reading seemed to have stabilised as a club to a degree and have made a decent start to 2024/25 season winning two and drawing one of their opening four matches.

• Brentford (League Cup) away– As fun as a long overdue cup run is proving to be, given our start to the season, further progression in the cup feels like less of a priority for Orient than getting some much needed points on the board. I am sure we will all enjoy an evening at a new ground over in West London, but getting on track in the league has to be our main focus.

• Stockport away – We are all aware of Stockport’s rapid rise from the National League to League One in the space of just three seasons. With some financial clout behind them and an experienced manager in the form of Dave Challinor, their ambitions are to reach the Championship sooner rather than later. County have won three and drawn one of their opening four games and currently sit second in the nascent league table.

• Peterborough home – When they’re not on one of their periodic sojourns in the second tier, Peterborough are usually in the League One promotion mix and it seems safe to say that they will most likely be there again this time around. Unusually this term they have gotten off to a mixed start winning two and losing two of their first four matches.

• Wrexham – Aren’t we all a bit sick of hearing about Wrexham? We know about their Hollywood owners, the TV show, and their ambitions to progress through the tiers as quickly as possible. With an unbeaten start (four wins and a draw) they are undoubtedly a very different prospect from last time we met back in the National League. 

After that run of matches, October doesn’t look a hell of a lot easier either with fixtures at home to Exeter, Huddersfield and Rotherham and trips to Lincoln, Northampton and Wycombe looming on the horizon. It really feels like we need to get ourselves on track and to start putting some points on the board or this season could turn sour very quickly.  Quite where those points are going to come from is anyone’s guess, and I for one can’t shake off a feeling of worry about where we might stand at the end of October.

At this early stage in the season, there still seems to be a significant amount of uncertainty over our first choice line-up, who should start matches, and where? The announcement of the signing of experienced midfielder Dom Ball, appears to add to that lack of clarity. At 29 Ball seems like the “old head” that Richie has been looking for, but what does that mean for Lewis Warrington who only signed for us this summer and will most likely now find himself on the sidelines?

All through the starting eleven it isn’t completely clear who is the first choice for which spot. Starting with the guy between the posts, through his mistakes it always felt like Zach Hemming was going to be the first choice over Sam Howes, but the arrival of Josh Keeley on loan from Tottenham has clouded the situation. I can’t for one minute imagine that Spurs sent the Republic of Ireland U21 international to Brisbane Road to understudy Hemming, so who will be the first choice going forward? Chopping and changing your goalkeeper is hardly a recipe for stability.  

Ahead of the start of the season I would have said that our first choice centre back pairing would be Dan Happe and Jack Simpson, however the latter’s injury has seen Omar Beckles and Brandon Cooper partner Happe, with Cooper even being captain on occasion.

Sean Clare seems to be the first choice as right back, even if opinions remain split on whether his performances have been up to scratch or not thus far. While the loan acquisition of Jack Currie from Oxford seems to have moved both Jayden Sweeney and Tom James down the pecking order on the left hand side.

We have already touched upon the midfield but if we assume Ball is a starter who partners him? Jordan Brown, Zech Obiero or Ethan Galbraith. Or is Galbraith going to be our starting number 10, in which case where does Jamie Donley fit into the picture?

Up front it still seems unclear as to whether Dan Agyei or Charlie Kelman is best suited as the central striker. Unless we play them as a pair, one of them will have to move wider, in which case what do we do about our wingers Ollie O’Neill, Jordan Graham and Theo Archibald when fit? That is without even mentioning Sonny Perkins and Diallang Jaiyesimi, who we have to assume are earmarked as potential impact subs.    

With so many questions over our best starting line-up it seems fair to assume that we haven’t really been able to develop the cohesion that we have enjoyed over the past couple of campaigns. Which in turn probably explains why we haven’t yet managed to pick up any points. Hopefully the concentrated time over the last fortnight has allowed Richie and co to address that and we will start to see the fruits of their labours starting in Berkshire tomorrow afternoon. If not then we may be in for a very long season.

Up the O’s!